Our five year old LG washing machine started rusting last year, under the detergent drawer. Initially I treated this as the start of an inevitable, unstoppable process of decay, but I decided, instead, to see what I could do about nipping the rust in the bud.
I went to Home Hardware and picked up some sandpaper, some painters tape, and a can of glossy white rust paint. I stripped the rusty area down to bare metal, finished cleaning it with vinegar, and then masked the area with the tape and plastic.
The spray paint took a bit of getting used to, and I started off painting much too close, but I quickly learned my lesson. I ended up applying three thin coats, 20 minutes apart. I removed the tape while the paint was still tacky, and then waited 48 hours before reassembling the washer.
The result isn’t gallery quality, but it’s satisfying nonetheless. And the rust is stopped in its tracks. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to get more than the 7 years we got out of the last washer.
About This Blog
I am Peter Rukavina and this is my blog. I am a writer, letterpress printer, and a curious person.
To learn more about me, read my /now, look at my bio, listen to audio I’ve posted, read presentations and speeches I’ve written, or get in touch (peter@rukavina.net is the quickest way).
You can subscribe to an RSS feed of posts, an RSS feed of comments, or a podcast RSS feed that just contains audio posts. You can also receive a daily digests of posts by email.
Comments
Oh, I love this to bits! You
Oh, I love this to bits! You'll be doing car paint jobs next!
You are my appliance repair
You are my appliance repair spirit guide.
Great job! But it's so
Great job! But it's so disheartening to see how cheaply appliances are made. My sister just had the repairman in to work on her dryer which is a mere 3 months old.
To the (perverse) credit of
To the (perverse) credit of the shop that sold us the washing machine, they told me that we shouldn’t get our hopes up about it lasting 20 years.
I have to say that after use,
I have to say that after use, we always leave our detergent tray out and the door ajar to dry. This is primarily to avoid front-loader-odor which we have commonly heard about. But it looks like we have inadvertanly avoided the rust problem too!
Add new comment