Best practices for storing a microwave, RO and refrigerator in storage.

D

dafreaking

Skilled
So moved cities recently and some of my stuff will be in storage for anywhere between 2-6 months. What would be the best way to store these to minimize fungus, bacteria, You know, the crazy shit that happens when these things are turned off without use for while.

There is no option to keep them powered.

TIA
 
RO - empty it of water completely and use paper towels to clean the dirt inside the pre filter housing. The carbon filters expire after a year. Keep them or throw them. The UF filter, clean it properly and dry it and store it in a plastic or nylon bag. It is better to dismantle the pipes and keep them close to the filter so you don't loose them.

Refrigerator - defrost it and clean it with soap or baking soda solution and let it dry with the doors open for 2-3 days. Clean the gaskets with soapy water. Most of the dirt is behind the gaskets.
Throw in some silica gel pouches in all the compartments just before you lock it for storage.

My old fridge was in this condition for 2 years. No fungus etc. The magnetic lock on gaskets is enough to lock the air inside the fridge. Finally sold it when i didn't want it anymore.

Microwave oven - just clean it normally and put silica gel pouches in it to absorb any moisture. Tape the door with masking tape or any tape that can be removed and doesn't leave behind the gum residue. This is so the door does not accidentally open when you are putting it somewhere. You can put it in a plastic bag to stop dust entering the device.

There's nylon storage bags being sold on Amazon that are quite big. One of them is big enough for storing the microwave and the water filter together. Use some cardboard box inside the bag because these bags don't have any strength to stand up on their own. Or use cardboard boxes.
 
You can clean and disinfect items before storage, and use silica gel beads for delicate equipment in closed boxes.

Controlling the environment/ location/ room in which they will be stored is important. Nothing can really completely prevent fungus and bacteria in dark humid environments.

If there is no sunlight, you can consider a UV room disinfecting bulb on a timer. These are commonly available since Covid.
 
Thanks.

The RO is empty and in it's original packing along with the pipes and filters. I'm worries about fungus build up inside the tank/water storage area but I know for a fact that I'll have to spend money on installing it, a new filter, AMC, etc

The Microwave will be cleaned once more and I think it should be sorta OK.

The refrigerator. Is what I'm worried about the most. The outer packaging has a few dents. And the power plug seems bent.

The main issue is this room is dark (though not really humid) and has NO POWER CONNECTION anymore.

So I can't even check if it's working. Maybe carry a giant extension cord, plug it in and see if it's fine. But yeah will get it cleaned again once more.

Thanks again.

Anything else apart from Silica gel that can be put?
 
> I'm worries about fungus build up inside the tank/water storage area but I know for a fact that I'll have to spend money on installing it, a new filter, AMC, etc

If it is dry inside then you don't have to worry. Fungus builds up only if there is enough humidity in air for it to grow. If you wrap them in plastic bag with 3-4 silica gel pouches, the silica will absorb any remaining moisture from the bag and the air will become dry inside. Ofcourse you need to seal the bag properly for this to happen. If you are extremely worried, then you can individually wrap each open part with shrink wrap too.

You can always change the plug of the fridge. I don't think it takes more than 200w at load so a good anchor plug will suffice.
 
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