To clean the outside of your refrigerator and make it look like new, use baking soda. Take a wet rag, pour some baking soda on it and start cleaning. This cleans the textured parts of the frig, like nothing I have ever seen before.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Can any one tell me how to remove nicotine stains from the exterior of a refrigerator/freezer? What products can I purchase for the job? Please.
By patricia rainford from England
Try magic erasers. I buy mine at Dollar General, they are very good at removing a lot of tough grime and stains. They remove my husbands "mechanic grease" from our ref door, so the nicotine should come off fairly easy.
The best overall cleaning product I've found is purchased at Home Depot (maybe other places also). Sorry I cannot remember the whole name (I've run out so can't look at the gallon container) but it's a product made by Zep. It is a degreaser and is a purple liquid. It is very concentrated so I put maybe 3-4 tablespoons in a spray bottle and fill the rest with water. I have used this on my fridge to remove smoke stains and had wonderful results.
Just be sure to clean from the bottom up, no streaks that way. Although a gallon seems like a lot, if you dilute it, it will last a year or so and it cleans anything, inside and out. Good luck!
I use a paste of Softscrub and OxyClean. Mix it up in a bowl about 3:1 and let it sit while the OxyClean dissolves. I use one of those Micro Cleaning Cloths - seems to work best.
There was a black mark on the white refrigerator in my rented apartment. I tried cleaning it and now it has spread :(. I have no clue what it is. I've tried almost every possible solution that I've read.
I don't want to end up paying for something that I haven't damaged, but was only trying to clean. Help!
Looks like the paint has come off and you are seeing the metal underneath.
I thought that too initially but it was very dark & has lightened up now. It's a stain that has spread when I wiped it. Now it won't go :(
Abigail is right. You aren't spreading it, it's getting worse from underneath. If you documented it when you did your walk through, simply let the landlord know what is happening.
Could it possibly be mold? If it's getting larger that might be a tip off. Try bleach.
Looks like the original paint got chipped and then with the scrubbing, you are wearing off the veneer to me. You might try something white-like paint or ink to try and cover...
I think Abigail is right. I think there were imperfections in the original finish. I believe moisture seeped through these imperfections and caused the underlying metal to oxidize, resulting in the black you see. This is not uncommon.
I would not use bleach on these black areas. It could cause deterioration of the paint and further exposure to the underlying metal, resulting in more black area.
I have two suggestions for you.
I agree with Sandi, if your landlord is not aware of this situation, make him/her aware of it as soon as possible.
Clean the surface with a cloth dipped into cold water to which you have added a small amount of mild dish detergent, maybe 1/2 teaspoon to a quart of water. Clean the area as best you can with this solution and then rinse thoroughly. Next, dry the area completely, even if you have to use a fan. Once the area is completely dry, you can cover the entire surface with a press and seal type food wrap. I'm guessing the area shown is the freezer door. If the wrap is properly applied, it will be hardly noticeable, but should prevent further moisture damage.
It looks as if you might have to live with the stain. So just do what you can to prevent it from getting worse.I would speak with the landlord before applying any appliance paint to this stain. He/she may agree it's OK, but unless there has been a recent, significant improvement in these paint products, you probably would just as soon look at the stain as the paint covering the stain. Anyway, it looks as if the area is too large for a 'minor touch up' product. Good luck.
:( she is a landlord from hell! My worst nightmares are coming true now. There goes my security deposit. She will say I shouldn't have touched the sticker or the marks. I can hear her say ' well! You damaged it so you pay for it'
Hi, it looks like a scuff mark to me. The dollar store sells those Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and it might come right off with that!
Read up on renter's rights in your state. We had one of those landladies who tried to keep our deposit. My husband wrote her a letter quoting the law. She ended up only keeping $35 and that was just spite.
My husband and I live in an apartment in the US midwest. We've got a fridge that's about 15 years old. It's in great working order, but the side of it that has been toward the wall since we moved in has scuff marks, mold, and what appears to be some oxidation (the white paint is not only coming off, but the outer wall is just beginning to rust!) What can or should I use? It's a Kenmore fridge, and I have really great landlords who have done a metric ton to help us.
I don't want to post photos of our fridge - it's got photos of a lot of friends! Can you lend any suggestions? We'll try anything that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. The fridge is safe, and structurally sound.
Thanks all.
I would wash with diluted bleach. Bleach kills mold.
You can try a paste of baking soda and enough vinegar to making it the consistency of icing and spread it in the mold. Leave it sit for an hour, then wipe down. I would be afraid to use any chemicals on it if the paint is flaking off.
Since you have mold you will have to use something to kill that first.
Since you say there is no paint peeling off it seems you could use a spray bottle of diluted bleach (cover the floor with plastic and old rags to catch any runs). Dollar Tree has $1 plastic paint covers or even a plastic shower curtain.
Bleach first for the mold and magic erasers work wonders
Bleach first for the mold and magic erasers work wonders
I would kill the mould first with bleach + water or tea tree oil + vinegar + water and then I would look at purchasing appliance paint (regular at Lowes, Walmart, etc) and just painting over the unsavoury bits
Does any one have any suggestions on what to use to clean black marks off the refrigerator door? I am not sure what is the cause of the black marks. I believe it to be caused by build up of dirt or food stains maybe? The marks run along the side of the door and onto the refrigerator door handle. I tried bleach and nothing happened.
Thank you for any ideas.
By Rachelle
Usually bleach or a magic eraser will get rid of those stains. I find that usually the stains on fridge handles are because people do not wash their hand prior to handling food, or using anything in the kitchen.
I find the magic eraser magically makes all those marks go away. I had a spot on my fridge that would not come off. I actually thought it was a place the paint got rubbed off or something and I was cleaning using the magic eraser and to my surprise it wiped it away. I particularly find it helpful on the textured handles and the rest for the ice and water on my side by side. I hope they never discontinue them, they are so good at cleaning so many things and no harsh chemicals!
Get one of those 'scrub it' from the dollar store or store ( I think by Clorox or Mr. Clean). Cheap and gets off all black marks and lots more stuff.
You can try scrubbing with Comet or Ajax. And I do find those Magic Erasers to truly be magic. They get rid of spots on my rugs, left from my cats throwing up, etc. They do crumble pretty quickly, though, so I'm going to buy a small piece of similar foam and see how that works. They also have an off-brand at Dollar General for about half the price.
Thank you for all answers. I tried the Ajax method and it works.! Thanks again.
I have used WD-40 on hard to clean spots and rubbed away the spot then take a sudsy dish cloth and wash away the WD-40, works great on stainless steel. and porcelain.
Then dry with a soft cloth.
Careful with those cleaners. They can scratch the surface if used too much.
My problem is with the fridge door handle and the outside of the door. The only thing is that it is close to the stove so there are grease spots, and it is giving me the dickens to clean. I have even tried Brillo, but that tends to take the finish off, so I stopped that. Does anyone have any suggestions? I can't stand a dirty fridge.
Help me.
Happy holidays to all!
Use baking soda and a scrub sponge.
One of the best things that I have ever used to clean my fridge is a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. You can get them cheap at any dollar store. I hope this helps!
Baking soda mixed with some lemon or lime juice has always worked well for me. Normally you should make a paste and allow it to sit there for 15 minutes before cleaning it up. This should cut through the grease. You can also try to add a fine coat of clear fingernail polish to the door handle to help clean it up a bit quicker. The grease should not stick so badly to the polish.
Lemon juice and baking soda is a grease cutter and cleaner!
