Can a refrigerator be used when off or will it mildew and mold

[jlinaschke]

Hello,

We have a small wine cooler/fridge that sits in basement of sorts to the detached garage (no heating). In the summer it's on to keep wine cool, and we also use it to store long-lasting vegetables like potatoes and onions.

Now that it's winter, it's cold enough in that room to not need a fridge at all to keep the wine at temp and the food from spoiling. However, if we leave food out, we'll attract rats. Joy.

So the question is… can I turn off the fridge to save energy and just use it as a storage box? The food is never stored long enough to spoil, so that's not a concern. I initially thought we couldn't do that because there'd be no ventilation, but maybe I'm being silly —*is there even ventilation inside a fridge? We'd probably open the door an average of every tow or three days to get stuff out, so it's not like it'll be locked up all winter.

Thanks for any advice,
-Joseph

[mikeref]

You can use the fridge to store dry items but anything with moisture will just rot. There is no ventilation in the fridge and the temperature inside will be considerably higher than ambient temperature.

[spimps]

Bacteria will always appear at some stage if door is closed and not switched on,likely there are little deposits of food/veg etc hiding away behind seals etc ,items you put in will likely have some moisture in and then the bacteria will be very happy and when they are happy they multiply!
Personally would shut it down until temps rise leaving the doorr slightly open.
When ready to use again wipe interior with a bi carbonate of soda and water solution(best to do that when mothballing too) and you will have a germ free fridge for use once again.

[jlinaschke]

Thanks folks, I appreciate the info. @mikeref, you're not kidding…*I checked the internal temp and it was way too warm! Turned that puppy right back on :)

@spimps, remember I need to keep the door closed or else we'll attract rodents, so it'll just have to be left on all winter. Just trying to save a little energy where possible, but clearly this isn't one of those places!

thanks again,
-Joseph