Tag Archives: fridge repair

How to Know a Good Refrigerator

If your fridge is old and you are tired of hiring a refrigerator repair professional, the best way to fix the problem is to get a new appliance. Of course, when buying a refrigerator, you must get a good one.

How do you know that you are buying a good refrigerator? There are several things you can look out for. These things include:

Size of the fridge

You want a fridge that will adequately fit your kitchen. Before you head to the stores or place your order, measure the space you want to place the unit. Pay attention to the area’s depth, width, and height when calculating.

You also should consider your storage needs. If you have a large family, you will need a large unit, but a small appliance will get the work done if you live alone.

If buying the appliance online, carefully compare the specifications given in the descriptions with your measurements and place the order only after you have ascertained that the new unit will fit your space.

The efficiency of the fridge

If you have had your old fridge for a long, you must have noticed that it consumed a lot of energy, right? You don’t want your new unit to do the same, do you?

To ensure this doesn’t happen, buy an energy-efficient appliance.

Besides ensuring that the unit is suitable for your needs and space, ensure that the appliance has a high-energy star rating. While at it, pay attention to the annual energy consumption and always go for a unit with low consumption, often quoted in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Certain brands are known to be more energy efficient than others so take your time to buy one with a good reputation. The brand might be a little expensive, but it will save you a lot of money.

Reputable brand

As mentioned, you should always buy a fridge made by a reputable brand. This way, you not only have a highly efficient unit but a unit that will also last for a long time.

To tell whether a brand is worth it, check the customer ratings. After all, they are the ones that have already used the appliance, right?

It’s rare to even for the best brand to have a perfect 5-star rating, but you should pay attention to several positive and negative reviews. Of course, you should go for a brand with more positive ratings than negative ones.

When you come across a brand with perfect ratings, you should be wary of it, as chances are it’s cheating. This is because it’s rare for even the company to make the best appliance to please everyone. There is always someone that doesn’t like what they do.

Besides the brand having high-quality appliances, it also should provide warranty and service at a local service center. This way, you are sure you are covered in an accident and can quickly fix your unit in your local store.

The right type

There are many brands to buy from in the same way you can purchase many types of fridges. Of course, for the refrigerator you are looking to buy to be the right one, it has to be of the correct type.

The different types of fridges in the market are bottom freezer, top freezer, side-by-side, compact, French door, built, and so on.

We all have different tastes, and all you need to do is to choose the one that is best for you.

Aesthetics

Besides the functional fridge, it also needs to be good-looking for it to be the right one to buy. The appliance should also have several attractive features, such as automatic defrosting.

You may need to visit different stores and compare various devices to buy the best appliance. If there is something that you are doubtful of, get the input of a commercial appliance repair Fairfax professional.

Tips and Tricks To Running Your Fridge More Efficiently

As a responsible homeowner, would you not want your fridge consuming too much energy? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to ensure that your appliance runs as efficiently as possible and you spend as little as possible on your energy bill. Which are these strategies? Here they are as given by refrigerator repair professionals:

Cool food first

You must have visited someone or been tempted to put hot food in your fridge. As much as this might sound sensible, it isn’t. In fact, you should avoid it at all costs.

The reason for this is that when you put hot food in the fridge, you abruptly change the temperatures in the appliance, which triggers the refrigerator to start running to compensate for the changes.

As you can guess, when your fridge runs, it consumes the energy you want to save.

To conserve energy, avoid putting hot food in the fridge and instead only put it there once it’s completely cold.

Even if you are in a hurry, let the food cool before you place it in the fridge. In fact, it would be better to leave the food on the shelve for a few hours as you rush to work, then come back and put it in the fridge once it has fully cooled down.

Minimize the frequency you open the fridge door.

Most people will open the fridge door and decide what they want to pick. This results in them holding the door open for far too long it should.

