Refrigerators and freezers are endurance athletes… they have to cool food and keep it fresh 24/7! But there are times when you want to switch them off for an extended period of time – for example, when you’re going on holiday or moving house.
You’d think it would be very straightforward: remove all the food, unplug the appliance, and you’re done. In principle, it is this easy, but if that’s all you do before leaving your appliance switched off for a long time, you can be in for an unpleasant surprise: nasty odours could well develop in the plastic, ones that are hard to get rid of.
Thoroughly clean your appliance and leave the door open
To prevent problems, clean your appliance thoroughly having switched it off. This blog mentions all the things you need to do. The most important thing to remember is that once you’ve cleaned your appliance, make sure you leave the door open until you’re ready to use it again as this prevents odours taking hold.
HolidayMode for fridge-freezers
People with a fridge-freezer often want to switch off the refrigerator compartment but leave the freezer compartment running when they go on holiday. To prevent any problems of odours developing behind closed doors, Liebherr’s BioFresh Premium appliances come with HolidayMode. HolidayMode regulates the refrigerator temperature to +15°C, which uses far less energy than normal mode, and effectively prevents the formation of odours.
Before activating HolidayMode remove all food from the refrigerator compartment and clean it out (refer to your appliance’s instruction manual).
Switching off IceMaker appliances
If your appliance is fitted with an IceMaker, further consideration is needed: before switching off the appliance for an extended period, please ensure you bring the IceMaker into the cleaning position. Information on how to do this can be found in your appliance’s operating instructions. In this position, the ice cube tray faces downwards so that any water drains away, and this also prevents dirt from getting into the ice cube tray while the appliance is off. Once the IceMaker is in the cleaning position, unplug the appliance and clean both the appliance and the IceMaker. For models with a plumbed-in water connection, turn off the tap.
When restarting the appliance, please discard the first three batches of ice cubes.
By following these instructions, you will be able to enjoy your Liebherr appliances for many years, even after switching them off and back on again.
If you have any questions about cleaning appliances or switching them off over extended periods, simply write to us! Use the comment function below this post or start/join in discussions with us on Facebook.
