Whether you’re travelling, moving or having some work done on your kitchen, here’s how to store your fridge in the right place to ensure it’s in good working order when you need it again.

Can I keep a freezer in my storage unit?

It’s fine to keep a clean, dry empty fridge or freezer in your storage unit; but you cannot plug in a fridge or freezer and use it to store food within your storage unit. This is usually part of the contract with the self-storage company.

A storage unit is clean and dry and maintained at a constant temperature, so it’s quite a good place to store a non-working fridge-freezer, or any kitchen appliance.

Remember you can use the space inside a clean, dry fridge or freezer to store lightweight items like bedding and cushions.

Should I sell or store my fridge?

You may wish to consider whether the cost of storing a fridge will outweigh the cost of buying a new one. If you’ve had your fridge a while and it is not working quite as well as it once did, consider disposing of it and getting a new one when you move back into your home. Fridges that no longer work should be disposed of responsibly at a household waste site.

There are often people seeking second-hand appliances like fridges and freezers on local buy, sell and swap sites – but it goes without saying that the fridge you are passing on should be in good working order.

How should I prepare a fridge for storage?

Before storing a fridge or freezer that is being kept switched off, empty it of all food. Then clean and dry it outside and in according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We have a blogpost about prepping a fridge-freezer for storage.

Can I keep a fridge in an outbuilding?

A weatherproof outbuilding is not a bad place to store a non-working fridge. But changes in temperature and humidity can reduce the working life of your stored appliance, so a climate-controlled setting, such as a storage unit, is better than an uninsulated garage or shed for storing a fridge. And if your outbuilding is vulnerable to pests, like rats and mice, they could contaminate your fridge.

Working fridges are a different matter, however. Some fridges are not designed to work at the lower ambient temperatures found in outbuildings, so bear this in mind when deciding where to position a working fridge, and to learn more about this issue, see White Goods Help.

Are stored fridges and freezers covered by my home contents insurance?

It’s a good idea to check the terms of your home contents insurance to work out if it covers appliances like fridges when they are kept in outbuildings or elsewhere outside the home.

Most home contents insurance policies will not cover domestic goods in a storage unit, so you’ll have to get separate cover for this. Reputable self-storage companies will require you to insure your stored items, but they don’t always remind you to shop around for self-storage insurance. It’s worth doing, as you can often make savings that way. So get a quick quote from Store and Insure to check that you are not overpaying for self-storage insurance.