Refrigerator locks are excellent additions to any kitchen. They come in many different shapes and sizes. Keep your items safe from spilling or theft with a refrigerator lock that is right for you.
The best fridge lock will depend on your requirements. Need something to keep kids free from emptying the fridge? Get a lock that is easy to use, flexible, and inexpensive.
You have many options when it comes to buying fridge locks. Personally, There are strap locks, Safety 1st locks , and even electronic locks to keep your items secure and keep your toddler safe.
Things you should consider for your lock are the brand, material, price, and locking method. There are many different types of refrigerator locks to choose from. Make sure that you’re buying something you’d expect to fit on the fridge you have.
Keeping your fridge door locked will help you keep kids and pets from rummaging into your groceries. It can also help secure creaky doors so that you aren’t running up an electricity bill or letting refrigerated air escape and raising the temperature of your fridge.
Some of you might have medication that needs to be locked away. Others might want to keep their beer and snacks safe from greedy roommates. A refrigerator door lockRefrigerator locks can take care of any problems you might have.
If you have medication locked away, you need to have alternative means of getting to it if you lose your keys to the lock or forget your combination. Some locks are impossible to break even with bolt cutters. Seriously consider this if it applies to you.
The quality of the fridge door lock depends on several things. The brand and price are usually indicators of its performance.
Before you make your purchase, ask yourself some questions.
You want to get a lock that fits the texture of your refrigerator. If you have a gray matte fridge, get a lock with a similar color pallet. Refrigerator locks come in many different styles and textures, so you don’t have to worry about them looking tacky.
Make sure your lock is the right size for your refrigerator. Most strap locks are about three to four inches wide. Longer flexible strap locks can stretch around the door of your refrigerator.
Cable locks are much more flexible and can extend to fit the handles of your fridge. Doing this is very convenient, especially because you don’t have to return the lock if your doors are too thick.
30mm padlocks will usually do the trick. Large padlocks are stronger than small ones, but they aren’t always necessary.
Look for brands like Computer Security Products, EUDEMON, and Fresheracc for reliable refrigerator locks. These are common sources to buy locks. If you’re looking for more simple locks, look for Safety 1st Products.
Locks will be used repeatedly throughout the day. Wear and tear will hurt the quality of the lock over time. Natural elements may also damage the internal components.
If you’re looking for a temporary lock, you should get a strap lock or a simple latch. Brass and nickel are basic materials that are common in cheaper locks.
If you’re looking for something fancier, consider getting an electronic lock or a set of padlocks. Boron carbide locks are ridiculously strong. It is even harder to cut through them than hardened steel locks.
Some locks will rust over time. To prevent rust from damaging your lock, lubricate it with oil every few months. Sandpaper down any rust that is beginning to form.
If the rust continues to be a problem, go for stainless steel locks. Stainless steel is highly corrosive resistant and forms a thin layer of oxide to protect itself from rusting. This material is also more resistant to impact force.
You may also notice that some keyholes become gummy and hard to unlock with age. Gumminess is a sign that debris may be clogging your lock. You should maintain your keyhole with lubricants to prevent accidentally breaking your keys.
Keep the type of refrigerator you have in the back of your head when choosing a refrigerator lock for it. Different door locks are designed with different intentions in mind, so pick the lock that best fits your needs.
There is a refrigerator door lock built for every purpose. Some include:
A Refrigerator secured with a key lock
Cable locks are locks made from either braided steel cables or carbon alternatives. They're designed by hoisting a padlock, combination lock, or locking clip with a loop of cable wiring. This wire is flexible and can be tied or adjusted as you please.
Cable locks wrap around the handles of your fridge. When you pull on the doors, the cables prevent them from moving forwards. Getting something like this is much more efficient than tying your door shut with string or rope.
Keep in mind that cable locks are usually weaker than other locks. If you use enough force, it is possible to detach either the lock or your fridge handles. These are generally best used for mild security.
If you are looking for a cheap, easily accessible refrigerator door lock, look no further than strap locks. Strap locks are some of the simplest and most inexpensive locks to use.
Strap locks function a lot like a seatbelt. Imagine a long flexible band with two adhesive attachments on either end. One end has a clip that releases the band.
The band wraps around the corner of your fridge and wedges the door shut. A child safety strap lock can be easily removed and are great for keeping your little ones out of the refrigerator. They are also cheap and reusable.
Strap locks come in different lengths and materials. Metal strap locks are better for permanent use. Some metal strap locks even have keyholes for additional security in the keyed lock.
Click Strap Locks have a latch or clip that unhooks the band and releases the refrigerator door. These work best on a french door refrigerator - which is also called a double door refrigerator. French doors are long vertical doors that close together and can be easily attached.
Button strap locks release by pushing a button instead of unhinging a latch or clip. These are slightly easier for children to open.
Padlocks are heavy-duty locks and are excellent for keeping out grown adults. Most padlocks are made of stainless steel and require a key to unlock. Make sure to keep the keys in a safe place, otherwise, you’ll have to remove the padlock.
Padlocks have four main components:
Because padlocks are so versatile, they can even secure onto other locks and latches. If you want more security for your fridge, double-locking padlocks are more secure than average padlocks. These padlocks prevent the shackle from moving, even if someone cuts it.
Padlocks are durable and hard to break without tools. They are very portable and can also be used on a mini fridge. They can even be used as a freezer lock. They are an extremely effective child proof lock. In fact, both adults and children struggle to open refrigerator doors that are secured by padlocks.
Padlocks require additional care, such as regular oilings to prevent rust. It is possible to cut through the shackle of a fridge padlock with bolt cutters. Padlocks may become stuck or chip away at the teeth of a key over time.