Remember that the purpose of the fridge is to maintain a constant low temperature inside the appliance. This means that when you open the door and leave it open for a long, the cold air leaves, and the fridge has to kick in to fill in the lost air.

As you can tell, this leads to an increase in energy consumption, which increases your energy bill.

To save money, minimize the time you have your fridge door open. A great way to do this is to always know what you want from the fridge by the time you get there. Don’t open the door, start debating what you wish to do, as you will be wasting precious energy.

Another way to minimize the door opening frequency is to get all the things you need at once. This way, you won’t keep going to the fridge.

Adjust your thermometer

Some people think they should set their appliances at the lowest temperatures to keep their food fresh and frozen, but this has been proven not to be the case.

Your fridge will function just as well when you set it at 4 degrees and your freezer at -18 degrees. Most modern appliances have exact temperature readings, but if yours doesn’t, set the temperature dial to the midpoint.

This way, the fridge doesn’t have to work too hard to keep the temperature too low. The refrigerator won’t get triggered to start working every time you open the door, as the temperature doesn’t have to be too low.

Keep your fridge some room.

For your appliance to cool the food, it relies on airflow; when there is inadequate airflow, the fridge doesn’t function as well as it should.

This is because it tends to overwork, leading to high-energy consumption.

Be cautious of where you place your appliance to prevent this from happening. As a rule of thumb, avoid keeping it in a highly congested room, as this will impede proper airflow.

You also should avoid keeping it close to heaters, cooking stoves, and other heat-producing appliances, as this will lead to an overworking appliance you are trying to avoid.

If your kitchen is small, ensure that there aren’t any unnecessary items around. You also should keep the windows open as often as possible so that there is plenty of air getting in.

Parting shot

These are some things you should do to keep your fridge functioning efficiently. Besides these, also make it a habit to hire appliance repair Northern VA professionals to inspect the appliance at least once a year and fix any issues present.

How To Save Energy And Money With Your Refrigerator

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The fact that you need cool food and drinks doesn’t mean that you should spend an arm and leg on it, does it? Thankfully, there are several tips given by refrigerator repair professionals on how to save as much energy and money on your appliance as possible. Which are these tips? Here they are:

Get rid of your old refrigerator

If your fridge consumes too much energy and is more than ten years old, it might be due to its old age.

If you can’t remember when you purchased your refrigerator, you should consider getting a new, more energy-efficient one.

Yes, the new unit will set you back a tidy sum, but it will save you a lot in the long run.

When buying a new appliance, pay attention to the energy star rating and always go for the appliance with the highest rating.

Practice the 2/3rds full rule

As you can tell, the fridge consumes energy when it’s working to replace the lost, cold air. To make it easy for the fridge, use the 2/3rds full rule. Here you keep the refrigerator and freezer at least 2/3 full. This means that you have less than 1/3 of the unit empty, so only 1/3 of cold air can leak out.

Although you should always observe the rule, putting it into consideration is more important if you have a large family and you keep opening the door to reach for food.

Ensure your unit has enough air supply

Where you place your fridge significantly impacts how it functions efficiently. For example, if you place it next to a heat source such as a radiator, hob, or oven, it will run more frequently, which means it consumes more energy than it should.

To ensure that your unit is in top working condition all the time, ensure that there is sufficient air moving around. This calls for you to place it away from heat-producing appliances. You also should avoid placing it too close to the wall.

If you visit many homes, you will find many homeowners placing items on their fridges. As much as this brings convenience, it often makes the fridge work harder to get rid of hot air caused by these items.

For your unit to run efficiently, get rid of any products you might have placed on it.

Keep an eye on frost in your unit.

Plenty of frost in your freezer will make your unit work hard, which, as mentioned above, translates to high-energy consumption. To cut on the amount of money you spend on your monthly energy bill, regularly inspect your freezer and if the frost is ¼” or thicker, thaw it out.

Reduce the frequency you open the day.

As we have said, you have a large energy bill at the end of every month due to cold air escaping your fridge, often through the door.

