Keep Your Refrigerator At The Correct Temperature With These Easy Tips

The ideal temperature for a refrigerator is 37 degrees Fahrenheit, but how do you consistently maintain it? Aside from avoiding the urge to stand with the door open while you're looking for something to eat, here are a few more easy ways to keep your refrigerator as cool as possible.

Inspect Door Seals

If you've recently noticed that your refrigerator doesn't feel as cool as normal, take a quick look at the rubber-like seals around your doors. Should there happen to be a crack or a hole in this barrier, the cool air inside your refrigerator could be slowly leaking out. When that happens, your refrigerator will run more and you'll face higher electricity bills.

Stay Stocked Up

Placing a thermometer inside your refrigerator is a good way to make sure that it's maintaining the ideal temperature. Much like trying to heat an unfurnished room takes more energy, having an empty refrigerator makes it harder for the interior to stay cool. Instead of cooling an empty space, staying stocked up can eliminate the costly consequences of your refrigerator running more than it should.

Let Food Cool Before Storing It

It might be tempting to immediately store cooked leftovers in the refrigerator, but it's a bad idea for a couple of reasons. If food isn't cooled to just above room temperature before being placed in the refrigerator, the sudden change in temperature could cause bacterial growth in the leftover food. Plus, placing hot food into your refrigerator automatically warms it up past the recommended 37 degrees.