Mini-fridges are a convenient tool for college students and families alike. Some people like them for privacy or personal uses, or maybe they want to prevent their roommates from stealing their food.
Whatever your reasons, there are a few tricks to saving money with these mini-fridges while you’re away.
If you are going away for a prolonged period of time, unplugging your mini-fridge can save you money. But, you need to make sure you clean and prepare it properly before you leave. Otherwise, you might come back to a smelly mess. The average mini-fridge will annually cost you 23-25$ to run in the USA – leaving it plugged in for short periods of time isn’t expensive.
The process for preparing your mini-fridge for your trip is fairly straightforward. But, to ensure you know all the ins and outs we made this helpful guide.
How Long Can You Leave a Mini Fridge Unplugged?
There is no rule regarding how long you can leave your mini-fridge unplugged. You should aim to clean it up appropriately prior to putting it into storage.
But, this usually takes only a few hours, especially if you do not have a freezer compartment in your mini-fridge. As a rule, there is no limit to the amount of time you can leave a mini-fridge unplugged, though.
Barring anything breaking while in storage, mini-fridges tend to last just fine unplugged. Of course, this depends somewhat on how you store it. You should never leave food or beverages in your fridge when it’s unplugged.
The way in which you clean and prepare your mini-fridge to be unplugged depends somewhat on your plans. Is this a permanent or temporary unplugging of your mini-fridge?
Are you moving and no longer need it but don’t want to get rid of your fridge? This is long-term storage. Are you going on vacation for a month and just don’t want to waste electricity? This is short-term storage.
How to Prepare Your Mini-Fridge for Long and Short-Term Storage
Fridge maintenance is an important part of any refrigeration care. But, for a mini-fridge, the way you go about this can help prolong its life span. Mini-fridges are commonly viewed as disposable, but the truth is if you maintain them they can last a couple of decades.
If you want to put your mini-fridge into storage you should thoroughly clean it. This includes a complete defrost. To defrost your mini-fridge simply empty it out completely and leave the doors open while it is unplugged.
The fridge will leak water during this time, especially if you have a freezer compartment. Make sure you put a large towel beneath your fridge and inside your fridge to avoid getting this water all over your floor.
Next, make sure you clean it out with bleach or some other harsh chemical. You should use a strong chemical to avoid the development of mold. Bleach kills mold spores and this will help prevent any mold or fungus from developing while the fridge is in storage.
While the mini-fridge is in storage make sure you keep the doors cracked. You might think this is a bad idea because of bugs or rodents. But, most facilities are fairly clear from rodents. And, the musty, moldy smell that develops when the door is closed can be very difficult to remove.
If you are only unplugging your fridge for a short time, you should still let the water drain out before you leave. Otherwise, you might come home with a huge mess on your floor. But, you do not need to go through the deep cleaning.
As always, make sure you completely remove all the food and beverages. These will go bad very fast once the fridge is unplugged and warmed up.
Is It Safe To Leave a Mini Fridge On When Going Away?
Yes, it is perfectly safe to leave your mini-fridge plugged in when you go away as long as you have an up-to-date electrical system. If you have a new outlet and a new cord.
If you have an older fridge (before the 1990s) or outlets without surge protection, you should probably unplug your mini-fridge. Overall though mini-fridges can be left on.
If you have food in your mini-fridge make sure it is not something that will go bad while you’re away. If you have milk or dairy products and plan to be away for over a week, make sure you throw this out. Or give it away to someone who will use it.
Milk does not usually have a fridge shelf life longer than a week. If you leave it in there, even with the fridge on, it can still curdle once the shelf life passes.
Additionally, if you live in the U.S. where eggs are refrigerated you will not want to keep them for over 2 weeks.
And, make sure you dispose of any meat and vegetables (or freeze them). These typically do not stay good for longer than 3-5 days. This is especially true for meat but can vary for different vegetables.
Ways to Save Energy with Your Mini-Fridge
One of the primary reasons people unplug their mini-fridge while away is to save power. If you aren’t going away for long (maybe 2 weeks or less) you will probably want to leave your fridge plugged in.
The energy the fridge expends to get back down to the appropriate temperature and cool off the interior is more than it takes to keep itself cool.
If you have food in your fridge, it is best to throw most of it away. Not just because it will go bad, but also because your fridge will waste power keeping these items cold.
The best way to prevent this is to empty your fridge and keep it at a moderate cool. For long periods of absence though you will want to unplug it.
To save energy you should also ensure the surrounding area is clear. You should avoid keeping your mini-fridge in a poorly ventilated area of your home. Do not put it between two shelves or leave heavy objects around or on top of the unit.
This can cause the unit to overheat and will not be helpful in saving on your electric bill. Other tricks include do not overfill your fridge. Overstuffing your fridge will only cause the items inside to go bad and the machine to overwork. Your best bet is to fill up moderately with plenty of room for airflow.