To keep as much cold air inside, reduce the frequency at which you open the door. The right way to go about it is to take all the things you need from the fridge at once.

If you live with other people in the house, let them know about the benefits of minimizing the frequency of opening the door and encourage them to keep the door closed at all times.

Even when you open the door, don’t leave it open for too long as you will lose too much cold air. Instead, reach for what you need as fast as possible and close the door.

Only store cold food in the fridge

Some people try to cool their food by placing it in the fridge while still hot. While this might work, it often leads to the refrigerator overworking to cool the food.

Even if you are looking to experiment, appliance repair Springfield professionals significantly advise against placing hot food in the fridge. Even if you want to store the food in the refrigerator for later, let it first cool completely to room temperature before placing it inside the appliance.

Guide to Running your Fridge Optimally

Virginia Refrigerators Repair

When you have a furnace, you want it to run all the time optimally, don’t you? Thankfully, there are several things you can do to make this possible. Which are these things? Here they are as given by refrigerator repair professionals:

Don’t run an empty fridge

You might argue that an empty fridge will spend little energy. After all, there is nothing inside, right? Well, this isn’t how it works. When you run your fridge while empty, you give the cold air a hard time moving from one side of the fridge to the other, so you often end up with a highly inefficient refrigerator.

If you don’t have any food in the fridge, it’s wise to turn it off. If there is some food, fill the empty spaces with water bottles that will aid in the transfer of the cold air.

The same way you should avoid running your fridge empty is the same way you should avoid running it when overfilled.

You might argue that if running an empty fridge is bad, then it should be okay to run an overfilled one. Well, that’s not the case.

Studies show that your appliance has reduced energy efficiency when you run your fridge when it has overfilled. This is due to blocked air vents, forgotten foods, and other issues.

Don’t stock your fridge more than it can handle to stay safe. Experts even recommend that you keep your fridge two-thirds full, as it tends to function at its best at this capacity.

Don’t pre-cut your fruits and vegetables before storing them in the fridge

Most people recommend that you wash and cut your fruits and vegetables before you keep them in your fridge to encourage healthy snacking, but this isn’t an excellent way to do it.

This is because chopped-up pieces deteriorate too fast as more surface area is exposed.

The right way to go about it is only to wash and cut the fruits and vegetables when you are ready to eat them.

Don’t store milk in the door.

If you visit refrigerators in most homes, you will find that most homeowners store their milk in the door and often on the top shelf.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the best place to store it. This is because the location is one of the warmest spots in the fridge, and since milk is liable to spoil, it easily gets spoilt here.

The best place to store your milk is on the middle shelf. What makes the area attractive is that it enjoys consistent temperatures.

The same thing applies to eggs.

The best items to store on the fridge door are salt and vinegar.

Store meat on the lower shelf

Homeowners store milk on the door the same way they store meat on the upper shelves, which is wrong. While the meat won’t get spoilt here, chances are high that it will drip onto other foods, and you don’t want this.

To avoid this, always store your meat on the top shelf. It will even be better if you can place a tray under the meat on the lowest shelf to contain any leaks that might happen.

Having a tray also makes it extremely easy to clean any spillages.

Use trays in your fridge

You might have heard that you should use bins, trays, and baskets in your home; they come in handy when it comes to keeping your home organized.

The same way it’s visually pleasing to see your pantry shelves compartmentalized with bins, and lazy Susans are the same way your fridge looks good and stays organized when you take advantage of these organization tools.

As mentioned above, you should have a tray to hold your meat on the top shelf. You also should have a bin to carry the condiments that don’t fit into the door. It also doesn’t hurt to have a colander to hold oranges and other fruits you might be having.

Fix even the most minor problems

When you notice a problem, even the most minor one, such as a change in the noise made by your fridge, don’t ignore it. Instead, get in touch with an experienced appliance repair Springfield professional and fix it as soon as possible.

