Refrigerator Cleaning and Maintenance Tips
There are some kitchen appliances in your home that are important, but not critical. If your dishwasher breaks, that’s an inconvenience, but you can always wash dishes by hand until it’s fixed. There are other appliances that can bring your household to a standstill. If your refrigerator is waiting around to be repaired, what are you supposed to do with all of the food that’s gradually getting warmer?
For most of us, the fridge is an appliance that gets plugged in, then works for years. But like any other appliance in your home, if you want your refrigerator to operate correctly during the long term, you need to do some maintenance. Below, we'll share a few simple tips you can do to keep your refrigerator up and running for a very long time!
Your refrigerator’s gasket is the strip that creates a seal between the door and the refrigerator cabinet itself. It’s very important because if it’s ripped apart or damaged, room-temperature air can enter the interior of the fridge. Which can cause excessive moisture and prevents the refrigerator from cooling efficiently. Also, be sure to wipe up liquid spills so they don’t stick to the gasket. A vinyl conditioner or thin film of petroleum jelly will help extend its life.
The job of the condenser on your fridge is to keep the air flowing internally. If the condenser coil gets clogged up by dust or pet hair, the internal components can overheat and the condenser and other parts can end up failing. To make sure that doesn’t happen, take the back panel off the refrigerator, then clean dust and debris off the coils using a vacuum cleaner and a brush. Look under the bottom compartment of the fridge and you might find coils there. Also, make sure the fan is thoroughly cleaned and works how its supposed to.
While the back panel is off, take a moment and just listen to the fridge itself. In particular, listen to the motors of the evaporator fan and the condenser fan. If you hear squeaking, buzzing or any other abnormal noise, it could be a sign of failure of the motor. You should then call your appliance repair company before the motor completely fails.
The door of the refrigerator is going to be opened a lot over time, so some degree of wear will definitely happen. However, you can slow down the process of wear by simply applying lubrication to the top and bottom hinges, and check them for wear. When you do use lubricant, make sure it’s food grade.
You’ll also want to check the interior shelving of the refrigerator. Make sure the glass shelves, drawer slides, and crisper drawers are all functioning correctly. If you spot any defects in the interior shelving of the refrigerator, don’t wait to replace them. The same applies for door bins, end caps, and retainer bars.
