Can You Put a Refrigerator on Carpet? (Use This Trick First)
Depending on where you live and the age of your home, putting a refrigerator on carpet may seem like a no brainer and your best option. While it’s typically considered unaesthetic, it can also be dangerous depending on many factors. That being said, is there a way where you can you safely put a refrigerator on carpet?
You should never put a refrigerator directly on carpet. Most refrigerators have their cooling units on the bottom. Contact with carpet can cause the cooling unit to become too warm, creating a fire hazard and shortening its lifespan. Refrigerators should only be placed on tile or hardwood floors.
In this blog post, we’ll share ways to ensure your refrigerator does not damage your carpet and methods you can use to ensure proper ventilation. We’ll also share a simple trick to use when you’re moving your refrigerator or any large appliance.
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Here’s a Quick Pro Tip!
When placing your fridge on a carpet or any flooring, leave enough space for proper ventilation. There should be enough space for air to travel freely between the condenser coil and the surrounding area.
Our top picks to ensure your flooring is not damaged by big appliances:
1. Refrigerator stand – Ideal for hard floors and when moving appliances often.
2. Rubber pads – Are inconspicuous and prevent dents in your flooring
3. Vinyl mat – A great option over carpets, especially the clear option.
Where to Put a Fridge
Traditionally, a refrigerator is placed in the kitchen which normally has wood or tile flooring.
It’s very rare to find carpeting in a kitchen, but if your kitchen has carpets, there are a few precautions you would need to take.
What Can I Put Under My Refrigerator on the Carpet?
You can add a durable mat or rug under your refrigerator on the carpet. It will act as an extra barrier to protect your carpet from damage. It also prevents your carpet from overheating or even burning your carpet.
These mats can be made from material or even from vinyl, although you should be sure that the material can handle high amounts of heat.
Most times, the refrigerator has a cooling unit at the bottom of the unit.
Is It Safe to Put a Fridge on the Carpet?
Carpets are not a safe area to put a fridge on. Carpets hold heat and prevent proper air circulation, which the fridge needs. There should be a gap between the bottom of your fridge and the floor.
If you install a fridge on a carpet, they will have to work harder and consume more electricity. This applies to fridges that have a coil underneath the unit.
If your fridge does not have a coil underneath the unit, it would be perfectly safe to place it on the carpet.
Should a Fridge Be Placed Directly on the Floor?
If your fridge comes with built-in feet, installing it directly on the floor is safe as there would be enough space for the hot air to escape and circulate into the room. It’s not safe to put a fridge directly onto the floor.
If your fridge does not have built-in feet, you could purchase a fridge stand to ensure enough space for proper ventilation.
We recommend purchasing a stand with wheels, making it easier to move the fridge around without damaging your flooring.
Is It Safe to Have a Fridge in Your Bedroom?
It is considered safe to have a fridge in your bedroom. One of the main concerns could be gas poisoning, but it’s most likely that the amount of gas leaking would not be considered toxic.
On top of that, refrigerator gas is stored in a sealed container. This means it is highly unlikely to leak out; even if it does, it would not be considered toxic.
The only catch would be to ensure that your bedroom has proper ventilation.
You might also enjoy our post on If You Can Put Furniture on Wet Carpet
Protecting the Floor
Your floors are precious and permanent. No one wants black marks or dents on their floors forever, so we need to protect our floors at all costs.
Let’s discuss how to protect your floors from big appliances.
What Do You Put Under Appliances?
Big appliances can be very heavy and thus damage your floor. Luckily there are ways to prevent this damage. You can purchase anti-vibration pads to place under the feet of appliances that tend to vibrate, like a washing machine or dryer.
These pads can be bought at any hardware store.
For appliances that do not vibrate, we would recommend a stand that lifts it off the floor for proper cooling and to prevent damage, preferably a stand with wheels to make moving the appliance easier.
What Can I Put Under My Fridge to Protect the Floor?
If you have spare laminated flooring panels or pieces of plywood, these would be perfect for placing underneath your fridge to protect your floors. Alternatively, you could buy an appliance stand at your local hardware or convenience store.
Rubber pads could be placed underneath the feet of your fridge to prevent the feet from damaging your floors.
Clear vinyl floor protectors are mostly used to protect carpets but can also be used to protect the wood flooring.
Can You Put a Refrigerator on Vinyl Plank Flooring?
Vinyl plank flooring will most probably not be damaged when placing a refrigerator on it, as it is extremely durable and designed to withstand a lot of weight. However, to prevent dents on your floor, you should consider placing a rug underneath the fridge.
Placing a rubber-backed rug underneath the refrigerator is one of the ways to prevent damage to your vinyl plank flooring.
These rugs usually offer style to the kitchen and can even be considered luxurious.
What Do You Put Under a Refrigerator?
You can place different items under your refrigerator to protect the flooring or carpet. The most popular is a rug, usually one that matches the style and color of the rest of the kitchen.
Rugs are an easy and relatively cheap way to protect your floors. If you don’t like the look of a rug, you could place rubber pads underneath the feet of your fridge to protect your floors unnoticed.
You might also enjoy our post on If You Can Vacuum a Wet Carpet
Is a Refrigerator Stand Necessary?
It’s not 100% necessary, but there are two big advantages when using a refrigerator stand. Firstly, it increased the gap between the bottom of the fridge and the floor, improving air circulation.
Secondly, it protects your floors from being damaged. Large and heavy furniture can damage your flooring over time and even cause dents on your floors.
