I need to vent

[cchhbb]

DH has a terrible problem with not shutting the door to our upright freezer. It happened yet again. It's 100 degrees outside today. He has this crazy idea that freezer doors should shut on their own and he shouldn't have to push on it to be sure.

I am so frustrated that I had to throw out an entire garbage bag of food and now my freezer has 4 inches of ice on each shelf.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Cheryl

[Jewel]

Oh, I totally understand! Usually, however, it's I who have made the blunder. :o Twice now I've walked into our garage to find the door open about a half inch. First time it had only been overnight and most everything was saved, but the second time I lost it all. Now I make sure that I do a double push on the darned door to make sure!! Definitely Cash in the Trash though when it happens! :(

[kwormann]

I am so sorry! My first H had the habit of leaving milk and ice cream out all night - its frustrating!!!

[LakeMartinGal]

I did it myself! I hate when it happens!

[Kathy B]

The last time that happened, I started putting a piece of duct tape across the freezer door opening. It is long enough that there are several inches on the front of the door, and several on the side so that it prevents the door accidentally popping open if something inside shifts. When the tape starts losing its "stick", I replace it.

Having to pull the tape back to get into the freezer, and having the tape hang loosely when you close the door helps to remind everyone to replace the tape when they are done.

I have had no mishaps since I started it several years ago.

[krhm]

Oh no, how frustrating! My DH did that one year after I'd spent three days preparing casseroles, etc, for the upcoming school/work year. On the positive side, you got it all cleaned out and get to start from scratch???

[LakeMartinGal]

The last time that happened, I started putting a piece of duct tape across the freezer door opening. It is long enough that there are several inches on the front of the door, and several on the side so that it prevents the door accidentally popping open if something inside shifts. When the tape starts losing its "stick", I replace it.

Having to pull the tape back to get into the freezer, and having the tape hang loosely when you close the door helps to remind everyone to replace the tape when they are done.

I have had no mishaps since I started it several years ago.Great idea, Kathy! Inexpensive and practical! I love it!:D:cool:

[Shugness]

This happened to me a few years ago and I was so ticked off!! It was my mistake though. It's on my back enclosed porch with the door of the freezer being against a wall, so I didn't easily see it was slightly open. I ended up moving the freezer around 90 degrees so the door isn't in the corner and I can see it's closed when I walk by. I estimated I lost about $200 worth of food so it's not a mistake I want to make again.

[Gilgamesh37]

Does your husband really know the financial hit you take when he doesn't shut the freezer door? I'd be tempted to walk into the living room and drop the garbage bag of spoiled food in his lap and announce "Just wanted you to see exactly what it costs when you can't be bothered to make sure the freezer door is shut."

Okay, I'd probably be a bit more diplomatic than that, but for both my DH and DF, all it would take would be seeing just how much money their carelessness had cost.

[Robyncz]

He has this crazy idea that freezer doors should shut on their own and he shouldn't have to push on it to be sure.



MINE TOO! For whatever reason, he believes that when you let go of the refrigerator door, it should shut and seal on its own. This could be because our interior fridge pretty much does exactly that, but the freezer in the garage does NOT. I've gotten into the habit of pushing the freezer door whenever I walk past it--which is to say, every time I get in or out of my car in the garage.

[little_bopeep]

I did kinda the same thing as the duct tape trick: I was having to keep the kids out of the freezer because they'd open it just to play around and leave it open. So I got an actual "freezer kid-proofer." It was up out of their reach, and the adults had to be conscious of opening it, so they also had to be conscious of closing it.

[Loremma]

Could you maybe tip the freezer so the door does actually close on it's own? Maybe a shim of some kind (yes, been watching This Old House) to raise it just enough.

[Joanie B]

Cheryl, our DHs must be twins separated at birth, I'm with you on this, sweetie (and I'm not w/o guilt on this issue once or twice myself, lazy me). We have an older refrigerator and an upright freezer in the back of the basement behind a door, no less; I've gotten in the habit of just checking them nightly when I take Sweety down at night, just to be safe. He fooled me a few weeks back and didn't realize his mini pizzas he'd put in the freezer door in the top of the fridge were smacking against a tub of Brunswick stew in the freezer and maintaining a healthy gap in the door! I caught it about 2 hours later. A while back, DH was having such a problem w/being so careless, he was looking into installing a temperature alarm (like we would hear it upstairs!), so that's something you might look into as well, usually under $20-30. Love the (cheaper) ideas of duct tape (DH would smile at that!) and the kiddie proofer gadget, very clever. Fortunately, the new upstairs fridge we got last year goes "Ding!Ding!Ding!" if the doors are left open more than 30-60 seconds, so it came DH proof!

(Shall we start another thread about how those DHs get finished with their bathroom business and vacate the premises w/o waiting for the toilet to stop running after a flush? Because sometimes they don't? Especially older ones? DH drained the well one day with that trick!)

[cchhbb]

Thanks for understanding. He went and got some icecream out after I went to bed. I have gotten into the habit of touching the door everytime I go into the laundry room. He doesn't seem to think it is that big of a deal which annoys me. I just lost the stuff in the door and on the top shelf right side so the financial damage wasn't too bad, but it really annoys me that he can't be responsible enough to make sure a door is shut.

I am going to look into the kid proof freezer lock.

Cheryl

[donleyk]

I am going to look into the kid proof freezer lock.

Cheryl

You should look into raising the feet in the front and/or lower the ones in back so it should close on it's own.

Our inside fridge/freezer has the drawer on the bottom and it doesn't always get closed. It's annoying to throw out food.

[newtricks]

Thanks for understanding. He went and got some icecream out after I went to bed. I have gotten into the habit of touching the door everytime I go into the laundry room. He doesn't seem to think it is that big of a deal which annoys me. I just lost the stuff in the door and on the top shelf right side so the financial damage wasn't too bad, but it really annoys me that he can't be responsible enough to make sure a door is shut.

I am going to look into the kid proof freezer lock.

Cheryl

Yeah, it does put you in the "mom" role with him. Does he realize that? Not picking on him, I'm sure he's perfect in other ways, but I would find this freezer issue very annoying.

When you lose stuff from your freezer, it's money yes, but often it's also stuff you've prepared so it's a lot of time and effort as well.