Fridge when on holiday.

Thanks everyone. It will definitely stay on.

AmberGran

Fridge/freezer here too and we have never turned it off, no matter how long we are away. Don't even turn off other electricals any more either.

We turn everything off apart from the F/F.
My friends neighbours house went up in smoke, due to pile of clothing falling over on to an extension lead that was left plugged in.

Fridge/freezer here too and we have never turned it off, no matter how long we are away. Don't even turn off other electricals any more either.

Why would anyone turn it off? Firstly it would hwvd to be completely empty or else you're coming home to a strong rotten stench. Who has an empty fridge?

If you do turn the fridge off make sure you prop the door open for the time you’re away, will allow air to circulate and ensure you don’t come back to mould/mildew.

MArtavTaurus You made me chuckle ‘not dodgy random’.

Never

Nandalot

When we were young and very green, (students), we emptied the fridge and turned it off. We didn’t know you should keep the door wedged open and came back to a mouldy mess.

Oh yes! Remember the black mould around the door seals? 😩

Never.

We do. Hubby works away for 2 to 3 months at a time and I can join him. At the end of COVID, and when everything went back to normal, I was allowed to join him for the last 2 weeks of his contract. I left the under-counter fridge and freezer on.

Big mistake. There had been a power failure and everything in the freezer was galloping out of the door when we arrived home. The stench was unbelievable. It took months of cleaning and disinfecting to get rid of the smell. My husband had built an alcove with countertop in the kitchen for the fridge and freezer (nice extra work surface) but he had dismantle it, get rid if the smelly wood and re-do the whole darn thing. Now we empty and clean the fridge and freezer, leaving the doors wedged open with a hand towel. It's a faff but not worth coming back to rotting meat & veg.

Whilee I was studying and spent my summer holidays helping my parents (they were paying my education) I did turn off the fridge, clean it, and leave it open while I was away.

If I were going away for more than a few days, I would do the same now. It does not really matter whether you can reach the socket or not, as modern fridges can be turned off using the dail that alters the temperature, while the fridge is on.

I am not sure this is at all neccesary.

More worrying if you are away from home, unless a friend or neighbour goes in to check regularly, is the thought of a power cut knocking out the supply to the freezer, then coming back on and food that had been partially or entirely defrozen being re-frozen!

Oddly enough, none of us seem to let that thought worry us, although the risk of food poisoning from that kind of accident is much more serious than that likely to occurmif the fridge went off and then on again when the power cut was over.

Goodness. I would be cross too!

I’ve a fridge/freezer so no I keep it turned on as it would turn the freezer off as well

Many years ago my husband turned off our fridge for two weeks while we went on holiday. I did not know. We came back to the horror of black mildew and mould and the smell YUK.
He was very unpopular for quite a long time afterwards

No point. Buy a simple supper for the night you get back, if use by dates allow. ie Pasta/Sauce etc. Saves having your first task to go get something for supper.

No, we do not turn the fridge off when going on holiday.

Never .....I go to Australia every 2 years for 8 weeks....I wouldn't dream of turning it off

Not when we are away for a week or so but when we visit DD in Australia for a couple of months we turn everything we can off.
Obviously we clean it and leave the door open.

When we were young and very green, (students), we emptied the fridge and turned it off. We didn’t know you should keep the door wedged open and came back to a mouldy mess.

No just clean it. For what it costs to run it why bother.
Plus you then have to wait for it to cool down, to put in the milk that I ‘had forgotten to get’ on my way back from the airport 😩

No, its not 1974

Not something that would occur, but in the recesses of my memory, I think it may have been an onerous task my parents might have done. I've vague recollection of the fridge being defrosted as a precursor to going away. They generally liked to add another layer of difficulty to life wherever possible. Now I'm pondoring on that, a wise move or an overthink Too much of a kerfuffle though when trying to remember everything else with going away.

No we don’t turn the fridge off. Can’t recall if we ever did though it sounds like something my old mum would recommend.

I never turn my fridge off. I’m going away soon, admittedly not for very long, but I am leaving, butter, cheese, eggs, fruit, and an unopened pack of ham, yogurt, milk - all of which will still be in date, and things like jam, ginger purée, mayonnaise etc.

We turn off the fridge if we're away for a couple of weeks or more, but do leave it standing open so that it doesn't go mouldy. We also turn off and unplug most electrical equipment and the router and unplug the TV aerial in case of lightning. It may be overkill, but it keeps us happy.