When moving your furniture, a stand will also make it much easier not to damage your floors.
Mini and Portable Fridges
Mini fridges and portable fridges are great options for small student apartments or temporary setups, but they also need proper ventilation.
All the precautions you would take for a normal fridge should be taken for a mini fridge too!
Can You Put a Portable Refrigerator on the Carpet?
This depends on where the refrigerator cooling coils are located. Inspect your portable fridge; if the coil is on the side of the fridge, you can place it on a carpet. Just be sure not to place the coil facing a wall.
The condenser coils are designed to cool and condense the fridge, thus, they cannot be blocked by the carpet or the wall.
Blocking this coil could cause your carpet or wall to overheat and your fridge to start using more energy to stay cool.
Is It Okay to Put a Mini-Fridge on the Carpet?
This depends on where the coil is located on your mini-fridge. If your condenser coil is located on the bottom of your mini-fridge, we would not advise placing it directly on the carpet.
If you have no other option for your mini-fridge, place the fridge on a stand that allows air circulation below the fridge. This will prevent your carpet from getting damaged or overheating due to the refrigerator.
Where Should You Not Put a Mini-Fridge?
You should not place a mini-fridge, or a normal fridge, near a heat source like a radiator. It’s also not advised to put your stove and fridge next to each other, as the heat of the stove or radiator can cause your fridge’s compressor to overheat.
Since improper ventilation can lead to many issues in your refrigerator, you should never place a mini-fridge in an area where there would be no proper ventilation. A mini-fridge needs to be ventilated to function properly, so it’s not advised to place a mini-fridge in a closet or any other enclosed space.
You might also enjoy our post on If You Can Put a Carpet in the Dryer
Are Mini-Fridges Safe in Bedrooms?
It is completely safe to place your mini-fridge in the bedroom. However, you should be sure that the cooling unit gets proper ventilation. If it is at the bottom of the fridge, you should leave a gap between the floor and the fridge.
This introduces a whole host of other problems, though, so we recommend purchasing a mini-fridge with its cooling unit on the back of the unit (not underneath). This makes it a lot easier to ensure your fridge has proper ventilation.
Does a Mini-Fridge Need Ventilation?
A mini-fridge needs ventilation, just like any fridge, to ensure that the inside stays cool and the compressor does not overheat. That’s why we recommend always leaving a few inches of open space between the cooling unit and another surface (like a wall or the floor).
Leaving a few inches of space allows the air to flow freely and proper ventilation. You should never install a mini-fridge in a closed space like a closet. You might think it looks better ‘out of sight’ but it could cause ventilation issues.
Other Concerns
Are there some other concerns about your fridge that you’ve always wanted to ask? Well, here we answer a few frequently asked questions about your fridge.
Can You Put a Refrigerator Anywhere?
There are a lot of spots in your home where it is perfectly fine to place a refrigerator. However, there are a few conditions. The most important is heat. You should not place a refrigerator near a direct heat source.
This includes radiators, stoves, and windows where direct sunlight streams. Your fridge could overheat if it is exposed to external heat sources. In turn, this causes the fridge to consume more electricity or even get damaged.
Do Refrigerators Give off Carbon Monoxide?
Refrigerators contain toxic gasses, but they are only in extremely small amounts, not enough to be considered toxic to humans. They can emit carbon monoxide if not properly ventilated.
However, this also would not be enough to be considered toxic. You should not be concerned about this if your refrigerator is properly ventilated and kept away from direct heat sources.
If you smell something sharp, you should contact a contractor to check if your fridge is leaking gas.
Can a Mini-Fridge Cause a Fire?
Mini fridges don’t cause fires as a general rule, but it is in the realm of possibility for various reasons. Mostly it is caused by faulty compressors, and this can be dangerous due to a fridge containing flammable gas.
Also, if your mini fridge has a gas leak and there is a spark from the power cord, it could cause a big explosion.
Don’t be nervous, though, this is quite rare in today’s day and age, as most refrigerators come with sufficient safety measures.
You might also enjoy our post on If You Can Put Furniture in Front of a Radiator
Related Questions
Is It Safe to Put a Freezer on the Carpet?
It’s not a good idea to place your freezer on the carpet. It will cause heat damage to your carpet and prevent proper ventilation for your freezer. Rather place the freezer on a stand that allows for a few inches of free-flowing air.
Heat damage on your carpet is very unattractive and impossible to remove. This improper ventilation also forces your freezer to work harder and consumes more energy to keep your food frozen inside.
How Do You Move a Fridge Over a Carpet?
It is no easy feat to move a freezer, but to do it properly with minimum damage to your carpet, you should be very thorough. You have to unplug and defrost your fridge before attempting to move it.
After your freezer is defrosted, you should hire or borrow a dolly to use as leverage to lift your freezer. This is the best way to prevent your carpets from getting damaged by dragging a heavy appliance across the carpet.
How Do I Protect My Floor While Moving a Fridge?
The easiest way to protect your floor while moving a fridge is to use a piece of plywood panel as a protective layer. You can purchase a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood from your local hardware store and cut it in half to have two 4 x 4 sheets of plywood.
Place on a sheet in front of the refrigerator and drag the fridge onto the sheet, then place the other one in front and drag. Repeat the process until you have moved the fridge to your desired location.
Final Thoughts
Usually, it’s a bad idea to put a refrigerator on a carpet. If you have no other option available, ensure the cooling unit gets proper ventilation!
It’s very important to prevent your carpet from getting damaged and your fridge from over-using energy.
