Small fridge was invented in 1920 for the first time by Edmund Copeland and Harry Edwards. Since then, it has become more popular around the world due to its convenience for any household. Where should you put a mini fridge in the house?
Reasons for getting a mini fridge
There are many reasons to explain why you should have a compact fridge for your home.
- Suitable for small space
Most of the mini fridges are small in size, ranging from 1.7 cubic feet to 4.5 cubic feet. This makes it possible to adapt to many different areas in your house. You can put a mini fridge in your kitchen, living room, bedroom, or in your home office.
- Energy efficiency
Due to the small size, mini fridges do not consume a large amount of energy compared to the full-size fridge. In fact, among Energy star mini fridges, a manual defrost fridge uses less than 239.42 kilowatt-hours per year. Meanwhile, an auto-defrost compact fridge consumes around 318.4 kWh yearly.
Therefore, you can save a lot for your power bills each month once you have a mini fridge for your family.
- Affordable price
With no more than $200, you can own a good-quality compact fridge. Mini fridge without a freezer is often cheaper than any fridge with a freezer.
- Great option for storing many kinds of food
Even though it is small, it can contain different types of food such as snacks, veggies, beverages, fruits, frozen meals, ice cubes, etc.
You may also like: The 10 Best Mini Fridges with Freezer
How much space do you need around a refrigerator ?
It is not a good idea to set up a mini fridge too close to the wall. You should leave ½ or 1 inch space between the wall and the fridge for two sides. Therefore, you do not have any problem when opening the doors of your fridge.
For the back of the fridge, it should be far from the wall for around 1 to 2 inches. So it will have enough space for any electrical connection between the fridge and the outlet on the wall.
If you do not leave any clearance between them, this might lead to many serious issues related to the safety of your house.
Steps to put a compact fridge in your house
Once you prepare a suitable place as mentioned above, it is simple to make it ready for the usage of your family.
- Step 1: Clean the mini fridge after purchasing it from the store. You should not plug it into the electrical outlet right away but leave it outside for about 4 hours.
- Step 2: Set up your mini fridge in the appropriate location in your house. Being far from the wall might protect it from overheating due to lack of air on the back side.
- Step 3: Connect the fridge to the outlet and cool them for 3 hours before putting any item inside.
- Step 4: Arrange different types of food and beverage you want in the fridge.
You may also like: How to Use a Mini Fridge Safely and Efficiently?
Why you may need more than one mini fridge?
Fridge is often placed in the kitchen. There are other purposes to use a mini fridge in your house. That is why people often buy more than one mini fridge even though they already have a full-size one.
- For your office: Keeping a mini fridge in your home office with many foods and drinks inside might help you stay energized for a whole day. So it would save you a lot of time without going to the kitchen if you are hungry during working hours.
- For more storage space: Sometimes, your full-size refrigerator can be overloaded. In this case, a mini fridge would be an ideal method for you to have much more space to keep all your food fresh for longer.
- For any special food: It might have some kinds of food that you need to keep them away from any other items to avoid any severe trouble.
- For cooling drinks in bedroom: You can make use of your mini fridge as a bar fridge indoors. This would help you to have enough chilly beverages for your family and friends at any home party.
Mini fridge for cooling drinks in bedroom
Further reading: Why Should You Buy a Chest Freezer When Your Fridge Already Has a Freezer?
Where should you put a mini fridge in your house?
To keep your fridge functioning well, you should place it on a hard surface instead of cushion or soft areas. You also have to make sure there are no flammable materials nearby your mini fridge to reduce as many risks as possible. And do not allow any other things to block your mini fridge ventilation.
Related questions
Are compact fridges safe?
It does not matter to use any compact fridge in your house. These mini fridges have no harmful impact on your family health. Most current models are super quiet so they can not disturb other activities of your family even in the bedroom or living room.
Should the fridge be placed near the stove?
You should not put your fridge too close to any heating source to avoid overheating. If you still want to place them near the stove, the fridge should be far from the stove for around 9 inches.
Can you put a fridge next to a sink?
It is possible to put your mini fridge next to a sink in the kitchen as long as you leave it enough room to operate well without any obstacle.
Can you put the fridge next to the microwave oven?
Technically, the fridge can be placed near the microwave oven. Both of these appliances have no negative impact on each other. But in fact, you should not keep them too close because this might lead to high heat sometimes.
Should you put a refrigerator in front of a window?
It is not a good idea to put your fridge near the window. The direct sunlight through the window can cause some damage to your fridge in the long term.
Conclusion
With the small design, a mini fridge is suitable for many areas within your house. This fridge can bring several benefits including flexibility, more room for storage, energy efficient, and inexpensive prices.
For the long-term use of your fridge, you should ensure that there is enough room for the back side of the fridge to circulate without any problem. Additionally, it is ideal to keep its sides away from the wall or electrical outlet.
Moreover, a hard surface which is free of any flammable and sharp obstacles is the best location for you to put your mini fridge in your own house. Once placed properly, you can use your fridge for many different purposes.
References:
- Five Ways to Use a Mini-Fridge, danby.com, January 5, 2018
- Six Reasons Why You Should Buy a Mini Fridge for Your Home, foreignpolicyi.org, July 16, 2019
