refridgerator as dry storage?

fitzy

Songster
10 Years
Aug 25, 2009
228
6
111
manhattan, ks
Okay, i wasn't sure where the heck to place this thread, so if this isn't the right place could one of the higher ups shoot me a p.m. and/or move it?

Anyway, I have this HUGE fridge in my basement that would be a real pain to get back out without the use of a sawzall...it killed my dolly when putting it down there in the first place! The other day when i was about to begin dissection, it occured to me that since it was meant to be airtight it would be a great place to store some dry goods and not have to even mess with moving it. After i got it loaded up with stuff (and rearranged to pantry) i was talking with my father and he said it was a really bad idea and that sooner or later everything inside would be covered with a layer of mold/mildew.....

Can anyone tell me what causes this in the first place? Is there an effective way to prevent it? ANY bright ideas would be appreciated here.....i'd really hate to have to re-rearrange the pantry again!
 
I would say it can work BUT... (I know always a but with me) you'd need a way to absorb mosture so that the dry goods do not let mosture wick into them. So yes you can, but you'd want something to absorb excess mosture (I know silica can be bought in bulk for flower drying, I'm sure there's other things too).
 
We actually are using two dead fridges for dry storage, but they are not in a moist area. The only problem I encountered is that weevils invaded my flour, so the fridge turned out to not be air-tight after all. I looked at the seal, and it does have cracks.
 
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do weevils eat bullets? i'm kinda thinking maybe a pound of open salt or rice might absorb some of the extra moisture....i really shouldn't be opening it more than a couple times a month.
 
The quilt club I see every Wednesday has a fridge for a storage cabinet. We keep coffee, tea, sugar, creamer, hot chocolate, spiced tea, plates, cups, needles, scissors, fabric etc in there. In the 3 years I've been with the group, even when the roof leaked, no mold or mildew.

If you are worried about moisture, try using a Damp Rid container. Just leave it in the bottom and dump/refill it when needed... if needed.
 
down by me (including me) we use old freezers for grain storage - keeps the mice out and holds a lot.

I imagine an old fridge would be the same principle.

Ours is out in the barn (where it gets damp/humid) so I would have to say that once it is dried out inside it should stay dry inside.

meri
 
Old deep freezers are great for grain storage.. No mice, no raccoons, everything stays nice and dry.

Can't imagine why a fridge wouldn't work the same way, considering they're both basically just big insulated boxes when they're not turned on.
 
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thanks for the link...i'm gonna try to find that stuff soon! i don't know what i'd do without the advice on this forum
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