Mini Refrigerator

[Adrienne174]

I I have a mini refrigerator that had yellowed inside is there a way to get it back white again I  would like to put it inside one of my rooms. I don’t want to put it in a room and a finicky guest says it’s not clean when all it did was yellowed from not being used. It’s old but works great so I want to restore it if I can if not I’ll use it in my home office.

Again i cleaned it with bleach and soap water dried it and sprayed it down with peroxide and place paper towels on top to try to whiten it but no go any ideas?

[M199]

@Adrienne174 

Once it is yellowed, nothing you can do about it.  We have one, that due to wood fireplace went yellow/coffee cream..  We installed a new one (Black, Walmart,  $175CDN and are saving the yellowed one as a backup.

Hope this helps😁

[Robin4]

@Adrienne174 

Hi Adrienne, I have had a good deal of success restoring yellowed plastic by polishing it with 'Extra Cut' auto polish. It is available in small cans from your local auto accessory place. You need to use a soft cloth to apply and rub a defined area fairly vigorously for a minute or so and then polish with a clean cloth. This is also good for restoring plastic auto headlight covers which have deteriorated and yellowed....it brings them up like new again. 

Adrienne, you need to be prepared to put in a bit of effort and the polish you use must be classified as .....Extra Cut,  but I am sure you will be happy with the results.

Cheers........Rob

[Adrienne174]

@Robin4 Looking for some now! Thanks 

[Dale711]

Hi @Adrienne174 

*Spray vinegar onto yellow plastic bins and sprinkle baking soda over the vinegar. Respray the area until the bubbling ceases. Allow this mixture to sit on the yellowed plastic for an hour or overnight before wiping clean.

*Give them a bleach bath. Your need: Bleach / Or

 1/2 cup bleach
4 cups warm water
1/4 cup baking soda

Combine the ingredients in a bowl, soak a clean cloth in the mixture and gently scrub the plastic areas of the appliance with it. Allow it to set on the yellowed appliance for 8-10 minutes.

*Transitional French ways, we  keep a small pieces of ‘Charcoal ‘ in the refrigerator 

[Alexandra316]

@Adrienne174 you can use hydrogen peroxide developer that you would use for bleaching hair and a UV light. I used it on the bathroom of my camper (the toilet, walls, and floor were all yellowed plastic from the '80s) and it worked extremely well. 

Buy the developer from any beauty supplier, apply it thickly with a paint brush, cover it with clingfilm, and expose to UV light for 12 hours or so. When you wipe off the developer, the plastic will look substantially whiter. There are tons of online tutorials if you search YouTube, but it's very simple and effective. 

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Alexandra316 

yes, I found one tutorial with the same instructions as yours, just a bit more detailed

http://www.retrofixes.com/2013/10/how-to-clean-whiten-yellowed-plastics.html?m=1

[Alexandra316]

@Branka-and-Silvia0 yes, there are tons of tutorials with slightly different advice. I just watched a bunch of them and went ahead, and it turned out super well. Not perfect 100% new looking, but really good.

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Alexandra316  tnx, good to know 🙂

[Ralf5]

@Adrienne174 ,

soda powder (1/3 cup) mixed with warm water (3 cups) works for sure, even without bleach. 

After application wait for about 1 hour, then wipe out with clear water, it it's not yet white enough you can repeat the procedure.