How to extend the life of your refrigerator
- by Anna Sattler (RSS feed) on Dec 30th 2007 1:00PM
- Filed under household hacks, in the kitchen, preventative maintenance, kitchen, cleaning
Fridge's are very expensive, which is the major reason I refuse to get rid of my old clunker. It keeps going and going, just like the Energizer bunny, because I make sure that I clean the thing from top to bottom every 3 months. If your refrigerator has been acting up lately, refusing to keep your food cold, don't despair. You can keep your fridge going well past it's lifetime too, with these easy and simple tips.- Change the water filter. Seriously, if you think about it, if you are using a dirty filter, imagine how dirty the water was before it was filtered through the dirty filter!
- Clean the gaskets. I use vinegar to clean the gaskets, and I check to make sure the gaskets gives a nice tight seal after I wipe them dry by inserting a piece of paper in the door. If I can easily pull the piece of paper out when the fridge or freezer door is closed, then it is time to replace the gasket. Consult your owner's manual on how to change the gasket.
- Clean the drip pan and the drain hole. Scrub out the drip pan with baking soda and vinegar. The drain hole has to be cleaned of food and debris, so I usually use Q-tips and a small scrub brush. Consult your owner's manual on how you should clean the drain hole on your fridge.
- Clean the condenser coils. The coils on the back of your refrigerator can get very dusty, thus making your fridge work much harder than is necessary. Use a vacuum hose to clean the coils every three months. If you have pets like I do, then you probably want to clean the coils every month.
- Level the refrigerator. An unlevel refrigerator means that the doors might not close properly, resulting in spoiled food and high energy bills. You can prevent this by placing a carpenter's level on top of the fridge and adjusting the feet until your refrigerator is level.
Comments [4]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-24-2008 @ 7:09PM
Dianna said...
"the manufacturer's literature always suggested the tilt to the back"
So if my problem is the refrigerator door slams shut, can I tilt it a little more forward? Thanks for your advice.
Reply
7-24-2008 @ 7:30PM
Anna Sattler said...
I believe that you could fix the feet so that the door doesn't slam shut. In fact, I finally gave in and bought a new fridge with my stimulus check, and now I have the same problem. Raising the feet helped a bit, so I would say go for it, Dianna!
1-14-2008 @ 2:39PM
Gary G said...
In step #5, you wrote "Level the refrigerator. An unlevel refrigerator means that the doors might not close properly, resulting in spoiled food and high energy bills. You can prevent this by placing a carpenter's level on top of the fridge and adjusting the feet until your refrigerator is level."
You don't want the refrigerator to actually be level, you want a slight tilt to the back so the doors close by themselves when they are open less than 90 degrees ( hope that makes sense). I used to install refrigerators for many years and the manufacturer's literature always suggested the tilt to the back (about 1/2 bubble if I remember correctly). This helps the doors close when someone gets something out but doesn't close the door or has their hands full. A check for proper leveling (which means tilted toward the back) is to open the door approx. 45 degrees and let go. If it's set correctly, it will close by itself.
Reply
1-14-2008 @ 2:49PM
Anna S. said...
Your advise is tops, and thank you for sharing your expertise.