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-----:Fixing paint scratches on refrigerators & stoves
Quickstart:
Paint is soft, so painted appliances are quite easy to scratch -- even with paper towels, dishcloths, and other kitchen materials. Scratches are more apparent on black appliances than on lighter colors.
Many readers found success simply by application of carnauba car polish
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
. One reader with deeper scratches was more pleased with applying rubbing compound
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link] before the wax, and indeed that's frequently been done for automobile paint scratches.
Some readers found lemon oil furniture polish ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon
[affil link]
to do an adequate job.
If the paint is actually chipped away at a corner, dabbing appliance touch-up enamel
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
of the right color on the chip first will make it less likely to catch the eye.
Read on, join in ...
(this entry appended to this thread by editor in lieu of spawning a duplicative thread)
Q. My kitchen is currently undergoing renovations. There are scratches on my black stove. How can I improve the look? ⇦ Answer?
- Hempstead NY, USA
May 15, 2026
A. Hi JC,
The techniques described here are fine for stoves as well as refrigerators with the caution that wax is flammable. Don't polish if there are pilot lights, don't put the bottle or can on the stove, don't leave the application sponge on the stove when you're done, and I don't think you'll have a problem. Maybe let any fumes vent for a couple of hours, and I think you'll be fine -- there're only be about 1/8 teaspoon of wax actually applied to the stovetop.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
⇩ Similar, related, Q&As -- oldest first ⇩
Carnauba Car Wax is the Answer
Q. I just purchased a new refrigerator two months ago with a shiny black finish. Somehow, some way in wiping the door surface, it was scratched. The circular scratches are really visible when the sun hits the refrigerator in late afternoon and it looks horrible! Is there anything that I can use to remove the scratches without doing further damage? Exactly how are refrigerator doors (non-stainless steel) painted?
Elizabeth Lascariconsumer - Inverness, Illinois
2005
A. Well firstly, it appears that you used either an abrasive cleaner or an abrasive pad to clean your fridge with ... bad Idea. I would say that your fridge is probably powder coated (I also have a black fridge in my home and I know for sure it is a powder coat finish). As for getting it repaired, my opinion is that it probably needs to be totally refinished; going on your description, maybe call or write the manufacturer of the product you own.
Regards,
- Scranton, Pennsylvania
Q. Thanks for your reply. No -- I know that I did not use a cleanser or an abrasive pad, not even one with white mesh over the sponge. All I did was clean the outside of the door with window cleaner with ammonia ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] and a towel. When it was delivered, the appliance man told me to wash it in and out with baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil link] and I did that too using a dish rag. The scratches are in a circular swirl pattern. I did find a hint on line about cleaning scratches off a CD with car wax ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] that contains carnauba, so I tried that and it helped considerably. At least it doesn't hurt to look at it. A new refrigerator door will cost about $600!
Elizabeth Lascari [returning]- Inverness, Illinois
Glad you solved your problem, a can of carnuba wax is under $15 as compared to $600! You taught me something new, I never would have thought of using wax, interesting concept. Thanks for the tip!
Regards,
- Scranton, Pennsylvania
A. I have seen this problem and have saved the doors by simply water sanding with 2000 grit sandpaper followed up with water polishing with a compound. Then using a good wax high speed polish. It turned out amazing and customer wanted me to do complete fridge. Hope this helps anyone!
Ken Mathewson- Burlington , Ontario, Canada
A. Don't despair! I wiped our black refrigerator per instructions from the manufacturer (soft cloth dampened). I had scratches on both doors. Home Depot suggested TurtleWax ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] w/carnuba. Use the sponge dampened to apply, let dry, and use a soft cloth to remove. Results: My black refrigerator doors look great. Remember to make sure that cloth is clean w/no abrasive materials or oils on it. Good luck!
Jean O'Reilly- Rio Verde, Arizona
Also, don't put magnets on the doors. We didn't, but we had a kid at a party think she would be funny and put magnets all over the doors....this scratched them beyond belief. I am glad for the tip about carnuba wax ... I will be buying some tomorrow!
- Norfolk, Virginia
Thank you! Thank you! I was in a hurry to remove Scotch Tape from my shiny black refrigerator doors and grabbed my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
to speed up the process ... well it removed the tape but also took off the shiny finish! It looked awful. Thanks to the above postings I also purchased
Turtlewax liquid car polish
[affil link] w/carnuba and it did the trick! I did three different applications and it looks wonderful!
