Mini fridges are great for dorm rooms, dens, or even for storing breast milk as a new mother. They can fit practically anywhere, sitting nicely in a corner or even on top of a counter. Most mini fridges are sat upon hardwood floor or other types of flooring that wouldn’t be affected by water, but can you put a mini fridge on carpet and have the same results?
In this article, we’ll be tackling this question to help give you the answer you’re looking for!
Can (and Should) you Put a Mini Fridge on Carpet?
Technically, you can install a mini fridge in a carpeted room, however, it’s not ideal and may result in poor performance of the fridge. This is because carpet retains heat and prevents recommended airflow to the outer components of the mini fridge. Also, if ever your mini fridge ran into a problem and began to defrost, it could leak water onto the carpet, resulting in damage and mildew.
There’s also the possibility of spills in the fridge leaking onto the carpet or accidental spills when opening the mini fridge door that makes placing a mini fridge on carpet inconvenient.
Installing a Mini Fridge in a Carpeted Room
If you’re moving to a dorm or if you don’t have any other space in your home or apartment to place your mini fridge, then it’s entirely possible to place your fridge on carpet without resulting in poor performance.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Place Something Under the Fridge
Placing a mini fridge directly on the carpet will wreak havoc in the long run, which is why it’s important to have a buffer between the bottom of the mini fridge and your carpet. This buffer can be a sheet of plywood or a sturdy rubber mat, encouraging ventilation to the underparts of the fridge and protecting the carpet from potential harm.
2. If Possible, Buy a Mini Fridge with Coils on the Back
Mini fridges have coils either on the backside of the fridge or underneath that warm up. If the coils are underneath the unit, this could result in damage to the carpet or damage to the buffer you have between the fridge and the carpet. If at all possible, choose a mini fridge that has its coils built into the back to avoid any damage.
3. Check the Mini Fridge for Leaks Before Placing it in a Carpeted Room
Even if you place a sheet of wood or a mat beneath the fridge, leaks can and will still result in carpet damage. Before you put your mini fridge in a carpeted room, plug in the unit, and check for leaks. You can find out if your mini fridge has any leaks by running your hand underneath it and around the door. If you feel air blowing, there is a leak and you should avoid placing the fridge anywhere carpeted.
4. Regularly Check Up on the Mini Fridge
Because your mini fridge will be set in an area susceptible to damage, you’ll want to do regular maintenance. Every month or so, check your fridge for leaks and spills and defrost it completely every 4 months. When defrosting your mini fridge, clean it completely to do away with spills and food residue. If you need help defrosting your mini fridge, check out our in-depth How to Defrost a Mini Fridge Guide!
What to Do if Your Mini Fridge Leaks
If your mini fridge leaks, you’ll have to first deal with the fridge itself and then with drying the carpet.
Remove the Mini Fridge
If you notice that your mini-fridge is leaking onto your carpet, unplug it, move it to a water-resistant flooring, and remove everything from inside of it and transfer the items into another fridge or freezer. Next, place towels in the inner components and underneath the mini fridge to absorb the leaking water. Unplugging your mini fridge and leaving the door(s) open will cause your mini-fridge to defrost, so expect quite a bit of water.
Then, move the sheet of wood or mat from atop the carpet that the fridge sat on to allow air to reach the wet carpet.
Drying the Soaked Carpet
If the unfortunate event of leakage occurs onto your carpet, there are ways that you can clean the water from the carpet. It’s important that you dry the carpet completely to prevent mold growth and odors from occurring as a result.
First things first, don’t allow the carpet to soak in the water. The longer you let the water sit, the more prone the carpet is to damage. Remove the water by first soaking as much water up as you can with an absorbent towel. If the leakage is excessive, you may have to consider renting a wet vac. Renting a wet vac is inexpensive and usually only around $15 to $35. This will rid the carpet of most of the moisture.
Next, create airflow in the room to finish the drying. Turn on fans and open windows and doors to encourage airflow for increased drying. For best results, put a high-powered or box fan next to the wet area of the carpet.
To deodorize, you can put baking soda on the carpet to absorb odors or steam the area clean after it has dried completely to kill odorous bacteria.
Final Thoughts
So, can you put a mini fridge on carpet? The answer is, while you can put a mini fridge on carpet, it’s not ideal due to the potential of both damage to the fridge and carpet. However, if you have no other choice but to place a fridge in a carpeted room, you can make it work by putting a buffer between the carpet and fridge, such as a sheet of wood, performing maintenance on the fridge every month and defrosting every 4 months, as well as buying a fridge with coils located at the rear of the fridge (rather than underneath).
