We have a new fridge that we just purchased in July. I've never had this problem before, and I don't have it anywhere else in our home, but the items in our fridge become moldy. I should clarify that it's only liquid. Whatever I have made in a pitcher, in less than a week, it has spots of mold on the pitcher. What can I do to stop this?

Are you keeping it cold enough? That would be the first thing I would check. The temperature should be between 34 and 38 degrees F. Check several places, and if you find any warm spots, lower the temperature. I keep mine at 34. Yes, some things freeze in the back, so I don't keep things that don't freeze well back there. In my opinion, the colder you keep it (and still keep most things from freezing), the safer it is.

Check the seal on your refrigerator door. If it is not a sufficient seal, moisture gets in which causes the mold. A quick and easy way you can check to see if you have a good seal is to open the door and place a paper bill horizontally between door and frame of refrigerator. Close the door so that you have a few inches of the bill sticking out. Then pull the bill out. If it slides out easily then you have a loose seal.

I learned this little trick from a maintenance man

Georgia, her problem is with things that are already liquid. I doubt that any moisture that gets in will adversely affect liquid items. I don't think that your maintenance man is correct, in any case. While his method for checking for a a tight seal is a good one, the main problem with a poor seal is that cold air leaks from that poor seal, causing the refrigerator to run more. A bad seal will raise the temperature of the refrigerator and cost you more in electricity because the motor runs more often.

Her problem is with spots of mold on the container....not in the liquid itself. And my maintenance man was correct, in fact I have had 2 maintenance men tell me the same thing. I would not post something like this if I had not experienced such first hand.

I Googled "refrigerator" + "seal" and only one of the results that I looked at mentioned mold. I stopped looking after three pages. I have shown what that one says at the bottom of this post. Every other result that I saw mentioned keeping cold air in as the purpose of gaskets or seals on refrigerator doors. Other than the one I mentioned above, not one spoke of mold on food or food containers being caused by air infiltration, and it only mentioned mold on the gasket itself.
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All refrigerator/freezer doors have a seal--a rubber-like gasket attached to the door. Usually white, almond, black, or brown, the seal's job is to keep the cool air inside the refrigerator and the room air out. - repairclinic.com
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If your refrigerator keeps losing its cool, check the seal around the door. If the seal is damaged, it's probably preventing the fridge from operating properly. - Home and Garden TV.com
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Your refrigerator is always on, but there are several no-cost ways to put energy costs on ice!

Check your refrigerator’s door seal by closing the door on a $5 bill. If it’s held tightly in place, the seal’s OK; if not, the door should be adjusted or the seal replaced. - energy.gov.on.ca
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A refrigerator works best when it's kept in good condition. So check the door seals. If a seal is cracked, or you feel cold air leaking out, the seal should be replaced.

A refrigerator that's not level may cause the door gasket to seal improperly, letting cold air leak out. Set a glass of water on top to check. Adjust the legs until the water looks level.

To check door seals on your refrigerator and freezer, place a flashlight inside and close the door. If you can see light with the door closed, it's time to replace the seal.


Covering foods will reduce moisture buildup on the inside of the refrigerator. Also, wipe moisture from bottles and other containers before placing them back in the refrigerator. - SempraEnergyUtility.com
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You may also be interested to know that you can reduce the amount of energy your refrigerator or freezer uses, whether with a standard or an ENERGY STAR qualified model:

Make sure the door seals are airtight. - EnergyStar.gov
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Check the gaskets for proper air seals.

The gaskets are the seal that keeps in cold air in and the room air out of the refrigerator and the same for the freezer. The gaskets should last the life of the refrigerator if properly cared for. All you need to do to keep them in good shape is wash them down with soapy water. You can test the condition of the gasket by the 'paper test.' You should not be able to slide a piece of paper between the rubber seal and the wall of the refrigerator (or freezer). If the piece of papers slips between the seal and the wall, the seal is not tight enough and the gasket requires replacement. - rehabadvisor.pathnet.org
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BioShield antibacterial seal stops mold and mildew from growing on the door seal - BestBuy.com

I think you have bacteria in the pitcher that just won't go away. Although it may look clean- it isn't. Throw away the pitcher and get a new one.