Have you ever considered a refrigerator or freezer lock? While it might seem unnecessary at first, such locks can be invaluable, especially for households with children or pets.
Firstly, think of the potential savings. Children or even adults may occasionally leave the fridge door slightly open, wasting energy and increasing your electricity bill. A lock ensures the door remains firmly closed, potentially saving on both your grocery and energy costs.
Moreover, a fridge lock can also be a health safeguard. Imagine a child consuming too much of a treat, or even worse, accessing medicines stored in the fridge. The same concern applies to alcoholic beverages or any other items not meant for young hands. By securing your fridge, you’re adding a layer of protection, potentially saving on unforeseen medical expenses.
Pet owners, too, have their share of fridge woes. Some cats and dogs are crafty enough to pry open a fridge, treating themselves to its contents. This isn’t just about wasted food. Many common foods, such as grapes, onions, and chocolate, can be toxic to our furry friends.
In light of these reasons, investing in a refrigerator lock is a wise choice. It’s a small step that can prevent multiple potential mishaps, saving you time, money, and heartache.
Types of Refrigerator Locks
There are four primary types of locks that are made for locking refrigerators.
- Refrigerator locks with a padlock
- Refrigerator locks with a built-in key lock
- Refrigerator Strap Locks
- Keyless refrigerator locks
Ranging from extreme locking power to weaker locks used mostly for childproofing your refrigerator.
Locks that are made to keep teenagers and adults out have padlocks or built-in locks that require keys to open for stronger protection. The plastic strap type locks are opened by pressing a button and keep young children from getting into your fridge.
All these refrigerator locks have one physical aspect in common, you don’t need to drill anything or use any tools to install them. They use high-quality adhesive to permanently stick to your refrigerator.
They also all have one hidden advantage in common, saving you money on your electrical bill. If you lock the refrigerator every time, it will never be left ajar for cold air to escape and run up your electric bill.
Also, no matter which option you choose for securing your refrigerator, always install the lock high enough so that children cannot reach it. If you install a strap lock to your refrigerator low enough for your child to reach they might press that button and release the strap.
Last update on 2023-10-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Top 8 Refrigerator Locks
Here is the list of the best refrigerator locks for all the types mentioned above.
Computer Security Products Refrigerator Door Lock With Padlock
This type of refrigerator lock has two bolts that meet up with each other to connect with a padlock which is included in the package.
If you have a single door refrigerator, these locks will attach to the door and to the side of the refrigerator and then locked with the padlock to prevent the door from moving.
If you have a double door refrigerator, you will secure each one of the bolts to each one of the doors and then lock with the padlock in the middle to prevent any door from opening.
These are the best refrigerator locks if you’re locking away medicines and alcohol from getting into the wrong hands.
Considering the risks of your children consuming medicine not prescribed to them, getting a refrigerator lock is absolutely 100% necessary. Not only could you save on medical bills but you could save their life by blocking them off from the danger.
The only problem with these types of refrigerator locks is that the padlock often moves around, scratching and banging on the refrigerator door when you open and close it. Definitely not suitable for an RV refrigerator as it will damage the door.
Guardianite Premium Refrigerator Door Lock with Built-in Keyed Lock
20piter Refrigerator Lock
These types of refrigerator locks are similar to the padlock types above. They have around the same locking power as well.
The way in which these refrigerator locks are different is their locking mechanisms are built into one side of the unit with the cable being placed inside for you to lock into place with the key.
These locks are certainly far neater than the ones that have padlocks hanging from them.
This style of lock also ensures that no damage is done to the refrigerator by a padlock swinging around on the cable while you’re busy opening and closing the doors.
That’s why I prefer this neat and tidy style of lock and not the padlock type. Since the lock is part of the permanently attached components, you will never lose it.
These refrigerator locks can be operated with one hand because the locking mechanism is in a fixed position. This helps tremendously when you have something in your one hand that you want to put into the refrigerator.
These locks are among the strongest suited for keeping anyone from accessing dangerous substances in your refrigerator. This is the best option for securing your RV refrigerator as it will not rattle around when you’re on the road.
