How do I clean old not-so-white- enamel?

[athanasius80]

The refrigerator is running fine, so now I get to tackle GE Glyptal enamel that has gone from bright white to whitish primer. Anyone have any tricks for reviving not so mint appliance enamel?

Thanks!

Chris

 

[thomasortega]

Wonderful question!!!
I Have the same problem with my "Enxuta Sollo" front loader...

It was white 30 years ago... Now it´s light brown because of the sun.

 

[laundromat]

straight Clorox bleach

 

[thomasortega]

I tried it...
it doesn't work

 

[travis]

Repaint Chris.

Old fridges and other appliances darken with age. Maybe your fridge lived with a smoker? You've asked me why I prefer porcelain, here's your answer!

 

[pturo]

Gay Clorox Bleach: Clorox and Dawn Detergent combined with water. Bleach will not clean, only bleach and disinfect. You need to remove the schemgma, not just try and bleach it.

 

[toggleswitch2]

ooh that reminds me. Note to self: You are out of Feta.

So what type of paint does one use for appliances?
Is spray-painting best?

 

[cleanteamofny]

As a reminder, some really don't know that Bleach and liquid dishwashing detergent (Dawn, Polmolive, etc.) should not be mixed because it has ammonia it it.
Check and read the labels.

 

[panthera]

Before you

can effectively tackle the problem, you need to know what sort of enamel it is and what underlying material(s) are involved.

Since chlorine bleach didn't help, there's a strong chance that you are dealing with an acrylic enamel. I've never read of any way to rejuvenate acrylic enamels. Is the enamel covering only steel surfaces or is aluminum or plastic involved? If you're only dealing with steel, then stripping the enamel and repainting is easier than any stop-gap solutions. If aluminum or plastic are involved, then stripping becomes very much more complicated. It is better to lightly sand/fill and repaint.
There are several excellent guides on the internet to repainting cars using rollers and thinned enamels. The results are excellent and probably easier to achieve on large vertical panels than with spray paint.

 

[gansky1]

DEADLY GASSES!!

DO NOT MIX Chlorine bleach and Dawn or any other dishwashing detergents!!

I had a friend to did this years ago and should have gone to the hospital but didn't. Hacking and painful breathing for several days not to mention the lasting effects that may resurface later...

Not a good idea.

I've used some oxy-bleaches with fair results, but they are right, unless it's porcelain you may have to just repaint to get that shiny, bright white finishes again.

 

[oldhouseman]

The paint

may have oxidized as it has aged. That is not really reversable. Cleaning it will not bring back the original color if it has oxidized. Repainting would be the only option in that case if you want the original look. What cleaning materials have you used so far? Any pics?

 

[whirlcool]

Maybe Soft Scrub with Bleach would work?

 

[athanasius80]

Now that you think about it...

Its a 1936 refrigerator, so its most likely acrylic enamel. I know carmakers had phased out nitrocellulose (Duco) lacquer and gone to acrylic enamels by then.

I've thought about the thinned enamel approach, but if I repaint I'd also want to bondo out the dents, and get the GE cartouche replated, and maybe restuff the insulation... so I better stip before I tear it apart in someone else's garage.

I'll get a couple cosmetic pics up tonight.

 

[perc-o-prince]

Don't know if it'll help, or stick, but they do sell Appliance Epoxy Enamel in white. I think it's a Rust-O-Leum product.

Chuck

 

[laundromat]

In order for the bleach to work(I know from using it on my painted countertop)you need to use the splashless type which has some kind of detergent built in to it.I had severe coffee stains on my countertop as well as scorch stains.I liberaly poured some directly on it and let it sit a few hours.All the sains dissapeared!I sware by it! It gets my whites white and is great in scolding hot water on mopping my kitchen and bathroom floors!Someimes I pour some in a load of dishes(just a few drops)and they come out sparkling clean!