A renter who feared getting hit with a move-out damage fee shared how they were able to avoid costly damage to their apartment's refrigerator.
Here's what to know
When a fridge magnet became stuck to the appliance before move-out, little could be done to safely remove it without causing cosmetic damage to the refrigerator.
The renter then took to Reddit's r/CleaningTips community twice, first to ask for help, and later to share how they were ultimately successful.
Facing an apartment inspection, the renter said in the Reddit thread that they threw several products at the residue, including "extra Goo Gone and elbow grease" along with WD-40, acetone, and isopropyl alcohol.
Rather than crediting one product above the rest, the original poster wrote, "I can't say for sure if anything helped more than another because I was desperate and threw everything at it." They added that "the WD40 seemed to help with residual rust" and "the isopropyl alcohol made for decent scraping lubrication."
And once they actually moved out of their unit, the OP confirmed that the apartment inspectors did not levy a "repair charge for the fridge!"
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More background
Drawing on past lab work, one commenter who worked in a scientific field in the late 1980s and early 1990s said an effective four-step cleaning routine involved acetone, a solvent called "Trike," ethanol, and purified water.
That mention of trichloroethylene (Trike) drew criticism from several commenters, including one who wrote that it is "banned in the U.S. due to being a carcinogen that might also cause Parkinson's, [so] it's probably not the best chemical to use to clean anything anymore." The initial commenter responded, "We knew it was bad back then but did it anyway."
Still, the story suggests effective cleaning options may already be at home. Isopropyl alcohol, distilled water, and other simpler ingredients can sometimes work just as well as buying a new specialty product.
Where can I learn more?
These stories take a closer look at stubborn residue and safer appliance care.
• At home, a non-toxic adhesive remover cleared sticky jar residue without harsher chemicals.
• A warm water soak lifted stubborn label glue from old jars.
• With vinegar, stainless steel appliances lost greasy smudges and fingerprints without specialty sprays.
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