If you’ve recently upgraded to a portable camping fridge, then you’ve made one of the best investments you’ll ever make in your camping experience! A camping fridge-freezer is an amazing bit of camping gear that will give you the ability to camp better than ever before.

But just like any type of camping gear, a 12v car fridge needs semi-regular maintenance to ensure that it always works its best. Here’s how to quickly, in under te minutes, check over your portable fridge freezer for camping to keep it running it the best condition possible.

1. CLEAN YOUR 12V FRIDGE OUT AND AIR IT OUT

The first thing to do in this five minute 12v fridge maintenance schedule, is to clean your fridge out! If you’ve been running your camping fridge for a while then it is probably a bit damp or even icy inside, owing to the moisture that gets into your portable fridge every time you open it. Turn your camping fridge off, completely empty it, wipe out as much moisture as possible and let it sit in the sun for a couple of hours. Sunlight is an amazing cleaner and also works as a deodoriser for you camping fridge/freezer! Once it’s dry inside, wipe out the inside of your portable car fridge with some vanilla fridge cleaner and then let it sit in the sun again to completely dry.

2. THE ONION TRICK TO GET YOUR CAMPING FRIDGE SMELLING AMAZING!

If you’ve still got a bit of a bad smell in your camping fridge/freezer, here’s another neat trick – use an onion! Just cut a plain white or brown onion in half, and place it into your camping fridge and close the lid. Leave it overnight and the onion will extract the smells! Then just air out your 12v fridge again to allow the onion smell to evaporate and you’ll be left with a perfectly clean, brand-new smelling camping fridge.

3. CHECK YOUR FRIDGE/FREEZER’S AIR VENTS ARE CLEAN

Now that your camping fridge freezer is clean, it’s time to inspect it to check that it’s in good mechanical condition. The first thing to do is ensure that your 12v fridge vents are clean and free of dust. If it’s super dusty then a good idea is to get a soft-bristled hand broom or even a soft bristle attachment on your vacuum, and clean out the vents. The more air that can flow through the vents of your 12v car fridge, the better it will perform, especially when it’s warm. This is an essential bit of 12v fridge maintenance and should not be overlooked!

4. VISUALLY INSPECT YOUR PORTABLE CAMPING FRIDGE’S POWER CORD

The final bit of maintenance to perform on your portable camping fridge is to check that the fridge cord is free of damage. Camping fridge cords often suffer damage from getting stuck in the runners of a fridge slide, and that can even cause the fuse to blow and prevent your camping fridge from running altogether. Unplug the fridge cord and visually inspect it from top to tail – check for any nicks or cuts and if you find them, repair them with heat shrink or electrical tape.

All of this maintenance can easily be performed on your portable camping fridge in under 10 minutes, and will ensure that it serve you faithfully for a long time!

To see the full range of Fridge Freezers from Kings, head to www.4WDSupacentre.com.au call our expert team on 1800 88 39 64 or drop into one of our fully stocked retail showrooms to see the gear in person.