Fridge and freezer in a power cut
What to keep, what to throw out, and how long you have.
Every figure has its official source at the end.
All of this, put into a plan for your home, is in the guide Ready in 7 Days.
How long it lasts
- With the door shut, a fridge stays cold for about 4 hours.
- A closed freezer lasts 24 to 48 hours: longer the fuller it is.
When the power goes
- Don't open the freezer, and open the fridge as little as possible: those times only hold with the doors shut.
- If you have ice packs in the freezer, move a few to the fridge.
- Eat first what is in the fridge, then what is in the freezer, and leave the tins for last.
What to throw out
- If the power is off for more than 4 hours, throw away meat, fish, eggs, milk, soft cheese and leftovers.
- After 4 hours without power, throw away perishable food from the fridge. If in doubt, throw it out.
- Throw away any food that has touched flood water.
What you can refreeze
- Anything from the freezer that still has ice crystals can be refrozen.
What to have beforehand
Freezer ice packs
Kept in the freezer, they help it hold the cold. If the power goes, move a few to the fridge and it stays cold for longer.
Check price on AmazonFridge thermometer
When the power comes back, it tells you how cold the fridge really stayed, instead of guessing.
See optionsFood you can eat cold
Tins, crackers, nuts: food that needs no fridge or cooking, for while the fridge is off.
For the rest of those hours, what to do in a power cut; and the whole kit, in levels and with what each one costs, in the kit.
Links go to amazon.co.uk and are affiliate links: if you buy through them we get a small commission and it costs you nothing extra.
Sources
Checked on 31/10/2026.
- UK government (Cabinet Office), Be Ready: "Be ready for emergencies"
- Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN), "What to do with food from the fridge and freezer after the blackout?" (29/04/2025, in Spanish)
- WHO Europe, "Protecting your health before, during and after floods" (15/11/2024)
This does not replace instructions from the authorities or 999: if they say something different, do what they say.
Food for three days, with no fridge
In Ready in 7 Days, day 3 is food with no fridge: you plan three days of meals from what you already have, and the card on the fridge says what to do with what's inside when the power goes.
Keep reading
When it happens
What to do in a power outage
The first hour, the fridge and what to do when the power comes back.
ReadHow to stay warm with no heating
The warm room, how to heat up safely and the signs of hypothermia.
Read
What to buy
Emergency radio for a power outage
Battery or wind-up, and which stations to note down.
ReadWinter car emergency kit
What to carry in winter and what to do if snow traps you on the road.
ReadEmergency kit on Black Friday: what is worth buying
What is worth buying, what isn't and how to tell a real discount.
ReadHow much water to store for an emergency
How much per person, how to store it and how to make it safe.
ReadPower station for a power cut at home: which to buy
Three sizes, what to plug in and how many hours each one gives.
ReadTorch and power bank for a power cut
Head torch or lantern, which batteries and how many charges a power bank gives.
Read