If you’re a diabetic, you’re going to need the essential diabetic supplies, and one of them is insulin. Storing insulin in a mini-fridge or an insulin refrigerator can be detrimental to your health since you need to ensure it stays at the right temperature.
That said, if you’re not fortunate enough to have a fridge for insulin in your home, how will you have access to cold insulin? The answer is a mini-fridge for insulin. These are helpful devices that come with a lot of advantages, and they can be used anywhere, even when you’re traveling!
But how do you decide which portable mini fridge to buy? Which is the best portable mini-fridge? Read on as we answer those questions in this article.
Don’t have time to read? Here’s a quick summary of the products we recommend.
| Product Name | Why We Picked It |
| Midea Compact Refrigerator | Great for people who aren’t looking for the biggest fridge. It gets the job done. |
| Cooluli Mini Fridge | Great for people who are looking for a mini-fridge they can carry around. |
| Chefman Mini Fridge | Suitable for people looking for an eco-friendly fridge. |
The Best Mini Fridges for Medicine
Midea Compact Refrigerator
The Midea Compact Refrigerator is a budget-friendly option that can store your insulin at low temperatures. This fridge has an adjustable thermostat that is a vital functionality, and it even has the storage capacity to store a 2-liter bottle. It also has a reversible door which means you can configure it to work in any storage space.
This compact fridge is an excellent option for your option since it doesn’t make a lot of noise, and it can be used to store insulin and snacks. Moreover, it also has a half-width freezer that you can use to store those frozen foods.
The freezer’s door will also reduce the chances of the freezer’s coolness from escaping.
The Pros
- It has a freezer compartment that you can use
- It comes with a one year warranty
- It’s one of these affordable options in the market
The Cons
- It isn’t exactly the largest fridge. You can find bigger options
- It’s a bit heavy, so moving it around may not be easy
Cooluli Mini Fridge
With the Cooluli mini-fridge, you can keep your medicine at a constant temperature. If you’re always on the go, this sleek fridge will give you a cool place to keep those temperature-sensitive things you’re carrying with you.
The temperature inside can be easily customized. You’ll have to press a button that can be found on the digital thermostat, which is easy to read.
This mini fridge also has sleek glass in the front, making it look good wherever you put it. It has a small size and a USB power cable that you can plug in to keep your insulin storage cold.
More importantly, this mini fridge also has a dual-core cooling system and a warranty. This way, you’ll always know that your medicine and food will stay cool regardless of where you’re at – be it a hotel room or your office.
The Pros
- It can be ultra-quiet
- It’s extremely portable
- It has several container baskets and shelves
The Cons
- It doesn’t have a lot of space
- It doesn’t have removable shelves
- It doesn’t have a freezer
Chefman Mini Fridge
This mini-fridge is the perfect option for offices, road trips, dorms, and personal spaces since its sleek design makes it a convenient option for almost every spot. The great thing about this fridge is that you can have warm, cool, and cold options with just a flick of a switch.
It’s compact and has removable shelves. You can also store items that need high temperatures like food bottles, yogurt, juice, milk, and juice.
Another great part is that it’s eco-friendly, which means it is powered entirely by environmentally friendly components.
The Pros
- It has a sleek and compact design
- It has removable shelves
- It’s eco-friendly
The Cons
- Its maximum capacity isn’t enough to store a lot of items
- It doesn’t have an LCD screen or a protective cover
Why Can’t You Rely on the Medicine Cabinet Anymore?
Do you ever come home yearning to take a hot shower? The kind of shower in which you let the water cascade down your body for a good 20 minutes as you stare into nothingness while turning your bathroom into a sauna?
Well, that’s exactly why we can’t store insulin and other medicines in a cabinet. In fact, cabinets full of humidity can often be the worst place to put medicine cool since they don’t have the desired temperature range. Remember, humidity and heat aren’t the greatest of friends of medicines.
Sooner rather than later, they’ll start breaking down the chemical compounds of your medicine, and before you know it, your medicine won’t be the same. According to pharmaceutical companies, most medicines need to be kept at an ambient temperature no higher than 77 degrees Fahrenheit.
On the other hand, thermo-sensitive medications need to be stored at a temperature range of 36 degrees Fahrenheit to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. If you need therm0-sensitive medicines like growth hormones or insulin, you must already know how crucial it is to keep them in insulin storage.
People who don’t have mini-fridges may use an ice pack to keep their medication cool; however, this isn’t a sustainable approach. Quite simply, poorly stored medicines can create life-threatening situations for people who have diabetes or health-related conditions.
These people depend heavily on their medicine’s efficacy daily. However, when summer peaks (during July mostly) and now that global warming is hinting toastier days are upcoming, it’s vital to remember that all of your medicines need to be safe from the heat.
Remember, keeping your medicines at room temperature is only okay when your room isn’t at 90 degrees Fahrenheit!
Aren’t Mini Fridges for Storing Insulin a Bit Excessive?
Well, not really.
People who have a chronic disease like diabetes rely heavily on thermo-sensitive medicine. Even though these people find a way to cool their medicines (possibly with ice packs), having that added control because of a portable refrigerator can make a huge difference.
An adjustable thermostat lets you completely control the temperature range your medicine will be in.
Plus, it’s important to remember that with an insulin cooler, you’re keeping insulin cold while you’re at work and home. Trust us; you wouldn’t want your insulin or growth hormones next to your colleague’s lunch for the day.
