Storage ??

[blueyedgirl5946]

My question is "Do you use the top of your freezer or refrigerator for storage?" If so, what do you put there?

I have two large rooster ceramic figures and a rooster deviled egg plate on a stand on top of the fridge. There is also a box of Kleenex

The top of my freezer is covered with a sheet of plastic. On top of that is a picnic basket and a pet carrier.

The outside walls of my freezer and the top are always warm to the touch. I am now, after many years of storing stuff there, wondering if it is really the right thing to do. Does it affect the efficiency of how well the freezer or refrigerator might run, or does it create a safety hazard. Just wondering.

 

[LTS3]

The refrigerator coils are either be at the back of the fridge or underneath. Storing items on top of the fridge wouldn't have any effect on how the coils work. The coils do need to be cleaned to remove dust (and cat hair) build up. If the coils are underneath, the grille vent at the bottom under the door also needs to be cleaned of dust and hair so air can circulate and keep the coils from overheating.

 

[Winchester]

I had a large dog bed on top of our fridge for years. I started to find Pepe up there, all stretched out and napping away....figured she might as well be comfortable, hence the bed. She loved it and I even used to give her lunch up there from time to time if she didn't want to come down.

We did find that the bottom of the bed back in the back by the wall was getting damp. You are supposed to keep some kind of space between the fridge top and that little cabinet above the fridge. And it turns out that the dog bed was too big for the space; it was back up against the wall, so there was not much in the way of circulation. We tried to make sure the bed was kept more to the front of the fridge and the front edge hung out over a little bit. My advice would be instead of a large plastic sheet, maybe some kind of nice doily or something like that. Your freezer should be fine. And as LTS3 suggests, routine cleaning of the coils and such will help with the way your fridge operates. I only do our fridge twice a year; Rick pulls it out, we clean it, then he rolls it back in. (We do that with our stove, too.)

The fridge we have now is huge....it's a French door fridge and there are only about three inches from the top of the fridge to the bottom of the cabinets.

I hope that helps.

 

[debbila]

I keep my electric griddle on top of my refrigerator. None of my cabinets are large enough to put it in. It seldom gets used since it's so big and I live alone. It's upside down on a place mat. If Chicqui jumps up there she won't scratch the nonstick surface.

 

[rubysmama]

My fridge only has a few inches between the top and upper cupboards, so no space to store things, except dust. LOL. And because I've noticed the warmth on top of my freezer, I've never placed anything on top of it.

Just Googled to see what I could find out there.

Placing cereal boxes and other junk on top of your refrigerator could block heat from escaping and cause it to work harder – not good for your electric bill or the lifespan of your fridge.
11 Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Your Refrigerator

 

[debbila]

Thank you rubysmama. I'm going to take that griddle off of my fridge! Hopefully Chicqui won't start lying up there.

 

[muffy]

I keep cereal, paper towels, paper plates and water filters on top of my fridge. It looks like I need to clean it off.

When I had a garden a coworker told me to start my seeds growing on top of the fridge because the heat would help them grow. Whole Foods buys her vegetables to sell so I guess she knows what she is talking about.

Muffy

 

[foxxycat]

We have a case of bottle water on top of our frig..there's probably 4 inches clearance to the cabinet that I can not use. I can't reach it so theres nothing in there or maybe Jon put stuff up there...I admit I don't think we ever cleaned the coils on the frig..I do sweep out underneath once a month when the cat toys disappear and time to pull them out as they have none to play with..will have this on Jon's honey do list next week. Since he insists on pulling rocks out of his land-he can clean the back of the frig...stubborn man hurts bad and still goes and does things..getting old is not for sissies for sure.

 

[kashmir64]

I used to have a couple of flyswatters on top of the fridge, but the kittens took care of those. I have nothing on the freezer.

 

[Winchester]

We have two freezers (a chest freezer and an upright) in the basement with nothing on them.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

When we had the garage floor done with the Rhino Fast Floor, hubby bought 2 furniture dollies on wheels. The freezer now sits on top of them. It can be moved or swept under now. I am not sure whether to leave the stuff up there or not. The sides of the freezer and the top sometimes get warm. I might just leave it all off and see what if any difference it makes in the light bill, probably minimal. If I don't have it covered I don't know how I will ever get it wiped off and clean when it gets dusty. I don't like to get on ladders at my age.

 

[Winchester]

What about a Swiffer wand to dust the top? You can get a Swiffer with a fairly long wand that might get most of the top. Maybe your husband could get to the back of the fridge top with the wand?

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

Winchester Yep, I will investigate that. I know I won't cover the top with the plastic again. I didn't realize how warm the top of the freezer gets.

 

[amysuen]

Our basement refrigerator has big Tupperware bowls, boxes of bubble wrap and other junk on it. Our kitchen refrigerator has a giant basket with bags of chips and snacks. Now I know about the heat thing I'll have to see how much space it takes but I think it's less than 50% of the top.