Refrigerator going bad?

[teller80]

My milk has been going bad before the expiration date for the last month. The fridge seems to be keeping things cold, and I don't have any issue with my ice cubes or frozen foods, but do you think it could be a sign that it's going to die soon? My other plan is just to buy a quart of milk at a time rather than a gallon. What do you all think?

 

[dclpluto]

My milk has been going bad before the expiration date for the last month. The fridge seems to be keeping things cold, and I don't have any issue with my ice cubes or frozen foods, but do you think it could be a sign that it's going to die soon? My other plan is just to buy a quart of milk at a time rather than a gallon. What do you all think?

if it’s just the milk I wouldn’t think it would be the fridge. Farmers are being paid to dump out their milk. A good date for the milk is hard to find now. They could be extending their date of expiration. It’s a shame farmers have to dump out their milk.we can’t talk too much about this here as it will turn political. If everything else is cold enough I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Buying a quart at a time will cost you a lot more money than dumping out a little bit of milk that has gone bad.

 

[fla4fun]

Where do you keep the milk in the fridge? Milk can be more sensitive to the temperature changes that happen when you open the door. I used to have issues with milk going bad until I started keeping it in the back of the fridge with other cold items in front of it to help keep the temperature constant (and I was only buying half gallons, not gallons). If you are keeping it in the door or at the front of the shelf, try putting it farther back in the fridge and see if that helps.

 

[tvguy]

The amount of butterfat in a milk, and how it was handled in delivery and storage make a huge different in the spoilage of milk. Skim (non-fat) milk is going to spoil much faster than whole milk. My wife's nephew managed a chain grocery store in hot humid Texas and he said given a choice he wouldn't even carry non-fat milk, he was losing money on it having to replace milk that spoiled before the expiration date. He rejected an entire shipment of milk because the delivery driver unloaded the entire order from the refrigerated truck into the unrefrigerated storage area, then moved the entire order into the refrigerated area. Some of that milk sat out for 20-30 minutes. The milk was supposed to go directly from the truck to the refrigerated storage area.
Throw in that customers may have that milk sitting in their hot car for 15 or 20 minutes on the way home, the milk doesn't stand a chance.
At the very least, buy a refrigerator thermometer at the store, they are less than $10. Put it next to the milk and see what the temperature is. Cheaper than a service call for repair when the milk, not the refrigerator may be the issue.

 

[Christine]

Just get a thermometer and monitor the temp and you'll have your answer.

 

[barb969]

Some supermarkets will take the milk back within a week after the expiration date and replace it with a new container, even if it is almost empty.
Try buying milk in another place. Where you are getting it may not be storing it properly.
I keep mine in the door with no problems. I keep orange juice containers close against the milk, which help minimize temp changes when opening the door.

 

[MrsPete]

This doesn't really address your question, but a couple years ago we started buying Ultra-pasturized milk. It's a little more expensive, but it lasts at least a month. Name brand doesn't matter, organic doesn't matter -- just ultra-pasturized. We aren't big milk drinkers -- just keep it on hand for the occasional recipe or a bowl of cereal -- so it works for us. Since I started buying ultra-pasturized, I haven't thrown away a drop of spoiled milk.

 

[tvguy]

This doesn't really address your question, but a couple years ago we started buying Ultra-pasturized milk. It's a little more expensive, but it lasts at least a month. Name brand doesn't matter, organic doesn't matter -- just ultra-pasturized. We aren't big milk drinkers -- just keep it on hand for the occasional recipe or a bowl of cereal -- so it works for us. Since I started buying ultra-pasturized, I haven't thrown away a drop of spoiled milk.

That is interesting. Regular milk here usually is good for at least a month. We buy Fairlife filtered and it is usually good for 3 months. And we keep a couple boxes of Ultra High Temperature milk in the pantry that needs no refrigeration until opened for emergencies. I just checked, the whole boxed milk we bought about a month ago has an expiration date of January 2022. Only downside for some is it has a slight cooked milk taste.

 

[georgina]

Organic milk lasts longer after opening for us. We don't use much, so I buy a half gallon of organic and it lasts at least a month. The half gallon I have now says Sept 2 as the expiration date. Non-organic never lasts that long in the fridge for us, usually going bad in a week-10 days.

 

[White Cat]

Might need to vacuum off the condenser coil.

 

[tvguy]

Might need to vacuum off the condenser coil.

Last service we had I asked why they don't vacuum the condenser coil as part of the service and the tech said you can't get to the condenser coil on a modern refrigerator.

 

[AuntieMe3]

Just get a thermometer and monitor the temp and you'll have your answer.

This....our fridge is a discontinued model and has had to be fixed quite a few times(evidently if the manufacturer fixes it more than a certain amount of times, they will offer to replace it. Hoping the next time is a charm...lol) The first time I noticed something was wrong was after our milk started going bad and then slowly noticed other things going bad too. Never affected the freezer, that still worked perfectly. After they repaired it a second time, and I lost a fridge full of food after a big grocery shop, I bought a fridge thermometer so now I have a heads up before it completely goes out again.

ETA....it still feels cool in there when it's not working, just not cold like it should be and the thermometer tells me if it's still in a safe temp zone.

 

[anniemae]

Is the milk warm? That was the first sign that our fridge was going. My dd took a sip and nearly gagged. I would get a thermometer and see how cold it is.

 

[DLgal]

When this happened to us recently, we needed a new condenser fan. Milk is the most sensitive to being kept cold enough and things will "feel cold" but be well above the safe temp of 40 degrees. The freezer working properly has nothing to do with the refrigerator compartment cooling adequately. They are separate entities. Our freezer was at -8 degrees while our fridge was at 53. The sour milk was what tipped me off.

Put a probe thermometer into any liquid in the fridge and if it's above 40, call a repairman.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Funny you say this, I just bought two loaves of bread and both were covered with mold today without being opened, this was Pepperidge Farms with two layers of wrap two days before the trigger day according to the stamp. My best guess is that everything for sale this week sat in humid heat longer than it normally does with the shipping companies over the holiday weekend, and the weekend was especially icky. A thermometer is a good idea and if you think you might need a new one order it soon, appliances can still be tough to get.

 

[_19disnA]

If it is only the milk, perhaps the grocery store let it sit around too long on the floor before putting it in the refrigerated section. Dates are only a guideline and how the product was handled before you bought it can impact how long it lasts. Might also look behind/under the refrigerator and see if dust has accumulated on the coils. This can reduce the efficiency of your refrigerator and I would guess most people never bother to check that. If you turn the setting lower and it doesn't get colder, then it is time for a repairman to check it out, several things in the unit could need repair and those aren't things you can fix on your own. You also didn't say how old the refrigerator is.

 

[GreatLakes]

Just get a thermometer and monitor the temp and you'll have your answer.

We got one that records the lowest temperature it reads over a span of time. That might help with knowing if the fridge stays at a reasonable temperature.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I have found that milk has gone bad before the expiration date.