The cable arms of a padlock should also be tight enough to make sure the door stays shut when the lock is on. If not, then children might reach inside through a crack.
Electronic locks are the cutting edge of technology when it comes to protecting your fridge. Locks like the CompX ELock 150, use motor-driven latching mechanisms to offer maximum security for your refrigerator.
Some of these locks even let you monitor their history. If someone has been stealing your drinks, this is a solid way to catch them. Electronic locks do this through a complex auditing system.
These locks run on energy and can be battery jumped in the case of an emergency..
Companies like CompX, Master Lock, and FridgiGuard are experts at designing electronic locks. However, battery-powered locks can be pricey and cost you hundreds of dollars.
Bluetooth lock installation can be a bit complex, but they are feature filled locks. You can voice command these locks by linking them up with other devices. Using Bluetooth means you can unlock them while you are outside the room.
Bluetooth locks are great to have in family kitchens. Parents can easily lock and unlock their fridges with a single voice command. This can make them an exceptional child safety lock. Bluetooth refrigerator locks are expensive, but they are also worth the price.
Are you tired of having to lock and unlock the fridge every time you open it? Maybe you'd be better off with a timed lock. Some electronic locks can lock and unlock automatically.
By putting in a code, you can decide what times the lock remains active. You can change this code as you wish. If you’d rather have the fridge unlocked when the kids are at school and locked when they get home, this is the type of lock for you.
Combination locks are probably the largest variety of locks on this list. You can get them adhered to your fridge, clipped on a cable lock, or even found on a padlock. Combination locks are usually keyless, but you can get one with a key cylinder if you want to.
Combination locks make you put in a set of numbers using the revolving parts of the locking mechanism. For refrigerators, you should use a password that you can remember easily. Forgetting your combination can be annoying and cause food to spoil.
Always memorize your combination. If you have too many passwords to remember, you might have to switch out some of your locks for cable or strap locks. Remember to write down your combination in a safe place.
Low-Security Passwords:
High-Security Passwords:
What could be worse than coming home to an empty fridge? The answer is an empty fridge plus spaghetti all over the walls and carpet.
You should make sure your fridge is as childproof as possible. Preventing kids from getting into food keeps them safe and your house clean. Supervise toddlers and young children, so they can't knock any heavy items off a shelf and onto them.
If you're afraid of going overboard, the best way to secure your fridge from kids is to go with strap locks. After all, you don’t want to double-padlock your refrigerator just to keep your toddlers from getting inside.
The best choice for this is Safety 1st locks.
Safety 1st locks are locks made to be as child friendly as possible. They are smooth to touch and aren’t as heavy or bulky as traditional locks. Safety 1st locks are press-to-release and you can even detach them for long periods.
Perhaps the best child lock available for kids, they offer the ultimate in childproofing protection. They are safe for children to touch and are firmly adhered flat to the surface of your refrigerator or freezer. Attaching this lock is easy.
Some locks can be a pinch hazard - especially when you’re closing the lock. If traditional padlock shackles are too harsh on your hands, try using anti-pinch locks. Anti-pinch locks are designed to be skin-friendly and lock in a way that won’t pinch the edges of your fingers.
Anti-pinch locks are useful for childproofing a refrigerator and can protect smaller hands. It won’t hurt them if one of your kids tries to fiddle with it. Some anti-pinch mechanisms come equipped with buckles, so they have extra childproof security.
Consider how strong you want your refrigerator safety lock to be. These factors will affect how secure your refrigerator lock is:
If you’re only looking to keep pets and kids out of your snacks, you should go for a lock with less security on it.
Many locks can be broken by bolt cutters, so if that’s a problem you’ll have to go for more resilient locks. These locks are usually more complicated and expensive. Keep in mind that many key locks can be picked by amateur thieves.
If you need to remove a lock, the safest way is to call a locksmith. If you try to remove it on your own, you might damage your refrigerator.
If you’re out of options, however, bolt cutters and grinding tools work well at removing locks. You can also carefully heat and melt the ends of a lock. If you do this, make sure to have a non-flammable material that the molten metal can fall safely into below.
Impact resistance is how hard you can strike a lock without breaking it. High impact resistance is useful if you have to protect medication from young children.
I personally prefer using locks with low impact resistance. Too much impact resistance can be a waste of money unless you are protecting something valuable.
Impact resistance can be affected by:
Tensile resistance is the ability of a lock to withstand mechanical pressure when being forced or stretched apart. For your refrigerator lock, tensile resistance defines how well it will perform.
Think of what might happen if you pull up on the shackle of a padlock too hard. If it has low tensile resistance, the shackle will break off. If a lock has high tensile resistance, it may be too hard to remove if you lose the keys or combination for it.
Granit locks are some of the world’s most powerful padlocks. They can handle more than six tonnes of tensile resistance. They are also hard to break with bolt cutters.
A good adhesive lock uses a very strong adhesive tape to keep the lock in place. Adhesiveness keeps it from sliding off the refrigerator or freezer door when it is being opened or moved.
Some strap locks are just adhesive enough to stick to surfaces, but convenient enough to remove when the time comes. Other locks are disposable and become less adhesive with time.
Note that certain adhesives can not stick to laminated or painted wood.
Strap locks can be used with just about any kitchen appliance - or even kitchen cabinet -that has multiple handles. They are usually the easiest locks to attach to a mini-fridge. Tucson latch locks are excellent for securing mini-fridges. They make freezer locks to secure your ice maker and frozen food as well.
Because of their small size, thieves can steal mini-fridges very easily. Consider this when searching for mini-fridge locks.
Double up on cheap locks instead of buying an expensive padlock, because if your mini-fridge gets stolen, so does all of the money you spent on the lock.
