Taking care for your refrigerator – whether it’s for commercial or domestic usage – is an important and responsible process on which depends either the health of the entire family or often – the fate of your business.
Cleaning should be done at least once every 2-3 weeks. This includes cleaning the refrigerator itself, but also – a full review of the products inside of it, even if it’s a home refrigerator.
Most modern refrigerators can defrost themselves but if you’re using an older model that doesn’t have that function – turn it off and leave the door open when defrosting it. Usually it’s not advisable to try and remove the frost by hand, because you can damage the refrigerator. Plus – if the refrigerator is for commercial usage (there are a lot of old commercial models still in use), then it’s usually too big to do it by hand. If you are in a hurry and you want to get over with the defrosting as fast as possible, just put a bowl with hot water and close the door.
After the defrosting is complete, don’t forget to disinfect all inner and outer surfaces, especially those in direct contact with unpacked food – the vegetable basket for example.
There are plenty of specialized cleansing sprays for refrigerators that don’t require rinsing and can do a good job. However you can also use any regular kitched disinfectant, provided that after that you rinse all surfaces and dry them with a cleam cloth.
Here are some rules for operating your home or commercial refrigerator, which will prolong his life:
– Do not put it next to heating appliances like a stove, a microwave, heaters, etc.
– Don’t place it under direct sunlight.
– Adjust the temperature regime depending on the surrounding environment. The optimum temperature for storage of food products is 39-46ºF / 4-8ºC. If left at a lower temperature, food products might freeze, plus – ice will form more quickly and the power consumption will rise drastically. If the ice gets thicker than 5-6 millimeters – it’s time to defrost your refrigerator.
– Do not put hot or even warm food in the refrigerator. This will hinder its work and increase the power consumption. Additionally, it’s often bad for the rest of the food/produce in the refrigerator.
– Minimize the time during which the refrigerator door is open. Also avoid constantly opening and closing it.
– Don’t use the refrigerator for storing things that can also be put in a cabinet. The refrigerator will be forced to use additional energy to cool something that can easily be stored at 68ºF / 20ºC. Furthermore – the more things you have in the refrigerator, the more air circulation is slowed, which – you guessed it – leads to additional power consumption.
– Products that have a strong odor, as well as those that absorb smell should be kept tightly wrapped in foil or plastic bags, or in food boxes.
To talk about decades of trouble-free life with one refrigerator is a bit too much, but if you care for it properly a refrigerator can serve you for long after its warranty expires.