- Scottsdale, Arizona
2007
I'm so glad my suggestion to use car wax with carnuba helped! Scratches reflect light which is why they look so bad, especially in daylight. The wax softens the edges of the scratch so less light is reflected and the scratches all but disappear!
I now include a waxing of my black refrigerator door just to keep it looking shiny and new.
- Inverness, Illinois
2007
Well now I don't feel so bad about my new refrigerator and cleaning it and scratching it. The wax idea worked! And not only did it help with my scratch problem, I tried it on the stove I have which has a shiny black top. It shines it up and cuts through any grease that may be on there. I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out how to clean that stove and the darn refrigerator. Now I know how. So TY TY TY!
- Kirkwood, New York
February 15, 2008
I am soooo glad I found your car wax tip. My daughter got hold of a magnet and scratched my one-week old black refrigerator doors! I am running now to find the wax!
- Tappan, New York
|
Stainless Steel Look AppliancesQ. I have a similar problem with my fridge, except instead of a black surface it's a stainless look (I bumped into it with a rather heavy ladder, which left quite a deep gouge). Would applying the aforementioned wax help in this situation as well? Dean Smith- Columbus, Ohio February 26, 2008 A. Hi Dean. If it's painted to a color similar to stainless, yes. If it's actually stainless steel rather than paint, please see thread 4148, "Removing scratches from stainless steel appliances". Good luck! Regards,  Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey |
Car Wax Helped but Not Enough
Q. Hello
Thanks for all the tips in using Turtle wax to get scratches off black refrigerator, I have a kitchen aid black counter depth $2500 refrigerator. I applied the wax using the yellow sponge they include with turtle wax with my hands.
It hasn't taken off the scratches completely though they have gone light now.
Do I need some kind of buffing instrument to buff it after applying wax or applying it with hand is ok.
I would appreciate answers on this. Is there any detailed procedure I need to follow through on this.
Thanks for all your replies.
- Sunnyvale, California
May 2, 2008
A. Hi, Daljeet. A very soft buff on a low power electric drill can speed things up for sure, but it's probably easy for people with no previous experience to overdo it. I think if the polish worked, but not quite well enough, the best way to cut a little deeper is with rubbing compound
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
Kevin S from Georgia reports below that it worked well for him.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Specifically which wax did you use? Was it liquid or paste? Could it have been Turtle Wax T-6A Carnauba Car Liquid Wax?
Ken Woodworth- Lexington, Kentucky
February 18, 2010
A. Hi Ken. I doubt that it makes an essential difference whether you use the carnauba liquid wax vs. the carnauba paste -- but since Jean refers to "the sponge", I'd say it was likely the paste, and I'd guess you're likely to do more rubbing with paste wax, and the rubbing helps 🙂
I doubt that the brand matters much, and we prefer not to compare brands here ( huh? why?) but you can check the reviews on Amazon -- as long as there are dozens of reviews and at least one is a 1-star and one is a 5-star review, they're usually trustable.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
(this entry appended to this thread by editor in lieu of spawning a duplicative thread)
Q. My black refrigerator got scratched. Can it be fixed?
home owner - valdosta, Georgia
July 18, 2009
You all have saved me from going crazy. I have had my black shiny appliances just under a week and all three have light scratches on them. My fridge was scratched from magnets....never ever use magnets on the shiny surface-when they move, they scratch. Secondly, my husband was cleaning the stove and my new microwave for me (I know I should be happy); however, he used a paper towel and I have scratches everywhere! I am leaving now to go buy the wax you all have suggested. Thank you.
- Waukesha, Wisconsin
A. I've had my black shiny fridge for 2 days and I did the same thing. My husband suggested using his Mothers' Carnauba wax. I've applied it three times so far. It looks better but not quite there yet. I did see a tip on a car waxing site that pointed out that the wax for our purposes is not so much about applying and removing, as it is about applying and working the wax into the scratches so it can fill them. I'm glad I'm not the only person to have done this....And thanks to y'all I just removed the few magnets I had on the door, lol.
Laura Campbell
- Covington, Virginia
August 25, 2010
I too have a black top stove and used clorox wipes with the abrasive side. I didn't realize I had done this. Thanks for the advice on the carnuba wax. I wasn't sure this should be used on stove tops because of the heat. I do now clean with Windex Commercial Line
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
and a soft cloth and it leaves no streaks.
