Refrigerator Repair and Maintenance Tips

These days, most households already have refrigerators. This appliance is particularly important in a house because it allows for storage of food so they remain fresh even after a few days. Spoilage and wastage is minimized, all thanks to one appliance. Families can go to the grocery store once a week and have food kept in the refrigerator for easy consumption, and cooking becomes cheaper with leftover ingredients stored and kept for later use.
So imagine the trouble you will be having if your refrigerator suddenly broke down and needed repair. All the food that has been stored there will spoil and that means a waste of money
But refrigerator maintenance can help improve the life of your refrigerator, and actually it also helps improve its efficiency. Some easy refrigerator maintenance tips are as follows:

Defrost Your Refrigerator Regularly

There are several problems that can arise from not defrosting regularly, one of which is the inability of the refrigerator door to close properly. When this happens, the cold air inside the refrigerator will escape and your foods might spoil, plus your power bill could get very high. To manually do this refrigerator maintenance, follow these steps:
1. Unplug the refrigerator.
2. Put some newspaper around the base of the refrigerator to minimize the mess due to melted ice.
3. Remove all the food inside. Make sure to keep all perishable items in an iced container if you’re not planning to cook them yet.
4. This is an optional step if you want to be done defrosting faster. Prepare a bowl of hot water and place it inside the freezer. The steam from the hot water will help melt down the ice from the freezer.
5. Use a damp cloth to wipe the sides of the freezer. You can let the refrigerator sit like that until all the ice has melted, or you can occasionally wipe the sides to hasten the process.
6. Once all the ice has melted, throw away the water, wipe the insides of the refrigerator, including the freezer.
7. Replace all food and plug the refrigerator.
Just like that, you are done defrosting. Note that some models have a button that you can push for the refrigerator to start defrosting.

Clean Your Refrigerator Weekly

The refrigerator can be home to bacteria which can cause sicknesses in the house if you don’t clean it regularly. The refrigerator should be cleaned at least once a week. This includes throwing away spoiled food or food that has been there for a long time. Take-outs and dishes with easily perishable ingredients should be disposed of after a couple of days because they are not safe to eat anymore and will only be cluttering your appliance.
Cleaning the refrigerator can also be done when defrosting. You will save time this way. All you have to do is prepare a solution of dishwashing liquid and water and wipe the interior of the refrigerator. Make sure to wipe everything afterwards with a dry cloth so the refrigerator isn’t damp. Then you can put back all the food that isn’t spoiled yet.
When maintaining your refrigerator, you should also make sure that there is a deodorizer in place. There is nothing worse than having the smell of fish all over the refrigerator. Some use baking soda to absorb the odor, but there are also other products made specifically for the refrigerator. Look for those that offer a long-lasting effect so that you won’t have to replace the deodorizer frequently. To install the deodorizer, all you have to do is put it inside the refrigerator where it won’t be disturbed.
There are other measures you can use to maintain your refrigerator, such as replacing the gasket, replacing the ice maker or water filter, and cleaning the condenser coils. You can do these things on your own, but you can also ask for some professional help which we will be more than willing to provide.

DIY Refrigerator Repair Tips

Remember, not maintaining your refrigerator properly can lead to costly repairs. You might encounter these things, and if that is the case, you can do the refrigerator repair on your own:
• The door is not closing properly. The first step in appliance repair if this is your problem is to check out the source of the problem. Is the gasket loose? The gasket is the rubber seal that snaps in place when you close the door. It should be flat on all sides when the door is closed to keep the coldness from escaping. Troubleshoot this by moving your hand around the gasket to feel if there is cold leaking out. If there is, then the gasket has to be replaced. Another thing that can cause the door to not close properly is thick ice in the freezer. If this is the case, refrigerator repair can be as easy as manually defrosting. If after defrosting the door is still not closing, you might want to give us a call to have the problem checked out.
• There’s water leaking from the refrigerator. This is a problem that can be due to the door not closing properly or the ice maker not working properly. Start the appliance repair by checking whether the problem is the door. If a door isn’t closed properly, heat from outside can go inside the refrigerator and melt the ice which could leak and become a problem. This can also spoil the food inside the refrigerator if left unsolved. You might want to do refrigerator repair immediately. If you don’t have the time, feel free to contact us to examine the damage for you. The leakage could also be caused by the ice maker not working properly.
• The ice maker doesn’t work properly. Refrigerators equipped with ice and water dispensers could be problematic when not maintained regularly. The water filter and the ice maker have to be cleaned regularly to prevent ice from building up. If this happens, you can find some leakage. If you are noticing that the ice maker isn’t dispensing ice as it used to, perform appliance repair with defrosting. Afterwards, clean the dispenser, and see if that solves the problem. The water filter should also be replaced regularly to avoid problems and health concerns. Replacing it twice a year should do.
It’s easy to increase the life of your appliance with proper maintenance and quick repairs whenever something’s not working properly. Don’t wait for things to get worse. If you don’t have the time to do the maintenance and the repair yourself, call us and we’ll let you know what needs to be done.