Old Appliances? Make Them Look New!

Even if your budget doesn't allow you to buy new appliances, there's no reason you have to let your old appliances look old!  A facelift is easily managed quite cheaply, and will also make them more energy efficient.  Read on for some tips on giving your refrigerator and dishwasher a new lease.  As an added bonus, you can apply these same tricks to other large appliances in your home!

Beginning with the refrigerator, it can always use a top-to-bottom scrub and a good defrost, especially if its an older model.  Clean out the inside of the fridge, removing all of the food, and use a food-safe cleaner.  Use a toothbrush to get inside nooks and crannies and wash the glass with glass cleaner or dishwashing detergent... 

If your refrigerator is a popular model, you might actually be able to find shelves with custom features that make it easier to store your food.  When using the toothbrush, its especially important to scrub the rubber gasket on the door.  Unless you clean it regularly, it gets quite dirty. This will definitely improve the efficiency of your refrigerator.  If the gasket is old, you should replace it.  Replacements can be found at most hardware stores.  Measure it or take in a small section to make it easy to find a replacement.

After scrubbing the inside of your fridge and replacing the gaskets, if necessary, it is now time to give the outside of your fridge a thorough cleansing from top to bottom.  Your fridge should be sparking clean.  Next, you can get some contact paper that looks like stainless steel at your local home improvement store.  This can make your kitchen look like you've spent several thousand dollars on new appliances.  Carefully apply the contact paper to the door of your refrigerator.  Make sure there are no crooked or broken edges.  Cover the appliance completely with the contact paper and take time to smooth out bubbles as you go.  When you're finished, your fridge will look terrific.  Make sure that you purchase contact paper intended especially for use on appliances.

Next, let's apply a similar process to the dishwasher.  Completely clean the inside and out of your dishwasher with food safe cleaning products and use a toothbrush to get in the nooks and crannies and to clean the gaskets.  Again, replace the gaskets if necessary.  Make sure to clean the traps and filters regularly, as large food particles and other materials can collect in them and prevent your dishwasher from draining properly.  When it doesn't drain properly, food gets back onto your dishes and you have to wash them again, using more energy.

Feel free to apply the same stainless steel contact paper that you used on the refrigerator for a uniform look.  For just a few dollars and a couple of hours of your time, you have made your kitchen look up-to-date and fresh, and will have made your appliances operate more efficiently, saving you money!  Also, make sure to use proper cleaning procedures when cleaning the contact paper.  Most will come with special directions.  Do not use cloths that are too wet.

The information in this article is courtesy of HandyManFixHomeRepair.com.