How to keep your refrigerator in top condition

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

These tips will help you use your device more efficiently and waste less food.

1. Adjust the temperature to suit different conditions

On average, it should be between 1 ° C and 4 ° C. Reduce the temperature when there is a lot of food in the refrigerator or the room is hot. And boost when content is low to save energy. Keep the temperature in the freezer stable (-18 ° C). If your refrigerator includes defrosting, do it once a year.

2. Clean regularly

Remove all smudges right away. Wipe the refrigerator handles once a day and the door every week. Sort food on all shelves every few days. Try to use those that are about to expire as soon as possible.

Clean the inside of the refrigerator every three months. To do this, first remove all shelves and drawers and wash them with hot water. Do not use bleach or similar cleaners, but rather use regular soap or dishwashing gel. Then wash the walls of the refrigerator. For stubborn stains, use a toothbrush and a thick mixture of baking soda and water. Wipe dry after wet cleaning.

Do a spring cleaning once a year. Unplug the refrigerator plug from the outlet, move it aside and remove the debris that has accumulated under it. Wipe off the dust on the back wall. If you can, remove the protective grill and dust off the fan and condenser. After this cleaning, the cooling system will work more efficiently.

3. Know what to refrigerate and what not

Do not refrigerate:

• Most fruits and some vegetables, especially those that are not yet ripe. Store them at room temperature away from sunlight. This applies to tomatoes and cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic, pumpkin, beets and other root vegetables, including ginger.
• Opened cans, primarily with fruits and tomatoes. If they stand in such a container for a long time, they have a metallic taste. Therefore, it is better to transfer the contents to glass or plastic containers.
• Hot food. Wait for it to cool completely so as not to overload the refrigerator compressor.
• Expired products. It's okay if one day has passed after the specified period, but if the product has been standing for a week, do not risk your health.
• Opened jars of jam, mustard, syrups. It is enough to put them in a closet, where the sun's rays do not fall. But just in case, check the instructions on the package.

Store in the refrigerator:

• Berries and ripe fruits.
• Vegetables (excluding those listed above).
• Dairy products and eggs.
• Meat and fish.
• All open foods that are labeled to store at low temperatures. Including open bottles of wine.
• Leftovers from ready meals (as soon as they have cooled down), salads, snacks.
• Large cans of peanut butter if you're not going to use it quickly. In the cold, it will not exfoliate.

4. Distribute the food on the shelves

1. Top shelf - everything that does not need to be cooked: sausages, sauces, salads, snacks, leftover dishes, as well as canned food from cans that you transferred to another dish.
2. Middle shelf - dairy products and eggs. The refrigerator door is not a suitable place for them: it is more often exposed to warm air, and this shortens the shelf life of food.
3. Bottom shelf - meat and fish.
4. Compartments for vegetables - naturally, fruits and vegetables, just keep them separate from each other. Some fruits (apples, pears, bananas) emit ethylene gas, which can spoil nearby vegetables faster. In the same department, remove leafy greens, after washing and drying them with a paper towel. But herbs (except for basil) are best placed in a jar of water and kept away from the cold back wall.
5. Door - juices, dressings and other products with the longest shelf life.

5. Organize storage

To make the most of your refrigerator space, stack food containers one on top of the other. Place the high ones back, and the low ones forward, so that everything is in plain sight. Place tags with the date when you cooked the dish or opened the package.

6. Get rid of unpleasant odors

Place strong-smelling foods in containers with tight lids. Just in case, keep a plate of baking soda on the bottom shelf, it will absorb all the odors. Change it every three months. Do not throw away the used baking soda, it can be used to clean the sink or bathtub. Lifehacker talked about other ways to eliminate odors in the refrigerator using improvised means in a separate article.

7. If you share the refrigerator with someone, enter the rules of use

Arrange food symmetrically. For example, if you two people use the refrigerator, split it in the middle and take each side on its own. One zone can be left common - for example, a door. You can wrap specialty foods in an opaque bag to make it obvious that it is not for general use.