Is this refrigerator beyond help?

October 14, 2016 9:57 PM

Hi, AskMe! I recently received a refrigerator that was kept outside (through rain, in particular) for some time. The bulk of the mess is gone – trays and the interior are quite clean, though – but I'm concerned about everything we can't see. Will a little more in-depth cleaning of the gaskets and such help, or will it always be a food safety risk? Picture inside.

This is the fridge in question. The goop holding the bit that holds the gasket in looks really porous, and that worries me. Will cleaning everything inside suffice, or is it not worth the effort? Should I try and hunt down a new gasket, just to be sure? Most of the advice I've seen online presumes a fridge that's never been exposed to the elements.

Thanks in advance!

posted by a series of tube socks to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

I wouldn't worry about that too much, especially as it is the outside of the gasket, so it is really outside of the fridge. If you wanted, you could apply some flexible caulk to cover that. The other issue is probably the rust you have starting. If you plan to keep this fridge for a long time, you might want to sand that down and apply some paint.
posted by ssg at 1:26 AM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

I would have no problems with food safety from that fridge, unless you habitually wipe your food across the seal before eating it. I might be concerned about how tight of a seal that gasket provides, though.
posted by sarajane at 4:05 AM on October 15, 2016 [1 favorite]

My concern with a fridge in that condition would be energy consumption. Stick a kill-a-watt on it for the first month you use it and figure out what it's actually costing you to run; this may be a gift horse whose mouth actually does require close inspection.
posted by flabdablet at 4:36 AM on October 15, 2016 [5 favorites]

If it makes you feel better, that looks significantly better than the gasket on the hand-me-down fridge we've been using for several years. My family hasn't died of food poisoning yet! (As someone else mentioned, the main issue is whether the seal is good. If so, just wipe it down with some bleach.)
posted by belladonna at 7:53 AM on October 15, 2016