Households are being urged to rub Vaseline on their fridge door for a very important reason.
It’s something we all use every day, probably multiple times per day, especially if working from home. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and milk for every cuppa requires a fridge that’s in good working condition in order to keep your food and drink fresh, cool and safely stored without bacteria.
With warmer weather returning this Saturday and Met Office forecasts of 24C conditions, allowing your fridge to leak could spell disaster for your food.
But according to home appliance experts, fridge door seals can become explosive breeding grounds for bacteria which can make them less effective at keeping your food cold enough to be safe to eat.
Nancy Emery, a cleaning expert at Tap Warehouse, explains: “Fridge seals trap moisture and crumbs, making them a cosy breeding ground for mould and bacteria in summer’s humid air.
“Try to wipe them weekly with warm, soapy water or a mix of white vinegar and water.
“For stubborn grime, try using an old toothbrush to scrub deep into the folds. Rubbing a little petroleum jelly [Vaseline] along the seal afterwards can help preserve the rubber and keep it airtight.”
This is backed up by House Digest who explain: “Vaseline is often touted for its use within the beauty world, and you may even often use it yourself in your skincare routine.
“However, this nifty beauty product also has some other tricks up its sleeve. If you’re struggling with a fridge door that won’t seal shut properly, your little jar of Vaseline may just be the ticket to success.
“Yes, really. Using Vaseline to keep your fridge door sealed is a fantastic makeshift option until you can rectify the problem yourself, so you can rest assured that the food inside your fridge will still be happy and chilled.
“Petroleum jelly should also do the trick if you don’t have the exact Vaseline brand. When it comes to the method, all you need to do is apply a thin layer of the product onto the gasket of the fridge, where it would typically seal shut — aka the outline of your fridge door. This should be done on the inside of the door that opens.”