The avocado green vintage fridge you viewed in an estate cell may look perfect in a cowardice, retro-theme kitchen, but you probably don’t really want around it. For all your “leave beaver” appeal, you like to use a mid -century refrigerator in your real kitchen Service of a jail-o salad Three-martini at lunch: fun for photos, perhaps not realistic day-to-day. Sure, some vintage fridge had clever details, such as Underlying lazy suzanSwing-out shelves, or unusual door configuration, but attraction cannot make for severe downside.

The vintage fridge simply does not work and at the same time they look. Over time, progress in refrigerator technology has focused on improving three things: keeping food safe, cutting the cost of energy, and ensuring that everything is fresh inside. The real vintage fridge was not designed keeping in mind the modern standards, so you are left with devices that reduce electricity, often break, and potentially less safe than their modern counterparts. Before you can also consider how wrong they may be if something is wrong or the challenge to find parts.

Beyond beauty and apathy, the true experience of owning a decades -old fridge is usually much more complicated than appearing on Instagram. If you are thinking about bringing a real vintage tool into your kitchen, it is worth considering how it will not only look, but how it will actually work when it will work to handle real daily tasks such as storing production, remaining cold, or handling heat wave. Those pastel doors and chrome handles can be fun as, what is under the hood may be a difference between “conversion piece” and “constant headache”.

It is not just indifferent aesthetics that separates the old fridge from the smooth model in the kitchen today. Vintage refrigerators were created at a time when electricity was cheap and no soda pop was worried about the carbon footprint to keep a bottle of winter. Old units use old compressors and insulation materials, which bleed with energy, about 600–1,000 kwh per year, modern energy is about two to three times more than the star fridge, usually 300–500 kwh. At $ 0.12/KWH, the vintage fridge can add an additional $ 72 to $ 120 to $ 72 to $ 120 per annum to $ 36 to $ 60.

Beyond energy efficiency, for some which are considered to safely store food we eat, the old fridge was often made of toxins. Thick walls were usually filled with fiberglass or even asbestos. In the true vintage fridge, coolant systems often rely on Fraon, a chemical that was now banned for its environmental impact. Not only does the Fraon damage the ozone layer, but the vintage model developed a slow leak in decades, risking performance and air quality. Some of the pre-1960s fridge also leads to paint or wiring, and early plastic sometimes closes off-goods suspected compounds that will not fly with regulators today.

Additionally, the old fridge struggled to maintain constant cold temperatures with weak thermostats and incredible motors. Modern refrigerators, by contrast, are engineers to protect everything efficiently, 40 degrees Fahrenheit and cycle energy, using advanced insulation and accurate digital controls. Therefore, while those glowing behamoths can look iconic, their courage is risky, power-shifting, a time capsule of 20th century engineering. Sometimes, progress means to really mean to let the past go, or at least bring it back into the garage for cold drinks only.

If you are still ready for the apathy of the pastel doors and chrome handles, then the good news is that you do not have to compromise for the old technology or the risk of asbestos in your ice pieces. Today’s equipment is full of market retro-inspired fridge that captures the attractions of the 1950s or 60s, but is created with all the efficiency, features and safety standards of a modern kitchen. Many major brands offer horizontal handles or metal badges like colorful, round design and old school touch, but inside, you will find reliable thermostats, crisp temperature controls and shelves that do not crack when you see them sideways.

For those who already own a true vintage refrigerator and want to use it safely, some are the best practices. First of all, use it as a secondary tool: great for drinks, party trays, or shelf-stable snacks, but not for daily or long-term storage of dairy, meat or eggs. Always use a fridge thermometer to check that the temperature is less than or below 40 degrees. If the fridge struggles to keep the temperature, unplug the food before spoiling the food or risking large safety concerns. Never try to repair old wiring or fill yourself again; These are jobs for qualified technicians, and sometimes professionals will also decline.

If you love the idea of ​​a retro kitchen, you can be creative with color, decoration and creative Small equipment and retro gadgetsThink of a stand mixer, toster or bread box in the ’50s hugs’, without inheriting the downside of a decades -old fridge. The best possible is both world. You can enjoy the look without trouble and keep your grocery and electricity bill safe from disabled, toxic past.