Is Your Refrigerator Running?

Seriously though. Is it? Of all the appliances that come with a rental property, the fridge is often taken for granted, but it’s by far the most important, and the one that can cause the most problems if it isn’t properly cared for. Renters have a responsibility to keep it in good shape, and if something does go wrong, landlords or property managers need to fix the problem quickly or risk a literally rotten situation for everybody involved.

So how does a fridge work? Well, it’s actually pretty sneaky. Basically, a chemical (freon in older fridges and tetraflouroethane in newer fridges, if you wanna get technical) is pressurized to its vaporization point, and when it turns into a gas it absorbs heat from the surrounding air, cooling the insulated compartment. This technology was proposed as early as the 1700s, but wasn’t made commercially viable until 1914 and wasn’t widespread in houses and apartments until after World War 2. Before that people had to salt their meat and eat their leftovers later that day, or they’d get all gross. Crazy right?

If you remember anything from the history lesson, it should be that there are scary-sounding chemicals in your fridge that are harmful to you and to the earth as a whole, so act quickly and decisively if you think there’s a leak. The HPA has a good checklist for what to do in the case of refrigerant leakageIt’s a tenants job to keep an eye out, and a landlord’s job to act quickly in fixing the situation before anyone gets hurt.

As a renter, and really anyone who eats food and uses a fridge, it’s also important to make sure your fridge is at the proper temperature. Your fridge should be between 35-38 degrees Fahrenheit and the food in it should be below 40 degrees F, otherwise it’s vulnerable to microbial infections, some of which can even kill you. Be especially careful of your raw meats, poultry in particular, eggs and dairy products.

Even at proper temperature your fridge won’t keep things forever so pay attention to what’s in there and get rid of it when it’s old. Keep a sharpie nearby and put dates on stuff you open so you don’t have to gamble with the old sniff-and-guess. Also, remember to check behind the pickle jar for that takeout box of chinese food that you got three months ago. Trust us, it’s not still good.

You should also unplug and deep clean every couple of months too, and freezers should be de-iced and cleaned at the same time in order to keep everything running properly and to prevent mold and rot. Here’s a way to judge: if you don’t feel comfortable licking the interior of your fridge, that probably means it’s too dirty to store food in. Keep it clean people, and if it’s not then you’d better go out and catch it. Or something.

Do you have rental questions of your own? Comments? Concerns? Love letters? Hate mail? Get at us:  Hometownrant@hometownrent.com

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