Refrigerator Tips and Tricks Every Homeowner Should Know

As a homeowner, you want your refrigerator to function as efficiently as possible. The good news is that you can keep your fridge in optimal working condition by doing the right things. Which are these things that you should do? Here they are as given by appliance repair professionals:

Keep the right food in the fridge

Not every food belongs in the fridge, and putting the wrong food there always leads to problems. To help you out, here are some of the foods that shouldn’t see the door of your refrigerator:

Potatoes: The only reason you should refrigerate your potatoes is if you want them mealy sweet. If this isn’t the case, store them in a cool, dark place like the cellar.

Tomatoes: Contrary to popular belief, you shouldn’t store your tomatoes in the fridge as they will lose their flavor when cooled.

Bread: Bread tends to dry out in the fridge, so you shouldn’t store it there. Instead, store it in a bread box.

Bananas: Bananas don’t like the cold. In fact, they develop brown spots when you store them in the fridge.

Garlic and onions: These tend to go moldy faster when you store them in the fridge than when they are at room temperature.

Honey: Honey crystallizes in the fridge

Lemons: They belong in the fruit bowl at room temperature

Coffee: You shouldn’t keep coffee in the fridge as it quickly absorbs odors and loses its taste

Oils: Oils often become rancid, so you shouldn’t store them in the refrigerator. Instead, store them in the cupboard.

Try to save as much electricity as possible.

As much as you want fresh food, it doesn’t mean you are ready to spend an arm and a leg on electricity, does it? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways you can save on electricity with your refrigerator. Which are these ways? Here they are:

Be strategic in how you place the fridge: When installing your fridge, don’t place it next to heat sources such as dishwashers, washing machines, radiators, or stoves. Also, don’t place it in an area that receives maximum sunshine. Always remember that the warmer the environment you place the fridge, the more electricity it consumes to cool the food inside.

Clean your fridge regularly: A dirty fridge is unsightly and consumes plenty of electricity. To reduce the amount of energy that your refrigerator consumes, clean your unit regularly. One of the things you should do is to dust the cooling bar and ventilation grille. Also, defrost the unit, regularly inspect the door seals, and ensure they are clean and not worn out.

Finally, inspect the unit and confirm that the temperature isn’t set too cold. Remember that a temperature of 7 degrees is enough to keep the food cool.

Fill the fridge just right.

Some homeowners have the impression that an empty fridge functions better than a full one, but this isn’t the case—a full one functions more efficiently. While keeping your unit full is good, don’t overfill it, as you will block the air vents, preventing the air from circulating correctly.

A fridge with blocked air vents functions harder than it should, leading to burnout.

To ensure that you don’t stock your appliance more than it should, don’t store anything that doesn’t belong there. At least once a week, remove all the food items and clean the unit.

For you to leave enough space for air to circulate, discard any expired food items.

As you restock your appliance, be strategic about how you go about it. For example, put any new items behind the older ones. This prevents you from forgetting the items with a closer expiration date at the back corner of the fridge.

Refrigerator repair Northern VA professionals recommend that you pay close attention to the coolest zones of the appliance and sort your food accordingly. Of course, store the food that needs lower temperatures in the areas with low temperatures and vice versa.

If it’s long since you have gone to the grocery store, don’t leave the fridge empty—place milk, water, and other items there to maintain the right temperature.

How Can I Make My Refrigerator Better?

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The refrigerator is one of the most hardworking appliances at home, and you should make yours function efficiently and better so that you get ultra cold food and save money on your energy bills. How do you make your fridge function better? There are plenty of ways as given by appliance repair professionals.

These ways include:

Keep the temperatures at 37 degrees Fahrenheit

To keep your appliance functioning optimally and protect the food from spoiling, keep your refrigerator temperature at 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

This calls you to regularly test the temperature of your appliance and set it accordingly.

To test the temperature of your appliance, place a thermometer in a glass of water and check the next day.

