Long term storage of white goods/appliances

[ZimZamZoom]

We're shortly due to move out of our house and in with family while we search for our next house.
We'll be storing most of our stuff during this unknown period of time; including a dishwasher, washing machine and a fridge/freezer.

My question is, does any one have any tips on how to make sure these appliances stay fresh for the duration?

What would you clean them with pre-storgae and is there anything I could put inside them to prevent mould or other nastiness building up?

TIA for any advice :)

Make sure they are clean and dry and store them somewhere clean and dry. You could put some silica gel crystals in a dish inside. Make sure you change it frequently. I stored mine in my parents garage for a year. They were fine

Fridge and freezer need to be empty,clean and dry,and most importantly propped slightly open with pieces of foam taped in place.

Remember to put the transit bars on the washing machine.

BUT - think hard about whether it is worth it. I had six months in rental between houses. Left washing machine behind, stored fridge and freezer. When I found the next house, it had both!

With so many kitchens having integrated appliances ( rubbish as they are) and storage costing a bomb, I wouldn't bother.

My thoughts exactly @murbblurb

All good points, thank you.
It's just that, we need the storage container anyway for all our other furniture etc and the cost of 6 months storage is more or less equal to what we spent on the three appliances.
I'd rather have them at the other end of this and not need them, than get rid of them now and regret it later.
Obviously, if they all go mouldy in storage, we'll have to get new ones anyway!

I'll fully drain and dry them all, plus a good scrub before storage and hope for the best. I've seen some charcoal things online that can apparently go in fridges. Anyone had any success with those?

We stored a washing machine for about a year. The door seal was disgusting when we got it back and stank of mould. It took hours and hours of scrubbing and many tub clean cycles before it went back to normal. I would recommend removing the seal before storage, although it may be quite tricky to get it back on… Alternatively make sure it’s as clean as possible before it goes into storage and be prepared for some extensive cleaning the other end.

Just a word of warning - in my experience the appliances that use water didn't work as well or for as long as expected once out of storage. The others were fine.

I put mine in a storage unit for 4 months or so... but to be honest, despite transit bars, making sure they were spotless and dry, propping them open... basically following all the advice that I could find! - they didn’t work great when they came out and I replaced them anyway.

My already 2yr old Beko washing machine was absolutely perfect after 2 years in storage. We fully drained it, which I think involved tipping it at different angles using the drain hose, and left it open for a few days to dry out completely. It was then used for 5 years and has recently been stored again for a year. Hoping it will still be working when it gets reinstalled soon!
Absolutely try to keep any appliance doors propped open if possible to keep ventilated and prevent mould.

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Will follow the good advice given here and keep my fingers crossed!