When it comes to household chores, we would be willing to bet that most homeowners are not thrilled at the thought of cleaning the refrigerator. After all, its much easier to just close the refrigerator door and forget about the many items that are quickly approaching their expiration dates and the spilled juice and soda cans that have left a sticky mess on the shelves. While a clean kitchen is important to most of us, wiping down visible surfaces and keeping pantry shelves and cabinets organized tends to be the biggest priority.
Fortunately, manufacturers like Sub-Zero, GE and Whirlpool understand that the average consumer doesn’t spend a ton of time paying attention to this key kitchen appliance, and they have proactively researched ways to tackle the messy, unorganized refrigerator problem that many of us face.
In addition to supplying educational information that tells consumers how they should store food, top brands are also introducing innovative features that are designed to combat germs, purify air and make it easier for consumers to see the items that are in their refrigerators.
In May 2010, GE will introduce new models with 10 lighting sources rather than the standard three so that food is easier to spot. According to this article, the company hopes that the added lighting sources will make food more visible to consumers and therefore prevent items from spoiling due to the fact that they have been hidden in dark corners and forgotten.
Later this year, Whirlpool will introduce new refrigerators with shelves that have a microscopic etching and are 25% larger than those on existing models. The etching is designed to create surface tension, causing spilled liquids to bubble up around the perimeter of the container rather than spill over.
Courtesy of kitchencontraptions.com
With new innovations like these, it will be interesting to see how consumers’ relationships with their refrigerators changes, if at all. As far as GE, Sub-Zero and Whirlpool are concerned, they certainly hope that we all pay better attention to the way we store items and how frequently we clean these appliances.