Moreover, what if you’re working late on a Friday night and the office’s janitor throws out the medicine for your seizure with whatever was in the fridge? What about the time when your mother comes over and starts being “helpful” again? In this case, you’d want to ensure that she doesn’t accidentally knock over a container your life literally depends on.
Having a compact fridge for your medicine eliminates the several risks associated with sharing a fridge with other people. Simply put, fridges are used way too often by the people around us, and the chances of something going wrong are pretty high.
Are Mini Fridges a Necessity for a Person with Diabetes?
Yes!
To put it simply, insulin pens aren’t cheap; in many states around the US, they can cost thousands of dollars, and to ensure an expense this big doesn’t go in vain overnight, you’ll have to keep insulin cool. The temperature inside the mini refrigerator can ensure you can use it exactly when you want to.
Moreover, a mini-fridge can also be used when a person does not have the space for a full-sized fridge in their apartment. People who live close to their schools or work can also use it to store insulin and their lunches or snacks.
A mini-fridge for insulin can also help ensure your diabetic needs are stabilized when you’re on a long trip. You’re also keeping things organized with the ideal temperature!
Is It Essential to Refrigerate Insulin?
Yes!
Insulin must be refrigerated. You can leave unused insulin unrefrigerated for four days, but it must never stay at room temperature for more than six hours. For this reason, you should ensure that right after you’ve purchased insulin, you save it from the outside temperature and put it into proper storage.
The optimal temperature range for fragile medications is usually 36 degrees Fahrenheit to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the optimal range for storing medicine since they can’t ensure extreme temperatures.
An unopened insulin vial can be stored at a temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit, but we wouldn’t recommend that you do this.
It’s important to remember that insulin is extremely sensitive to heat, so avoid storing your pen in a too warm environment. For instance, avoid keeping insulin on top of an oven, near a window, or on top of a radiator.
Keeping insulin safe may be tricky since drastic temperature fluctuations in these conditions may occur. Exposure to the sun may affect its efficacy, too.
However, if you’ve kept it inside some of the best mini-fridges in the market, you can also use it straight from the fridge. This may be beneficial since it has not come in contact with the room temperature.
However, it is possible that when you inject the cold insulin into your body, you’ll feel a cool sensation, but this will fade out soon.
Buyer’s Guide
When you’re buying a mini-fridge for medicines, there will be certain factors you’ll have to keep in your mind to get a reliable product. Let’s go through these factors one by one.
The Physical Footprint
The size and the storage capacity of the mini-fridge you buy are essential factors you should consider. Since you’re looking for a secondary refrigerator that has the primary purpose of keeping insulin inside, it must be small enough to fit into your home, and it must be big enough to store your insulin.
Several people prefer keeping the mini-fridge inside their bedroom so that they can access it quickly in the case of an emergency. That said, if you do have the extra space, you can opt for a slightly larger fridge that has the added space.
The Noise Level
While this may not seem like an important factor when you’re buying a mini-fridge for insulin storage, you’ll want to pay attention to this. A fridge that has been designed poorly may have a too noisy compressor, which can be a source of disturbance in many households.
Try to pick a fridge that doesn’t produce a lot of noise and is ultra-quiet. This way, you’ll be able to keep it in every room of the house.
Portability
Whether you’re buying a mini-fridge or a thermoelectric cooler, you’ll have to ensure that the one you select is portable. If you’re looking for a mini-fridge for your office or home, you’ll need an option that AC powers.
However, if you’re looking for a mini fridge that keeps your medicine cool while you travel in your car, you can opt for a DC-powered fridge that gets its energy from your car battery. On the other hand, if you’re in a place where you can’t find an external power source, you’ll have to buy a fridge that keeps your things cool and has a built-in battery.
This way, even if there’s a power outage, you can ensure the insulin stays cold.
The Cooling Capacity
One of the most important factors to consider is the cooling capacity of the mini-fridge you’re getting. Make sure that you pick an option that keeps your medicine cool and ensures they don’t deteriorate over time.
As we mentioned earlier, it needs to have an ambient temperature range of 36 degrees Fahrenheit to 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you keep insulin in a mini-fridge?
Depends. Insulin needs to be stored at a specific temperature. If the fridge you’ve bought can operate at that temperature range, then yes, you can keep insulin inside a mini-fridge.
That said, the recommended temperature range for insulin storage is minimal: 46oF (2o – 7oC) when stored unopened. After an insulin injection, the glucose can stay in a refrigerator at room temperature for at least 28 days.
Which company offers the best mini-fridge?
Consider checking out the ones we’ve listed in this guide: the Midea Compact fridge, the Chefman Fridge, and the Cooluli Mini Fridge.
What checks are necessary for a medication fridge?
When using medicine refrigeration, it is recommended to monitor the temperature of this unit daily using a temperature meter. The thermometer should be read daily to check temperature levels. However, if your mini-fridge for insulin has a digital thermostat, you can read the LCD screen.
How do I keep my insulin cold while traveling?
The best way to do this is to take a portable mini fridge with you that keeps it cold for you. But if you don’t have one, you may want to keep your insulin in your jacket pocket or jacket to save it from getting too hot.
It would help if you didn’t store insulin in bags or vehicles when traveling to hot spots like tropical islands or oceans.
Conclusion
The mini-fridges that we’ve listed in this article provide several benefits to most diabetics. These let you store insulin at the ideal temperature while keeping some essential items cool.
Stick to these options when you’re buying a fridge to store insulin, and you won’t have to worry about an expiration date again!
Hey, I’m Joey. I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and love everything about it. You can find my writing about food, kitchen appliances (such as blenders) and much more. Thanks for stopping by!
