How to Maintain & Clean a Commercial Refrigerator
Commercial Refrigeration systems require routine maintenance, just like any appliance. You should schedule qualified technicians to come in roughly twice a year to clean and check your refrigeration system.
How much maintenance does my Commercial Refrigerator really need?
Chances are, your commercial refrigerators are probably a major component in your food service business. They hold your perishable products that you use every day! So keeping up with the maintenance of those refrigerators is extremely important. You depend on them to do their job properly to prevent products from going bad and making your customers sick. Repay them for the major role they play in your business by taking good care of them!
What maintenance should I do?
As the owner of a commercial refrigerator, you should ensure that you keep your system clean. Keeping the components of your refrigerator clean can improve the longevity of the entire system. If you’re not comfortable cleaning your own system, you can always call one of our trained technicians to clean it monthly. While you don’t have to clean every component that frequently, some do require it.
You should clean the following components:
- Condenser coil
- Fan blades & motor
- Refrigerator doors
- Interior of refrigerator
Interior of Commercial Refrigerator
The interior is the most manageable component to clean, so we’ll start there. It’s important that you do NOT use steel wool, bleach, or other caustic chemicals when you’re cleaning the interior of your commercial refrigerator. They can either damage the interior of your refrigerator or leave behind strong scents that could linger in the food you keep there. You can easily clean the inside of the refrigerator with mild soap and warm water.
Fan Blades & Motor
To clean your commercial refrigerator’s fan blades and motor, you just need to run over both with a soft cloth. And if your fan blades really need a deep clean, cover the motor with a dry cloth to prevent any damage to it from the water.
Refrigerator Doors
Once a week you should remove the door gaskets and soak them for roughly half an hour in soapy water. When you’re reattaching them, make sure the door gaskets are completely dry and properly reseal. You should also take out your refrigerator’s shelves and clean them once a week.
Condenser Coil
Once a month you should clean your commercial refrigerator’s condenser coil. The location can vary, but you can find it in the owner’s manual. If we haven’t installed a new unit yet for you, your technician can show you the location to prepare you for the monthly cleaning. For the condenser coil, you have to use specific commercial condenser coil cleaner. All you have to do is brush the condenser fins starting at the the top and moving to the bottom. Do NOT go from side to side on the fins. When you’re done, straighten any fins that got bent during the cleaning. Then you’re done
Between routine visits from qualified commercial refrigeration technicians, you should be maintaining the cleanliness of your refrigerator. Not only because it will improve the longevity of the system, as if that wasn’t reason enough, but it will also keep your food products fresh!