Caring for your fridge freezer

Keep your food cool and fresh by giving your appliance a little bit of TLC.

By following our tips and tricks, you can get the most out of your appliance and keep energy costs low. From general maintenance and cleaning advice to hacks that will make everything easier, little changes always make a big difference. Find out our top tips below:

Extend the life with temperature settings

The optimal temperature to keep your appliance working at its best and your food fresh is between 0 and 5-degrees Celsius for your fridge and -18 degrees or lower for your freezer. By sticking to these guideline temperatures, you can make sure your appliance stays working at top form for as long as possible.

Dress the drawers

Do you hate cleaning your fridge? Try lining shelves and the bottom of drawers with kitchen towel or newspaper. When it’s time to freshen up your appliance, you can simply lift out any old wrappers or stray pieces of veg and put it straight into the bin.

Keep it fresh

Although nothing can replace a good clean every 3-6 months, you can get rid of any interesting odours by adding a little pot or ramekin filled with bicarbonate of soda inside your fridge. This will last up to three months before needing to be replaced and you can always label the container with the date so that you don’t forget to change it.

Check the seals

When you next clean your fridge/freezer, it’s worth checking that the door seals are tight and free of any dirt to save your appliance from working harder than it needs to. To make sure they are up to scratch, try closing a thin piece of paper in the door so that it is sticking out. If it slips easily, then give us a call on 01480 418 950 and we’ll get the seals checked by one of our handy tech team.

Clean the coils

When was the last time you looked at the back of your fridge? Condenser coils are used to get rid of heat and release it into the outside air. A great dust collector, it’s worth vacuuming these with a brush attachment twice a year to make sure that your appliance is running as efficiently as possible. After all, if your appliance can’t dispel the heat, it will have to work even harder (and use more energy) to keep your food cool.

Where you place it matters

Help keep the running costs low by strategically choosing where your fridge/freezer is positioned within your home. All kitchen appliances generate some level of heat which, when cooling products are nearby, can be counterproductive. By giving your fridge/freezer room to breathe, it will use less energy regulating its own temperature and do its bit towards keeping your energy bills at a minimum. For these reasons, it’s also recommended to leave a 5cm ventilation gap to the sides and back of the appliance.

Defrosting your freezer

If you don’t have a frost-free model, you should aim to defrost your freezer twice a year or when the ice reaches around 7mm (1/4”) thick. This extra layer of frost reduces storage space, giving you less room for groceries, and works as an insulator. This added insulation makes it harder for your appliance to keep food cold and reduces the life of your appliance as well as increasing your energy bills.