John Myers
Fridge door left open – tips and hints
Sometimes in a hurry, you forget to close the fridge properly after taking something out.
- Check whether the food is still good or already spoiled by smell, appearance, and consistency. If the fridge door was only open for a few hours, chances are good that the contents of the fridge are still edible.
- If you have been on vacation for several days and forgot to close the fridge properly, dispose of the food to be on the safe side. Without refrigeration, bacteria can multiply, mold can form, or rot spreads.
- If water has settled inside the refrigerator, clean up the puddles and discard any soggy food.
- Check how much ice has formed on the back wall of the refrigerator. The longer the door was open, the more heat could penetrate and form condensation and eventually ice on the cold rear wall.
- Defrost the refrigerator if the ice layer is too large to maintain the refrigerator’s cooling capacity and avoid unnecessary power consumption.
- Check the freezer compartment of the refrigerator to see if any food has already been defrosted. These should be thawed and processed while still edible. Do not refreeze products that have already thawed.
- Finally, you should thoroughly clean the refrigerator.
