Buying the right fridge is not an easy feat. After spending a significant portion of time researching refrigerators, I’ve learned a thing or two about them. You might be thinking, buying a fridge isn’t rocket science right!? It just keeps the food cold and preserves it. But the truth is far complicated.
Nowadays, companies are shelling out a wide variety of refrigerators with different designs and technologies that can baffle anyone looking to buy one. Knowing your needs and the style you are opting for will play a significant role in choosing the right one. So, have no worries because I will guide you through buying the perfect one suiting your style, space, and budget. Just follow on!
The first question you should be asking yourself is, “How big a fridge do I need?” That’s right! Size does matter here. Now, most people are choosing French door fridges because they have a high-end design and wide shelves that can store your fruits and vegetable at an eye gaze. If you are looking for capacity, then you can get a side-by-side model. If you are on a low budget, you can go for a classic top freezer. Turns out there are a whole lot of options to choose from.
As I said earlier, it all depends on your requirements and taste. So let’s get down to it.
Size
The size of the fridge will ultimately depend on where you want it placed. Conventionally it is going to be the kitchen. So the size of your kitchen space will determine what proportion of fridge you can accommodate. When you are reading the specifications of a fridge, they will mention the internal capacity of the refrigerator. But you also need to keep the external dimensions in the view. If you accidentally bought a fridge that cannot fit in your kitchen, where else you are going to place it?
Therefore it is a wise decision to choose the one that can easily fit in your kitchen space. Now the method to measure the fridge is to open all the doors and then take the measurement. Most people usually measure the refrigerator with their doors and cabinets closed, which isn’t right. You don’t want to carelessly open your fridge door and accidentally bang it to a nearby drawer or wall.
If you already have a fridge and looking to replace it because you don’t want to spend extra on refrigerator repair services, it can give you a suitable measurement. You’d want to get one with resembling the size and choose the one having more internal capacity if you need it. Also make sure to measure the entryways, because you won’t be able to get your new fridge in the house if it is bigger than the entry points. When measuring, add one inch extra to your measurements just to be on the safe side.
Door Style
After figuring out the size of the fridge, you need to choose the right door style that suits your purpose. I mentioned French doors earlier, as they are the go-to these days. But they can be expensive and cover more area. But you can opt for others too.
French Doors
The layout of the French door is unique and appealing. They have a bottom-mounted freezer that opens outwards like a drawer. The two doors on the top open side by side and have shelves on the doors for placement of dairy and other products. You can consider buying a French door fridge if:
- Open Fridge Frequently:
The practical design of the French doors makes it easier to frequent opening and closing. Mainly if you use fresh produce like fruits and vegetables in routine and other dairy items. The height of the doors makes everything accessible as it is on an eye level.
- Don’t mind Minimal Space:
Well if you don’t mind a little unorganized placing, then you can opt for a French door fridge. They have very less shelving space and you can the tub drawers can make you feel like finding a needle in a haystack.
- Store Wide Things:
If you store broad things in your fridge occasionally like pizza boxes or food in trays, then it could be perfect for you as a side-by-side refrigerator is very narrow.
- Have a Good Budget:
Now I didn’t say that it’s going to be cheap. French doors are expensive and well above $15,000. So if you have a high budget, go for it!
Side-by-Side Doors
These fridges are long and split vertically. The left side is a freezer, and the right side is the refrigerator. Consider buying this if you:
- Need To Freeze More Often:
As the vertical split dedicate a whole left side to the freezer, you can easily organize frozen food.
- On a Budget:
These are a lot cheaper than French doors and can give you better value for your money.
- Low Kitchen Space:
These types of fridges can fit in narrow galleys in the kitchen and have a minimal door radius swing.
Top Freezer
As the name suggests, the top of the fridge is dedicated to the freezer, and the refrigerator is at waist-level. It is the most common type. Consider buying this if you:
- Have Very Low Budget
- Value Reliability
- Value Efficiency
- Have Space Big Space in Kitchen
The top freezer is the cheapest of all the above. They have the capacity to store food for more than four people. Different metallic and glass style fridges can make your kitchen pop out. These are highly energy-efficient, but requires a lot of space in the kitchen as their swing door radius is large. If you value reliability, the top freezer fridge is the most reliable. They have lesser features like dispensers or ice dispensers and have relatively lower refrigerator repair costs in Washington, D.C, due to lesser parts that can breakdown or wear out. Their technology is lesser complicated and can be fixed easily by any professional repair services as their spare parts are widely available.
