Keep the inside of the refrigerator clean and regularly dispose of spoiled food. This prevents the buildup of undesirable odors. A small, open box of baking soda placed inside the refrigerator, replaced every few months, also helps prevent unpleasant odors from developing inside the refrigerator. This is the responsibility of student/residents as Housekeeping does not check or clean refrigerators.

If the unit has an energy-saver setting, use it. If it does not, try keeping the thermostat between 37 and 42 degrees F in the refrigerator and at 0 degrees F in the freezer. On numeric dials, set the temperature to what is labeled as recommended. If it appears that the unit is sweating, or leaking cool air, run your hand around the unit doors to locate the source of the water and/or cold air. If the unit has a leak or a loss of power, call the Facilities Customer Service at 202-994-6706 to report the problem/leakage.

Frost-Free Refrigerators:

• A frost-free refrigerator does not need to be defrosted.
• To operate at an optimum level, turn the temperature control knob in both the freezer and refrigerator to mid range settings.
• If your refrigerator is “sweating”, this means you have the temperature set too low. Sweating encourages the growth of mold and mildew so the temperature should be adjusted.

Non Frost-Free Refrigerators:

This type of refrigerator will need to be manually defrosted when you see about half inch (1/2) of ice buildup in the freezer compartment.

To defrost:

• First turn off and unplug the refrigerator. 
• After a few hours, the ice will soften and begin to melt.  It will collect in the removable pan directly below the freezer compartment. You may have to empty it several times depending on the amount of ice built up.
• Once completed, clean and dry the freezer compartment and plug back in.
• To avoid food spoilage, complete the defrosting process within a few hours.