How to Store Your Extra Refrigerator or Freezer

One easy way to lower your electricity bill is by unplugging spare freezers and refrigerators when they aren't in use. This simple strategy can save anywhere from $8 to $25 a month or possibly more if the unit dates from the 1970s or earlier.

Whether your spare refrigerator is located in your summer cabin, on the patio, or down in the basement, there's more involved than pulling the plug. Here's how we put our extra appliances in storage until they are needed for the fall canning season.

Defrost first. Unless you have self defrosting appliances, most fridges and freezers need to be defrosted first. The easiest method is to unplug the units, open the doors, and then walk away for several hours.

Wash trays and shelves. The best way to clean trays and shelves is to wash them in the sink in hot soapy water and let air dry. Instead of returning them to the appliance however, I'll move them to an out-of-the way location where circulating air will prevent mildew from forming while in storage.

Wash the interior. Refrigerators and freezers alike can be washed with a solution of warm water and baking soda. To reach into tiny crevices and the rack supports, an old toothbrush will do the trick. Don't forget to clean beneath the drain plug, the drain itself, the drip tray beneath the refrigerator, and the seals around both frig and freezer units.

Air dry. Once the frig or freezer has been washed, prop the door open until the unit has completely dripped dry. This may take several hours, more in cooler weather. Coil up the cord and tape to the back.

Storing. My extra refrigerators are stored out of the way in the garage facing a wall to prevent the kids from playing around with them. To prevent a musty odor, I simply prop the doors open a couple of inches using wash cloths as pads. For freezers and refrigerators being stored in a summer (or winter) cabin, leaving the doors wide open is fine as long as there's no risk of anyone crawling inside.

More by this contributor:

How to safely defrost your chest freezer.
How to improve the energy efficiency of your old refrigerator.
Winter cleaning tips to bright up and shine up your home