This is a good type of refrigerator lock to choose from the start because it can continue to keep your toddlers out all the way up to their adulthood. This may sound harsh but I use this type of lock to keep my honest children honest.
Especially now that they’re older and experimenting with different things. I like to keep any alcohol safely locked in my fridge as well.
Safety 1st Refrigerator Door Lock
Child Safety Strap Lock for Fridge
Munchkin Xtraguard Dual Action Multi Use Latches
Safety 1st Lock Release Fridge Latch
Refrigerator strap locks are locked into place by a plastic strap that connects the two sides of the lock. Similar to a cable tie.
Simply connect the plastic mounts together with the strap, peel off the plastic from the adhesive and press the two sides down onto the refrigerator while the strap is engaged to measure a proper distance.
The strap is removed from the one side by pressing a button for you to open the refrigerator door.
This is the type of refrigerator lock you need for keeping young children out.
Toddlers should never have access to your refrigerator which makes this type of lock essential in babyproofing your home.
Once your toddler has grown a bit, you still need to make sure to keep them out of your refrigerator so that they don’t eat anything you had prepared for supper for example.
Even if you don’t have medicines or alcohol in your refrigerator you should still prevent young children from accessing it because they might eat too much of something that can make them sick.
Make sure to install the lock high up on the refrigerator to make sure children can’t reach it.
Using these refrigerator strap locks can also help to ensure that you close the door properly every time.
You could also use this type of refrigerator lock to keep your RV refrigerator securely closed while you’re on the road but it won’t deter any adult friends from raiding your cold beverages.
COMPX ELOCK 150 Refrigerator Lock
The Compx Elock 150 is a refrigerator lock that uses 4 to 14 digit pin codes to unlock it rather than a key. It consists of three different pieces namely, the eLock unit, battery pack, and the latch.
The strike plate is mounted on the top of the refrigerator which is where the latch attaches to secure the lock. You can use foam tape to stick this lock onto your refrigerator or you can drill holes to secure it with screws.
This lock will automatically relock once you close the refrigerator door for ultimate convenience. This lock is easily operated with one hand.
This is an access controlled lock as you can set up 250 different user codes for different people.
This lock is especially useful if you’re securing a refrigerator or freezer in a restaurant or if you’re securing a refrigerator in a laboratory. Of course, this is the Rolls-Royce of refrigerator locks even for a big family, the office, or shared living space.
You’ll be able to see exactly who accessed the refrigerator and at which times they did it. This lock will provide you with a record of the last 1500 unlocking instances. These records can be downloaded and viewed via the LockView 5 software.
You will need AA batteries to power this refrigerator lock.
The dimensions of the lock are 4.40 (H) x 8.40 (W) x 2.13 (D) in.
Conclusion: Refrigerator Locks
Getting a refrigerator lock is a tiny investment compared to the costs you might have to go through without one.
You need to keep young children out of your refrigerator at all times to prevent them from consuming anything that may be bad for their health.
It’s also a worthwhile investment just to make sure your dinner plans are never ruined or to keep that marvelous cake untouched.
On a serious note though, if you store alcohol, medicine, or anything else which can be unsafe for consumption, you must install a refrigerator lock and key option to not only keep your toddlers out of your refrigerator but teenagers as well.
Lock straps are not secure enough to lock away these dangerous substances.
If you have clever pets at home that may learn to open the refrigerator door, get yourself a refrigerator lock to prevent them from eating human foods that are dangerous for them.
The strap locks are cheap and 100% successful in keeping your pets out of your refrigerator. These are definitely the perfect locks to use on your freezer as well.
Refrigerator locks like all these mentioned can be used on any doors you desire. Of course, they aren’t made for keeping criminals out but they’re good for keeping family members out of any doors you attach them to.
No matter what type of refrigerator you have, single or double doors, there are refrigerator locks that will suit your needs. Get a refrigerator lock today and install it within minutes without the use of a single tool.
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The MUL-104 Child Safety Strap Locks from Jool Baby Products make childproofing a house as simple as it gets. These refrigerator locks have movable straps that enable them to be used on a variety of furniture and appliances.