The freezer should always be at zero degrees Fahrenheit and to test the temperature, you need to place the thermometer between the frozen foods and then check the temperature after 8 hours.

To save even more money, set the fridge temperature to as high as 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove items from the top of the fridge.

The top of the fridge might seem like an ideal place to store the cereal boxes and other junk, but it isn’t. The reason for this is that placing items here increases the chances of heat getting blocked from escaping, and as a consequence, the compressor works harder than it should; hence you always have a high electric bill at the end of the month.

An overworking appliance also has a short lifespan, so when you repeatedly place items on your fridge, you increase the chances of the appliance breaking down and have to buy a new one.

Ensure that the door has a good seal

One way to ensure that your fridge is in perfect working order and saving you as much money as possible you need to keep the door closed at all times.

You should note that you can close the door, and still, the cold air escapes, forcing you to pay a high monthly bill. To ensure this doesn’t happen, inspect your door and ensure that it has a good seal. One way to make this possible is to close the door on a piece of paper or dollar bill.

If you cannot do this, adjust the refrigerator gasket or replace it to prevent the cold air from escaping.

Turn off the anti-Sweat heater.

Most refrigerators manufactured after 1993 come with a switch that allows you to choose between exterior energy-saving and moisture-reducing modes.

When you set your fridge to exterior moisture reducing mode, the heater kicks on to keep the condensation off the outside of the refrigerator.

Setting the fridge to energy-saving mode saves 5-10% of energy.

Turn off the anti-sweat heater to save energy and keep your appliance functioning better.

You should note that a newer fridge might have automatic moisture control that eliminates the exterior condensation without needing a heater.

Clean the condenser coils

The condenser coils play a crucial role in keeping the fridge’s insides cool. Unfortunately, over time, they collect a lot of dust, and if you don’t clean them, you damage your unit.

By cleaning the coils, you put less stress on the condenser, consequently extending the life of your fridge.

You can clean the coils yourself but for the best results, let an expert help you.

To avoid injuries, remember to unplug the appliance. Also, use a good quality vacuum or brush to do the cleaning.

Keep the fridge properly organized.

You might have the impression that properly organizing the fridge is just part of good housekeeping, but this isn’t the case as it also plays a vital role in determining how effectively and efficiently the fridge functions.

Besides having an easy time finding the food you need in a properly organized fridge, the condenser works less hard to get the temperature back to the set level, which means a reduced energy bill.

Refrigerator repair Northern VA professionals recommend you remove items from your fridge, remove the items that have expired, then organize the refrigerator according to your preferences.

In addition to keeping your fridge organized, make it a habit to keep it full most of the time.

What Should You Never Put In The Refrigerator?

If you visit many homes, you will find their refrigerators filled with all sorts of foods. While there is nothing wrong with preserving as much food as possible, did you know there are some food items that should never see the insides of a fridge?

Here are some of these items as given by appliance repair professionals

Uncut melons

Putting a whole watermelon in your fridge, whether a honeydew or cantaloupe, is unwise. Besides the melon taking up too much fridge space, it keeps it from ripening, which means it doesn’t get as tasty as when you would have left it at room temperature.

The low fridge temperatures also reduce the healthy antioxidants in the fruit, which means that it doesn’t become as healthy as you would want it.

The right thing to do is leave the watermelon on the countertop until it’s ripe enough to eat. If you eat it and there are some leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a maximum of three days.

Honey

At first look, honey looks like an excellent candidate for the refrigerator, but it isn’t. Due to its high sugar content, honey is a natural preservative—it doesn’t need any refrigeration. In fact, putting it in the fridge increases the chances of damaging it.

When you refrigerate honey, it hardens and sometimes crystallizes, losing its original state.

The best way to treat honey is to leave it on the shelf in your pantry. If you have already made the mistake of refrigerating it, don’t be quick to toss it out. Instead, place the bottle in a hot (not boiling) water pan until it returns to its liquid state.