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
Wax is Flammable!
I have had the same problem with scratches on black door fridge -- the car wax works so well -- but please DO NOT USE car wax on the surface of a flat top black stove. The wax is extremely flammable and could cause a fire; also, burning car wax can cause toxic fumes.
- Port Perry Ontario Canada
April 16, 2012
A. Thanks Donna
Wax fires can indeed by very bad news so your warning is important! By all means keep the bottle or can well away from any ignition source including the pilots on stoves (although most gas stoves these days don't have pilot lights), and don't leave the sponge on the stovetop.
But because the world is full of dangers, perspective is important too. One tin of paste car wax is sized to wax a car 25 to 30 times, so a stove top surely consumes well under 1/8 teaspoon of car polish, and as long as there is no ignition source during application like a pilot light I think the hazard is very manageable,
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
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Fingerprints on White Refrigerator
Q. I HAVE A KENMORE FRIDGE THAT IS WHITE AND I CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE FINGERPRINTS AND STAINS OFF OF IT. ANY SUGGESTIONS GREATLY APPRECIATED.
FRAN MICKEYHOUSEWIFE - DENVER, Colorado, USA
May 19, 2011
This thread helped me out tremendously. Got delivery of a new Whirlpool Refrigerator today, and while taking off some tape, I used paper towels and 409 to clean the doors. Needless to say, I created a couple of large scratches.
After reading this post, I went to my car store and purchased some rubbing compound
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link] and Turtle Wax Carnuba Wax and some Terry Towels.
Came home, and hit it with the rubbing compound
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link] . Removed compound after it dried with the Terry Towel, and then followed up w/ the Carnuba wax. The door looks BRAND NEW, as it should, since it is brand new.
Thanks again for this thread, as it was EXTREMELY beneficial for my needs.
- Sugar Hill, Georgia USA
January 9, 2011
What about Pebbled Surfaces?
Does this pertain to the shiny reflective black surfaces as opposed to the pebbly ones? Wouldn't wax look smeary? Anyway, I have the same issue on my microwave control panel and I think the issue is paper towels. They scratch. You have to use cloths and mild soap and it isn't easy to get all the fingermarks off that way, but the alternative is ruining the looks of your appliances. I will never buy black again, its horrible.
- Elgin, Illinois USA
December 2, 2010
Q. I also scratched my brand new black fridge with magnets and tried the wax, however, my fridge is not shiny black, is the black textured bumpy pattern and the wax did not do a thing for the scratches, nice and clean looking however.
Any suggestions for removing the scratches from the black textured doors. Looks like someone took a paperclip to draw designs. ⇦ Answer?
- Calimesa, California USA
January 29, 2011
Q. Same thing brand new black fridge.....paper towels & swirly scratches all over. I tried carnuba wax ... are there any products out there to repair the clear coat? ⇦ Answer?
Deb Jons- Ponca City, Oklahoma, USA
January 12, 2012
Ed. note: Try being a bit more aggressive by using rubbing compound ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] as Kevin S. from Georgia suggests,
How about Swirl Remover?
Q. Hi all,
like most of you same exact thing with our Great looking Huge was beautiful Black shiny Samsung French Door Frig.
However in looking at it good the other day, when the sunlight was shining on it, I almost had a friggin' fit.
I take very good care of my appliances.
Noticed the fine light swirl marks and light scratches.
Has anyone used Turtle Wax Scratch & Swirl Remover ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
, and what results did it give? ⇦ Answer?
- Riverside, California
February 4, 2012
A. I just tried Whirlpool Appliance Polish and Cleaner on my "pebbled" black fridge, and it worked pretty well. All the small scratches were gone, and the fridge was mirror-like shiny (which is pretty hard with a rough surface.) I needed to re-apply and buff several times, but the difference is noticeable even to my husband. However, the smell gave me a headache, so maybe sweet smelling carnauba wax is better.
Elizabeth Hanatuke- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
My shiny black Whirlpool refrigerator was delivered today; I grabbed my dishtowel to remove the smudges from the delivery men's hands and it scratched the finish. While examining those, I discovered letters and numbers scratched on the door-- someone must have leaned on the door while writing on a piece of paper. Unbelievable-- who designs a $2,000 appliance to look bad on delivery?
