Your refrigerator is one of the most important appliances in your home because it keeps your food and beverages cool, safe, preserved, and delicious. Most modern refrigerators last between 13 and 17 years, depending on what model you have, how you use it, and how well you take care of it. So, if yours is getting a bit old or you just crave more features or an updated look, you’ve stumbled upon the right article!
Here are the top 10 must-dos before buying a refrigerator and tips to figure out what refrigerator to buy for your family.
1. Check Your Available Space
It’s no secret that refrigerators take up a lot of space in a kitchen, so you’ll need to assess the size of your kitchen and determine what type of refrigerator makes the most sense there. If you’re replacing an existing refrigerator, chances are that you’ll need to choose a new one of a similar size.
2. Compare Refrigerator Criteria
There are lots of different criteria to look at when you’re in the market for a new fridge, such as refrigerator type, brand, width, height, color, finish, and specialized features. At The Brick, for example, our website lets you search for bottom-freezer, compact, French door, no-freezer, side-by-side, top-freezer, and wine cooler refrigerators. Top brands we carry include GE, Frigidaire, Haier, Hisense, Danby, Amana, Bosch, Whirlpool, Samsung, Maytag, Kitchenaid, LG, and many more. Whether you order online or in-store, popular refrigerator colors to choose from include black, gray, bronze, and silver. Meanwhile, specialty features include child locks, fingerprint resistance and an exterior water or ice dispenser. These extra features may seem small but can help ensure your fridge truly fits your lifestyle.
3. Take Appliance Measurements
You’ll also want to take precise measurements of the height, width, and depth of refrigerators before you buy. On our site, you can search specifically for fridges between under 28 inches wide and over 36 inches wide, for example. It’s a good idea measure a few times to ensure your numbers are as accurate as possible.
4. Read Online Reviews
It’s smart to read at least a few online reviews of all refrigerators that you are interested in buying before making a commitment. This way, you’ll learn about other consumers’ experiences and what potential issues they’ve run into with their new refrigerators. Just remember to take every review, outstanding or horrible, with a grain of salt.
5. Consider the Freezer
The freezer is a very important component of a refrigerator, and freezers can be situated on top of the fridge or underneath of it. Top-freezer refrigerators tend to be more budget-friendly but don’t have the modern look of a bottom-freezer refrigerator. Side-by-side models are also a good option if you use a freezer very frequently.
6. Compare Door Styles
Doors of a refrigerator open differently on different models, so compare doors to make sure you buy a fridge with easy and convenient access. French-door style fridges are typically easy to get into, while one-sided doors require more stooping and craning the neck to look inside.
7. Determine Your Filtration and Dispenser Needs
An essential item on every refrigerator buying guide is to look at the filtration and dispenser features of potential refrigerator options. These are great ways to keep your water clean and easily accessible for the whole family, but they are more costly options than the more basic refrigerator models without a filtered water dispenser. Also take into consideration whether an exterior water and ice dispenser vs an interior one would give you better ease of use in everyday life.
8. Learn About Temperature Control
Depending on what you put in your refrigerator and how much you store in it, you may need to adjust the temperature of your fridge and freezer occasionally. Take a look at how easy to navigate and access the temperature controls are so that you aren’t caught off-guard when your food items seem a little too melted or too frozen in the future.
9. Think About Energy Efficiency
Modern refrigerators are becoming more energy efficient every year to conserve energy output into the environment and help you reduce household costs. Look for EPA Energy Star ratings to choose a more efficient model before settling for the first one you see.
10. Don’t Forget About Warranties
Last but not least, learn about the warranty options before buying a refrigerator. The Brick offers warranties and protection plans on our appliances and electronics, which is valuable because the cost of refrigerator repairs can often equal or exceed the purchase price. With our 100% protection guarantee, a warranty from The Brick will cover parts and labor costs, in-home services, a pro-rated replacement guarantee, and food loss coverage up to $200 for refrigerators and $500 for freezers.
Come check out our extensive collection of refrigerators today and give your kitchen the much-needed upgrade it deserves!