Raw potatoes

You shouldn’t put your raw potatoes in the fridge as the low temperatures will alter the starchy complex carbohydrates in the potatoes, and you end up with extremely sweet and gritty potatoes.

For the best flavor and texture, store your potatoes in a well-ventilated basket or drawer, away from direct sunlight.

Tomatoes

Like honey, tomatoes look like they belong in the fridge, but they don’t. This is because when you refrigerate them, they often end up having an awful taste.

Even after harvesting, tomatoes continue ripening and developing flavor.

The big chill stops the ripening process and dulls the flavor when you place them in the fridge.

Snip off just a bit of the vine when harvesting if you grow your tomatoes. The attached vine has been shown to help keep the tomatoes fresh longer and give them a better flavor.

Onions

The fridge’s low temperatures and high humidity often damage the onions, breaking down their fibrous structure, leaving them mushy and prone to mold growth.

Store your onions in well-ventilated, dark, and cool (not cold) areas for the best flavor and texture. One of the best places to store the onions is in an open weave basket in the pantry.

Green avocados

Green avocados are often unripe, and for them to fully ripen, they need to be at room temperature. The only time to keep your avocados in the fridge is if they are fully ripe but you aren’t ready to eat them.

You should note that even when you put the avocados in the fridge, you shouldn’t leave them there for more than two days as they will go bad.

Bread

You should never put bread in the fridge. While refrigeration slows down mold growth, it makes the bread tough, chewy, and stale tasting.

The best way to go about it is to store the bread in a breadbox or a cabinet shelf.

If you won’t eat the entire bread, wrap the excess in freezer paper and store it in the freezer. Here the bread can stay for up to a month.

Chocolate

Most people eat their chocolates in one sitting, and for those unable to eat all of it in one go, the last thing they want is to let it go to waste. Unfortunately, keeping the chocolate in the fridge isn’t the right thing to do.

While keeping the chocolate in the fridge won’t make the chocolate inedible, it absorbs odors and changes its consistency.

Refrigerator repair Alexandria recommend you leave the chocolate on the counter or in the pantry to maintain maximum deliciousness.

How To Organize A Fridge, The Right Way

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How you organize your fridge goes a long way toward keeping your fridge looking clean and determining how efficiently the appliance functions and lasts. Are you wondering how to organize your fridge? Here is how to go about it the right way as given by refrigerator repair professionals:

Sort the shelves

If you are like other homeowners, you are fond of squeezing food in any available space in your appliance. This is wrong, and it’s time to change.

You should properly organize the shelves, which comes in handy in helping reduce waste as you know where everything is. There is no right or wrong way to organize your shelves—work with what works for you. If you aren’t sure about where to start, here is a guide:

Top shelf: This is the first shelf you see when you open the fridge door and is one of the warmer shelves in your appliance. You should avoid keeping any fresh meat here. Instead, designate it for leftovers, takeout, and any other stuff that you need to eat soon.

Middle shelf: Temperatures are most consistent in the middle of the refrigerator, making it the perfect place to store foods that you need to keep cold but have a lower risk of spoiling. Some of the excellent foods to keep here are: deli meats, eggs, sour cream, and soft cheese.

Bottom shelf: This is the coldest place in the refrigerator, so you should store items that spoil easily here. The best candidates are fish and meat.

It’s tempting to keep milk on the top shelf for easy access, but you shouldn’t as milk spoils easily. The best place to store it is near the bottom and back of the refrigerator.

If you are fond of forgetting items that you have tucked into the back of the fridge, stack them on a rotating organizer so that you can easily grab them and check their expiration dates.

Keep the drawers organized.

Drawers help you keep your fridge organized and hold specific humidity levels that come in handy at keeping the various foods properly preserved.

There are two main types of drawers: high and low humidity drawers.

The vegetables store best in high humidity drawers, and most fridges will have a vegetable drawer, often at the bottom. If the drawer isn’t labeled, look for one without a vent or close the vent yourself.

