How to clean fridge gaskets: tips, tricks and why you should do it more often

When you clean your refrigerator, do you forget to clean the door seal? Let's see why it is important to sanitize it!

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

When you clean your refrigerator, do you forget to clean the door seal? Let's see why it is important to sanitize it and some tips to clean it without damaging it.

The refrigerator has the very important task of preserving our food in the best possible way and is certainly the most used appliance, in fact it always remains in operation and is opened and closed several times a day. Precisely because of the delicate and fundamental role it plays, it is necessary to take care of it correctly.

During sanitation, one of the components you should pay particular attention to is the rubber seal on the refrigerator door. Let's see together its importance and how we can do to keep it at its best. (READ also: How to clean and defrost the refrigerator)

Index

Why is it important to clean the gasket from the refrigerator door?

@Jedsada Naeprai/Shutterstock

Although in many cases the bacteria and dust that accumulate in the door rubbers are not as noticeable, in others, such as in the refrigerator, mold may show up and give off an unpleasant damp smell. The gasket is sensitive to these situations since it is in contact with both the internal cold and the external heat at the same time.

If this sealing area is not cleaned properly, its sealing capacity could be adversely affected, thus risking not to keep the cold inside as it should be. If this happens, everything we have stored will soon deteriorate and the refrigerator will not fulfill its main function: to keep the food fresh and with its nutritional characteristics intact.

How to check the refrigerator seal

A possible indicator you could use to tell if the refrigerator is working properly is by checking if the food you have stored on the door drawers is cold. Sometimes it will be enough to check and carefully clean the door seal to solve this problem.

Another method that you could use is by checking if the refrigerator door adheres well or not, paying close attention if the so-called suction effect is felt when opening it, that is, if the door makes a slight resistance before being opened. If it no longer has this effect, also in this case the problem could be solved simply by cleaning the gasket well.

As a last method, we advise you to close the refrigerator by first inserting a sheet between the refrigerator door and its door in a "trap mode". With the door closed, try to pull the sheet out, if you feel resistance, the seal is good and the refrigerator door closes well.

How to clean the refrigerator door seal

Before carrying out any of these procedures, we recommend that you look at your refrigerator's instruction manual so that you are familiar with the specific material and brand recommendations. Sometimes there are characteristics that are attributed to a particular manufacturer or substance.

Here's what you could do to keep your fridge door seal clean:

Baking soda and vinegar

With these simple steps you could not only keep the gasket clean, but also prevent bad smells that often come from our refrigerator. We recommend that you run it at least once a month:

1. Put some baking soda on an old toothbrush and gently scrub the seal, letting it sit for a few minutes.
2. Then rinse using a cloth soaked in water and vinegar.
3. Clean seal!

Consiglio: if there is mold in the seal, you can use a higher concentration of vinegar.

Hydrogen peroxide, bicarbonate and vinegar

If you also need to whiten the gasket, just follow the instructions below:

1. Dab the gasket with 40 volume hydrogen peroxide
2. With an old toothbrush, put in a little baking soda, scrub gently and leave it on for at least half an hour.
3. Then rinse the seal with a damp cloth dipped in water and vinegar.
4. Clean seal!

By properly cleaning the door seal of your refrigerator, you will favor the correct functioning of one of the most important appliances in your home. Consequently, by maintaining and storing food products well, you will take care of the health of the whole family.

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