Refrigerators are essential for any business establishment. Investing in a good commercial fridge is important to ensure that all the beverages are kept cold, and the ingredients remain fresh and crisp all the time.
But commercial refrigerators can be a major investment. You must shell out a huge amount of money to purchase one unit. So it is crucial to ensure that you know how to take care of the equipment to help it perform its maximum duty. Here are some smart maintenance tips that will help keep the refrigerators clean and functional at all times.
Tip #1: Clean the Fridge’s Interior and Exterior Regularly
Always include the cleaning of your commercial refrigerator in your regular schedule. It must be part of your list of tasks weekly or biweekly. Use this time to get rid of the items that need disposal to avoid contamination.
When cleaning the fridge’s interior, you must remember to put all the perishable contents in another refrigerator or a temporary cooler to prevent spoilage. Then use a soft brush and warm water with a vinegar solution of mild soap to scrub off the shelf and other surfaces. You may also remove all the drawers and shelves to soak them in a cleaning solution, then rinse with clean water.
The exterior must also remain clean all the time. But make sure that you avoid using abrasive sponges and chlorine to prevent scratching or damaging the unit.
Tip #2: Check for Moulds and Contaminated Ice
Mould buildup in the fridge that you use in your commercial kitchen can cause a lot of problems for your business. If your ice smell or becomes spotted, it will contaminate the drinks or other cold items that you serve to your customers.
Consuming the contaminated ice from the fridge can make them sick. When news gets out about your contaminated or mouldy beverages, your customers will stop eating at your business. Worse, this violation in the Safe Food Standards may alert the local authorities and file health code violations against your business.
Tip #3: Get Rid of Expired or Decaying Food
There are times when perishable food items are not consumed or used for cooking immediately. When this happens, the item becomes mouldy and unsafe for eating. Once you notice that an item is already expired or spoiled, you need to throw it in the trash right away.
The bacteria from the expired items can contaminate the surface of the fridge’s interior. So always ensure all the spoiled food are regularly removed from the refrigerator to keep it clean and safe from moulds and other bacteria.
Tip #4: Inspect the Evaporator Coil
The fridge’s evaporator coil is also as important as the condenser coil. It helps absorb the heat while the warm air passes through the refrigerator system to cool down the interior.
This part of the fridge is often neglected during the regular cleaning process. But you must also keep this area clean and free from any impurities to avoid cramming the fridge’s interior. It is also important to prevent the airflow from getting blocked to prevent it from freezing up.
Cleaning the commercial fridge is necessary to ensure that your business equipment will last for years. However, it would also help to call the experts for professional cleaning at least twice a year to extend the unit’s life span.
