DHAKA : Refrigerators are arguably the most essential home
appliance in our households, but while the ovens, washing machines or even the
air conditioning systems get their break when they are turned off,
refrigerators rarely get any break. In order to keep our perishable foods fresh
and safe, refrigerators are kept active 24/7 – through the night, through power
cuts and through the dozens of time we open the door just to look for a
midnight snack, a press release said.
Of course, refrigerators were built keeping all of this in
mind. But that doesn’t mean they don’t need a bit of looking after. They also
cost a pretty penny, and an only a little cleaning and maintenance is often the
difference between making a refrigerator last for five years or fifteen.
Take cleaning, for instance. People tend to clean the
refrigerator only when there is a spill in it; however, the reality is that the
shelves, drawers, and lining of the door are always accumulating some amounts
of condensation and food remains. After some time, this might develop an odor
even if the food inside it is perfect. A little wipe now and then would ensure
that everything stays fresh and clean.
Overloading the shelves is another problem. It causes some items to end
up warmer than they should while others freeze unexpectedly. As a result, food
that should stay fresh for days starts turning bad within hours even inside a
fully functional refrigerator.
Modern refrigerators, however, work in a more efficient
way. Samsung’s 700L Side by Side Refrigerator model (RS72R5011B4; Tk 204,900),
for instance, has digital inverter compressor that adjusts continuously based
on what’s needed, so temperatures stay steadier without the fluctuation. It’s
all-around cooling system that spreads cold air evenly from corner to corner,
so a shelf packed a little too full doesn’t leave anything warmer than it
should be. It also has a deodorizing filter that keeps odors from settling in
so the interior stays fresh for longer even without a wipe down.
Even with all that modern technology, a handful of other
smaller habits round things out such as, keeping the door seals snug,
defrosting before ice builds up too much, not setting the temperature colder
than it needs to be and keeping a few inches of clearance on each side and the back
of the fridge.
Small as they are, these practices add up the difference between a fridge that runs smoothly for a decade and one that gives trouble far too soon.