I'll be buying carnauba wax now.
- Coupeville Washington
Ugh. Cling Wrap Problems
Q. I bought a new fridge; the sides are textured and the doors are shiny. They have some scratches on them from the magnets I had on them. How do I get rid of them? Plus when I got my knew fridge, it had plastic wrap all over it; it left it dull looking in some places, what can I do to even the shine out? ⇦ Answer?
Kathy Jumper- Gardners, Pennsylvania
December 20, 2012
Q. I have a new shiny black fridge and my daughter put the window clings on the door and they came off easily but I can still see the cling on outline...I assume it must have removed the clear coat finish :(
Will the wax with carnauba fix this?? ⇦ Answer?
- Glace Bay, NS Canada
October 10, 2013
Will It Work on White? On Gray?
Q. I have a shiny new ice white Samsung with scratches. Will the Turtle Wax work with this as well?
Thanks.
- Annapolis, Maryland
December 13, 2013
Q. Hello. I have bought a new freezer last week. It's in light grey colour. While removing the stickers from the freezer some of the glue of the stickers were left on the freezer. I cleaned them later; when it was dry I found some scratches on the freezer. Please help me how can I remove those scratches. Waiting for useful tips.
Mariam usmani- Islamabad Pakistan
February 15, 2014
A. Hi Miriam, hi Mariam.
I don't think car wax
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
cares what color the paint is. It should be fine.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Does this remove gloss paint? My son walked into a door I painted white, then transferred the paint to the fridge with a high gloss black surface.
Maureen Heath- kissimmee florida
July 4, 2014
A. Hi Maureen. Polishing wax is obviously not meant to remove paint, but the usual case is that the factory enamel is adhered significantly better than paint that was casually transferred to the surface by a kid. I'd try a fingernail first, then rubbing with rubbing compound ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] rather than wax.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Do you use the wax on the scratches or the entire door? It is a black glossy fridge.
Maura Thompson- Regina SK Canada
August 30, 2014
A. Hi Maura. You wax the whole door but you put elbow grease into scratched area to try to soften the scratches.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Q. Please tell me a few things. Do you use liquid or paste wax. I hear the paste wax takes hours to buff. What do you use to apply it with and shine it with?
I am afraid to try and end up with a big smear. Thanks.
- Regina SK Canada
A. Hi Maura. If you wish, practice on your car or a piece of outdoor metal furniture, or a rarely seen side of your stove, or even an old washer or dryer down in your basement. It's just car wax and it's not going to hurt if you use liquid, put paste is probably thicker and more effective; use the soft sponge that often comes with the paste or a soft cotton rag. Just don't use a dirty cloth or one that might that might scratch soft paint. Good luck.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
I scratched my black Kitchenaid while cleaning it. You could see all the circles where I was wiping it clean. I bought some Kit Scratch Out ⇨
at the hardware store. It really seems to have improved the look of the door. You really have to stand right up close to see anything. Before you could stand five feet away and see the circles. I had a hard time trying to find something I didn't think would scratch it while I was applying the paste. I ended up using the inside of an old tee shirt.
- houston, texas
Q. Thank you for you tips on scratches on my new kitchen aide refrigerator. Horrible from just a paper towel. Why would anyone design a product like this. My question is what do you clean it with (after I put wax on it) to prevent more scratches? ⇦ Answer?
Donna Loyko- Groveland Florida
November 14, 2014
Don't Use Bleach on Metal
Q. Have Whirlpool fridge 4 years, brown spots appeared all over door of fridge. Tried Simply Green, bleach with fine 00 steel wool ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] -- nothing removes what looks like rust. Whirlpool wants no part of this problem. Any ideas?
