When treated with care throughout the course of its lifetime, a refrigerator and freezer can endure for almost three decades. Maintaining clean condensers, regulated temperatures, and spotless shelves will also help you save money, as the typical cost of a fridge repair is between $200 and $300. Follow these 10 suggestions for maintaining a content fridge and chilled-out freezer if you’re about to do a complete house cleaning in Brea.
1. Keep the Ambient Temperature Safe
To keep your food adequately cooled or frozen, a freezer and a refrigerator must meet certain basic conditions. Aim for between 34 and 39 degrees Fahrenheit for ideal chilling since the FDA recommends keeping your refrigerator set below 40 degrees.
Unsurprisingly, you should set your freezer to exactly 0 degrees. Any colder and you risk getting frost, and any warmer and you risk getting mushy ice cream. A faulty thermistor or a worn-out evaporator fan are only two potential causes of your refrigerator’s inadequate cooling.
2. Examine the Door Gaskets
Remember when your parents told you not to stand in front of the fridge with the door open? Well, a dirty or faulty door gasket could throw all your diligence out the window. The gasket is the rubber door seal that lines the inside of the fridge and freezer.
Check if it’s sealing properly by shutting the door on a piece of paper. If it’s easy to pull the paper out, the door may not be sealing properly. In this case, you’ll likely need a new gasket. If the paper comes out dirty, then it’s time to wash the gasket. Use a mixture of soap and warm water cleaner around the edges.
3. Condenser coils should be cleaned
One of those do-it-yourself tricks to extend the life of your refrigerator without calling a repair crew is deep cleaning the condenser coils. The coils must be found either on the bottom or the back of the entire appliance. Use a strong vacuum hose or a specialized dusting tool—typically a flexible, hard-bristled brush that can fit into tight spaces—to clean the coils on the refrigerator after unplugging it and pulling it away from the wall. Your refrigerator may overheat if it has caked-on debris, dust, or pet hair.
4. Examine the drip pan.
The condenser coils in many refrigerator models send surplus moisture to a drip pan. The hose that conducts water away from your drip pan should be there, but it can get clogged with time. Make sure the drain hole is accessible and that no foul water is accumulating in the pan. If so, making your own cleaner using soap and warm water to clean it should be simple.
5. Keep food in the fridge.
It’s essential to keep something in there even if you’re going on a lengthy vacation or if you’ve been ordering takeout more frequently than using the oven (no judgment here). To function properly over the long term, your refrigerator needs a cooling source.
6. Avoid Overstuffing
As you probably assumed, you can also have too much in your fridge. Filling it up with too many items can overwork your refrigerator, using up unnecessary energy and even throwing off how evenly each item gets chilled. Placing hot food inside of the fridge can also overwork it, so wait for food to cool off before putting it away.
Have your maid clean out expired items from your refrigerator at least once a week, and make sure you’re not overpacking your freezer with old containers of soup and lasagna. Taking a few steps each day will help you maintain a fresh refrigerator.
7. Defrost Freezer
There are a few causes for the gradual accumulation of frost in freezers. Long-term food storage in the freezer, unsealed gaskets or excessive moisture contact with the coils are the main offenders.
Defrost the ice in your freezer for the afternoon before it resembles something out of the Arctic. Place a drip pan underneath the open freezer door after unplugging your freezer. When all the frost has melted, clean the freezer’s interior with soap and water cleaner before turning it back on.
8. Clean out your shelves.
Not always do the odors or accumulation of stale food depart with the containers. When deep cleaning your refrigerator and freezer thoroughly, wipe down the shelves and walls with a sponge dipped in warm water and soap. This practice will not only keep your refrigerator tidy, but it will also allow you to reorganize everything inside for a new beginning.
Consult the Professionals
Your refrigerator or freezer may occasionally experience issues that are well beyond the scope of simple do-it-yourself repairs. Calling your neighborhood refrigerator repairman is frequently justified by warm food, water leaks, or complete power loss. Before you have to throw anything out, a professional’s eye can assist you in identifying the problem. You can contact your local company for house cleaning in Brea to help you maintain your fridge and freezer regularly.