Some of the items you should store here are spinach, green onion, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and leafy greens.

The low humidity drawer is often labeled “crisper” and has air vents, and is the best place to store the fruits that break down easily. Some of the best fruits to store here are: pears, oranges, strawberries, kiwi, grapes, and raspberries.

If your drawer doesn’t have a humidity control or air vent, keep the drawer a little cracked to create more airflow.

Make use of the door.

The door is the refrigerator’s warmest zone, and you should store items that don’t easily get spoilt. They include: mustard, sesame oil, ketchup, salad dressing, mayo, and hot sauce.

The door is also an excellent place to store wine, juice, and beer beverages.

Valuable tips when storing items in the fridge

To have a great time with the items, you store in the fridge, you need to consider several tips. These tips include:

Use clear containers: To stick to a system and keep everything in its place, you should use a few shallow clear containers. To avoid confusion, label the containers depending on the food you have stored inside and its expiration date.

Keep the fridge clean: You want to ensure that your fridge is clean. Besides dusting it daily, you should make it a habit to remove everything at the end of the week and give it a good scrub. If possible, remove the shelves and drawers and let them soak in hot soapy water.

You should then wipe the entire interior taking care not to use abrasive cleaning products that can harm the plastic.

Once you are done, appliance repair Springfield recommend you replace the shelves and drawers, then store a box of baking soda in them to help fight the fridge odors.

Proper Use of Refrigerator Tips

Virginia Refrigerators Repair

You need to use your refrigerator properly for it to function optimally and keep off a refrigerator repair professional. How do you do it? Here are tips on the proper use of a fridge:

Keep the used foods at the front

It’s common to open some foods then, after partially using them, return them to the fridge.

Many homeowners aren’t conscious of where they put the opened foods, which is wrong.

The right way to do it is to place the opened foods at the front of the fridge shelves, in front of the newer items. This way you are sure that you use the opened items before you move to the sealed ones.

Some homeowners will say they can remember the bottle they have opened, but this isn’t the case. Even if you place a label on the foods, don’t mix them with the unopened ones.

When storing the leftovers, move with haste and keep them before they enter the danger zone. If storing large amounts of the leftovers, store them in several small, shallow containers that will cool faster.

Remember to date them and keep them as fresh as possible by removing as much air from them as possible.

Put the non-perishables on the fridge doors.

The less perishable foods such as juices, fruits, and others respond better to temperature fluctuations, so you should put them on the fridge doors.

Remember that you will open and close the fridge door, so ensure that the foods you place here can withstand the temperature changes without changing their taste or texture.

Keep the raw foods at the bottom.

Raw meat and fish belong at the bottom of the fridge where the temperatures are lowest. These areas also don’t experience a lot of temperature fluctuations when you open and close the refrigerator.

Since the raw foods tend to be highly perishable, placing them at the bottom means that you put them away from the other foods, hence you don’t worry about them contaminating the rest of your foods.

As you put the raw foods at the bottom of the fridge, remember to keep them sealed and free of leaks.

Keep the refrigerator below 5 degrees centigrade.

You should keep your fridge below 5 degrees centigrade so that you can keep all of the food cool, fresh, and full of flavor. You are sure that even the highly sensitive milk won’t get spoilt at this temperature.

Don’t overstock the fridge.

It’s easy to be carried away and stock more than your fridge can carry, when you don’t want to make another trip to the grocery store.

As much as you will save a trip to the grocery store, overloading your refrigerator is not a wise thing to do as it prevents the air from circulating as well as it should, which, as you can guess, means that your foods don’t remain as cool as well as they should.

There is also the risk of the fridge overworking when you overload it, which drives it to an early grave.

What is the best thing to do instead?

The right thing to do is stock just the right amount of food in your fridge.

You are better off making another trip to the grocery store within the month than overloading your fridge and damaging it.

