How to remove scratches from stainless steel refrigerator doors?
adv.
I recently, and accidentally scratched someone's new Kitchen Aid double door refrigerator door. I cannot find anyone in Sacramento that does refinishing of such a problem and am afraid to take on the task myself, nor do I know how. Any suggestions. My friend's son rubbed most of the swirl scratches off with
Brasso
, and there remains a little more, plus a sideways scratch above the water dispenser. Short of buying her a new refrigerator, which she wants, what can I do to rectify this problem? Is there anyplace I can contact who has refinishers of this trade?
Thank you,
Holly Hamilton- Sacramento, California
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The first step is to determine what type of finish was used on the door. Rolled finishes are used on this type of product because they are the simplest to produce and lowest in cost. They are nondirectional and as such cannot be blended or repaired. If the product design calls for the removal of welds and the finish blended then a rolled finish is not used and this finish may be repaired using polishing methods since this is how the original finish was created. Look for a weld it is a good place to start. The Nickel Development Institute has a web site and a handbook #9012 with enough information to make you an expert on stainless steel finishes.
Michael C. Butlerrestaurant equipment - West Palm Beach, Florida
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The Nickel Development Institute info is good to know. I have not checked it out yet, but my problem is with a high polish stainless steel Kenmore range. In my ignorance, I tried to rub out a scratch with a Brillo pad. No major damage, but I still have scratches I would like to eliminate. The SS cream cleaner that came with the range has not helped.
Looking forward to comments and will check out the website.
Thanks, Millie
- Alto, New Mexico
May 1, 2008
Hello! I am a mother of two small children who have scratched my stainless refrigerator doors beyond repair. Needless to say, I am in the market for a new Stainless Steel refrigerator and I was wondering if there is a certain type or brand I should invest in that is possibly more resistant to scratches and dents. Or are they all the same?
Allison FranklinConsumer - New Braunfels, Texas
May 6, 2008
Hi Allison, sorry to hear of your frustration. Why do you think your appliance is beyond repair. Yes, dents and dings are permanent at this time but if we're talking scratches then I introduce you to Scratch-B-Gone. Our industry-accepted kit has helped owners like yourself work wonders with removing and refinishing Stainless surfaces to almost new. Please look to www.scratch-b-gone.com for more information and ideas before giving up. Yes there are products offered with protective coatings but these are not without their problems either and once these are scratches, they are scratched forever. Hoped this helped.
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Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc  Carlsbad, California |
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November 25, 2008
It appears that the stainless steel finish on my GE Profile side by side refrigerator is not stainless steel. that's right. I found out that is a plastic covered metal with an aluminum type finish and coated with varnish.
How did I find out? I scrubbed a stain off of my fridge and it lightened the stainless steel so I had to scrub off ALL of the stainless to make it the same color stainless. when I got to the sides, I scrubbed a corner piece and suddenly there was white. White? that's not stainless steel! it looked like plastic. I took a knife and peeled it off to the sheet metal below. the plastic is 1/16 inch. I am devastated. Stainless steel fridges are an illusion, at least as far as GE is concerned. what do you think?
- Stony Brook
December 3, 2008
Sadly you had a bad deal with this one. Actually Stainless Steel is the 'real' deal. It is just that the particular model you purchased and own is what GE calls 'Clean Steel'. This is their offering of a finger print, lower cleaning maintenance product and as you found out it is a series of coatings over a steel frame, thus it is magnetic. Unfortunately this was a costly lesson. Have a great Holiday anyway.
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Barry Feinman Restore It Yourself, Inc Carlsbad, California |
December 4, 2008
Hi, Mitchel. If it is cheap plain steel masquerading as stainless steel, carefully designed to trick you, and it proved unfit for the purpose (which it did), you have a right to be compensated. Re-read what it is advertised to be and, if they did not warn you that you weren't getting stainless steel, see if there is a class action suit in progress. Although you won't get much money out of it, those suits are sometimes successful in getting manufacturers to think twice about misleading buyers.
When they try to mislead you they are cheating you, and it is the perpetrator, not the victim, who should be learning the costly lesson.
Regards,
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 Ted Mooney, P.E. RET finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
February 10, 2009
Just a thought. I have 2 not-so-small children and my fridge is always getting smudged or scratched a bit. Why with two small children would you put yourself through it again by buying another one? I think they sell coverings you can put over at least until your kids are grown and you decide if you want another stainless steel fridge. I would never buy another one.
Carol Roth- Schaumburg, Illinois
February 25, 2009
I have terrible scratches on my GE clean steel refrigerator. Is there anything I can use to remove them, or least make them less obvious?
Colleen Benowitz- East Brunswick, New Jersey
September 16, 2009
You can easily buy replacement parts rather than a whole refrigerator. The contractor redoing accidentally scratched our brand new ss french door refrigerator ($2500). To replace one door cost $125.
Much more cost effective IF the scratches can't be repaired.
- Hoover, Alabama
September 28, 2009
Will Scratch-Be-Gone work on a small scratch on a CleanSteel refrigerator?
Nancy Harrison- Casa Grande, Arizona
September 28, 2009
Hi, Nancy. Sorry that you apparently misunderstood, but Barry Feinman, the developer of Scratch-B-Gone, said it won't. These are not stainless steel, they are just painted to look like stainless steel.
Regards,
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Ted Mooney, P.E. RET finishing.com Brick, New Jersey |
October 26, 2009
On September 16, 2009 John S from Hoover Alabama wrote that he replaced the stainless steel door of his GE French door fridge for $125. Where did he find this? I cannot find it for less that $600. A contractor dented and scratched mine.
Lois Weber- Chicago, Illinois
November 6, 2010
Will scratch be gone work on my GE profile stainless steel fridge? It has a shinier finish to it?
Homeowner - Wentzville, Missouri
September 13, 2011
I purchased a GE Profile side by side a few years ago. All of a sudden the finish is all splotchy and the streaks where the kids spill the water on the left door no longer are removed by any stainless cleaner. How can this be repaired? It looks so bad it's embarrassing when I have company over. It's very frustrating since I paid $2,000 and Sears will not do anything for me.
Maria Ingrandobuyer - Everett, Massachusetts
January 4, 2012
I have removed water stains from stainless steel by spraying it with Tilex Fresh Shower Daily Shower Cleaner and letting it sit for a day. Then re-clean it with the same stuff the next day. Repeat if necessary. The EDTA in the cleaner will eat away the mineral deposits, which is the problem, without damaging the steel. I think most any brand of daily shower cleaner will work but this is what I used (I like the smell).
John Janovyak- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
