Remember to drop a coin into a glass of water and put it in the refrigerator during the Lunar New Year break, surprising benefits that everyone needs.

During the long Tet holiday, many families go back to their hometown or travel far away for spring vacation. One of the issues is whether to unplug the refrigerator. Especially during this time, the refrigerator is usually filled with food and is often not unplugged. So how do you know if the refrigerator has experienced a sudden power outage, and if the food inside has been affected…

Sometimes, when we go on a trip, we also don’t know if the refrigerator has defrosted due to a long power outage and then automatically refroze. There can be incidents where a power outage occurs that causes the freezer to defrost. Sometimes, when you leave for work all day and come back, you find the food is defrosted but don’t know when it started defrosting. A sudden power outage can spoil the food, but because the power plug is always connected, when the power returns, the food is frozen again, and the owner, upon returning, is unaware of the power outage and does not promptly handle the food. A useful tip is to use a coin and a cup of ice water to accurately measure whether a power outage has occurred, how long it lasted, and how much the food was affected:

How to use a coin and a cup of ice water

Before leaving the house, place a coin or a metal or wooden object resembling a coin on the surface of a cup of ice water, then place it in the freezer. It’s best to choose a clear plastic cup so that you can see through it for better observation, instead of using a ceramic cup.

The story of the coin and the cup of ice water

When you come back to check the status of the coin and the cup of ice water, you will find the following situations:

– When checking, if the coin is on top of the water surface, the refrigerator is still operating normally, without any sudden power outages, and the food can be used as normal.

– If the coin is suspended in the middle of the cup of water, it means that your refrigerator has experienced a power outage and stopped working, causing the water in the cup to defrost for a short period of time. The food may not be spoiled, but you should thoroughly check it before using it.

– If the coin sinks to the bottom of the cup, it means that the refrigerator has been out of power for a long time, causing the ice in the freezer to completely melt, and the coin sinks to the bottom. In this case, it indicates that the food may have been spoiled and completely defrosted during the power outage. It is advisable to take them out, check and dispose of them to avoid them spoiling and contaminating other food.

Keeping ice water in a cup, a clear cup like this makes it easier to observe the phenomena as compared to using a ceramic cup.

Note when making a cup of ice water with a coin: To facilitate observation, it is best to use a clear cup, such as plastic or glass. The coin should be a dark-colored coin so that it is easier to observe when needed, instead of using a ceramic cup.

Properly storing the refrigerator is important for keeping food fresh, but a power outage followed by re-freezing can affect the quality of the food and potentially cause health problems. Therefore, it is important to be cautious when using the refrigerator to avoid any harm. Placing a cup of ice water with a coin in the freezer is very useful to prevent the situation where the refrigerator experiences a sudden power outage when you are not at home.