ralph torres- delray beach Florida
November 2014
A. Hi Ralph. For the benefit of the next person, never use bleach on steel or stainless steel -- it's murder. Can you use rust converter
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
/ naval jelly, followed by touching up with something like Porc-a-Fix
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
|
|
Q. Interesting responses to earlier situations, but I have another. I have a white refrigerator that appears to have some type of marbled vinyl front only that I would like to make look stainless. How do I go about it? I am just trying to get it to match other appliances until it's time to go. It is not smooth so I do not think the newly invented film will work. Anybody know if stainless paint might work? Edna Blanchard- Carneys Point, New Jersey March 2, 2015 A. Hi Edna. Paint will probably never look exactly like metal, but there's no reason the stainless steel color paint can't be applied to the patterned surface. But if it is real vinyl, normal paints may not stick well. Clean and lightly sand the vinyl, then try a small area of Liquid Stainless Steel [affil link]. If it doesn't stick well, you may need to start with Krylon Fusion ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] or Bulldog adhesion promoter ⇦ on eBay or Amazon [affil link] . Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. Striving to live Aloha finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey |
Ok, so I was freaking out. Terrible circular streaks, gouges from cleaning with a green scrubber. The front of the KitchenAid Oven is a coated/sealed metal. I was pricing replacement panels, which is an option. And then I got Blue Magic Metal Polish Cream
⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon [affil link]
.
An immediate and amazing difference! Now I can still barely see the damage, but I believe with repeated use it will cover it almost totally. Leaves silicone film that fills in the scratches. I will also note I was careful to rub and buff the product in the original direction of the lines of the metal. I think that also helped.
- Garden Valley, CA. USA
Q. My husband used a Brillo pad on my new black Electric stove. Is there anything I can do to remove these scratches?
Kelli Makuta- Charlotte North Carolina
January 31, 2016
A. Hi Kelli, your problem is not unique. Try carnauba wax; but wax is flammable, so use carefully and get rid of the excess rather than letting it build up in blind corners.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
A. For your black shiny refrigerator try black shoe polish, it works ! I bought a can of Carnauba wax for $16.00, it works but could still see some scratches, thought it should be black and "the light came on", shoe polish !! Try it you may like it and it's much cheaper !!
Claudette Summers- Cornwall Ontario, Canada
A. I, too, just had a new shinry black refrigerator delivered a week ago and it too is now full of swirly fine scratches. My husband tried some wax he had for an airplane but the "rag" he used was rough and made the matter worse. I went out and bought Meguiar's Carnauba Plus Premium Paste Wax ⇨
and went to town on the fridge. After 3 light passes you can barely see any marks. Thank you to all who have posted before me. The can of wax is now stored under the sink for future need.
- Nashua, New Hampshire USA
March 10, 2018
Q. My black stove has some white scratches on top. I saw something to fix it before, some kind of paste made with baking soda, water and something else. Apparently this paste is supposed to fill in those scratches. ⇦ Answer?
Bonnie Anderson- Cape Coral, Florida, USA
May 13, 2018
I had a KitchenAid that I cleaned and got swirly marks. I bought the liquid scratch out and it improved the look. I bought a new fridge and looked at the instructions for cleaning, so I wouldn't scratch this one. It scratched. I thought the last one was just a bad paint job, this is just incompetence on their part. They have to know this is a problem. Why can't they put on a heavier coat of paint. I have a double oven, microwave and gas stove that are 15 years old that have no scratches.
- Cypress, turtl Usa
I went to Ace and bought the carnauba Turtle Wax.
Turtlewax liquid car polish
[affil link] that was recommended. It did a fantastic job. You can't see any of the scratches. Thank goodness for the internet!
Q. Can anyone tell me how you clean now that the wax is on the fridge and how often do I need to reapply the wax.
Sherri shelton [returning]- Cypress, Texas Usa
I have had a black shiny refrigerator for a couple of years and just recently it's become more smudged and with occasional scratches. But today took the cake. I wanted to get it nice and shiny so I heard Windex Commercial Line
⇦ on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil link]
works so I sprayed Windex on it and it left a horrible film that I thought would not and could not be removed. I was told by a sales person in Home Depot to try Mr. Clean Eraser. So I sprayed a soft cleaner on the refrigerator took the Mr. clean eraser and began to wipe the refrigerator ... it was horrible. Now I am in panic mode. After reading on this site I tried to extract some household items that I've already have that I could use. I was almost at a realization that my refrigerator was ruined and there could be no changes made to get it back to the shiny look. After reading about Pledge cleaner I decided to use Old English ⇦ on
eBay or
Amazon
[affil link]
. I begin to spray hesitantly in a small area and noticed that there was this gleaming shine. So I waited for about 15 minutes because I was afraid that it would change after buffing it with a soft cloth. To my amazement the old English polish and cleaner worked! I also used it for my black microwave and my countertop!!
- New Jersey, USA
January 13, 2019
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