Clean the fridge once a week

At least once a week, remove all the foods in the fridge and clean them. Before returning any of the foods, find out their expiry date and discard them if necessary. You should also discard any food you aren’t sure whether should be in the fridge.

Parting shot

These are some wise fridge tips to keep your refrigerator in top working shape.

Don’t wait for your fridge to break down if you can afford it. Hire an experienced appliance repair Alexandria professional at least once a year to go over your unit and fix any issues your appliance might be having.

This way you prevent larger problems from resulting down the line, that might be too expensive to fix.

The professionals will also help you know expert tips to keep your appliance in top shape.

5 Rules for a Perfect Fridge

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Would you love to keep your fridge in perfect working order and keep off refrigerator repair professionals? You should keep these fridge rules into consideration:

Keep the fridge at the right temperature

Setting the fridge at the optimal temperature not only keeps your food fresh, but also prevents it from overworking. The ideal fridge temperature is between 1c and 4C as you have to keep the food at 5C or lower. If you recently visited the grocery store, so the fridge is full, keep the temperature settings a little lower to save energy.

If it’s empty or cold, keep the temperature a little high.

Besides doing this, make it a habit to defrost your appliance when the ice is more than 5mm thick or prevent the air from circulating as effectively as it should.

Keep the fridge clean.

It goes without saying that you have to keep the fridge in top shape to keep it clean. As a rule of thumb, clear any spillages as soon as they happen. You should also wipe down the handles daily and clean the door outside at least once a week.

Regularly inspect the shelves and containers for lackluster or out-of-date food items and remove them.

At least once every three months, empty the refrigerator and draw out all the removable parts (drawers, shelves, and racks), then wash them with hot water and washing liquid.

Never use bleach or any non-food-safe chemical cleaners.

If the fridge is too dirty or you have gone for a long time without cleaning it, you need to deep clean it. To do this, use a toothbrush and thick paste of bicarb mixed with water and get rid of any stains.

You should then unplug the unit and clean it by hovering underneath and behind it. You should also remove any vented covers and reach the dust-coated fans and coils.

Store the right things in the fridge

What you store in your refrigerator goes a long way towards maintaining sanity in your appliance. Don’t store opened tin cans in the appliance as once you open them to the air, the tin from the can can transfer more quickly to the can’s contents.

Only place cans that come with resealable lids in the fridge, and always decant leftovers.

You also shouldn’t refrigerate hot food as they cause contamination and mess up the fridge temperature, causing it to overwork.

If you want to store your food in the fridge, wait for it to cool completely.

Some of the items in the fridge include: milk, yogurt, all berries, citrus, fish, and any opened products that specify refrigeration once opened.

Eggs require consistent temperatures so if you bought them refrigerated, keep them that way.

You also should keep large tubs of nut butters that you don’t need immediately and open pickles and jams.

Place the items on the right shelves.

Placing the right items in the refrigerator isn’t enough—you need to put them on the right shelves.

Top shelf: This shelf belongs to the items that don’t need cooking. These include: dips, sliced meats, deli dishes, leftovers, tortilla wraps, etc. This shelf is also perfect for any unfinished tin cans.

Middle shelf: The best items to store here are dairy and eggs. Don’t store the items on the door racks or egg holders to avoid damaging your door.

Bottom shelf: You place meat and fish here

Vegetable drawers: These are designed for fruits, vegetables, herbs, and leaves. Lettuce and other greens belong here.

Store all soft, fresh herbs (except for basil) here.

Door racks: Door racks are for juices, condiments, spreads, and other items with long shelf lives.

Undertake regular inspections

After buying, most homeowners don’t inspect their appliances, which is wrong. To ensure that your unit is in top working condition, make it a habit to inspect it at least once a year. Go around the unit and find any issue it might be having.

You can inspect yourself or hire an appliance repair Springfield professional to help you out. When hiring the repair expert, ensure they are experienced and know what they are doing.