If you are tired of banging your cabinets up every time you open the refrigerator door, then get ready to spend an hour, or call your handyman, to forever rid yourself of that headache. You can reverse the swing of your refrigerator’s door so that the hinges are mounted on the opposite side than they currently are. This fix is good for units that have a top and bottom configuration, for example, the freezer is on top and the refrigerator is on the bottom.
Your refrigerator is made so that you can move the handles and hinges from one side to the other with minimal effort. Each door is held in place with brackets on top and bottom, and you’ll also notice symmetrical holes on each side. These holes fit the pattern of the brackets that hold the hinges and the handle. Whichever side doesn’t have the hardware screwed into it will have the plastic caps to cover the holes.
Before you start working, unplug the refrigerator to avoid getting shocked. Obviously, you must work fast to keep the food cold. Remove the food from the doors and place all edibles inside the compartments to preserve them, as well as to remove the weight from the door shelves while the doors themselves are loose.
You can remove the plastic caps with a standard screwdriver wrapped in masking tape (to avoid scratching the fridge). Hand on to them as you will insert them over the holes where the handles and hinges are currently.
Realize, too, that different refrigerators have different configurations and that some additional steps may be necessary, such as removing a drawer attached to the door.
Start with either door and remove the handle first. The handle may be attached just to the front of the door, or more likely it will be wrapped and secured to the top and bottom edges of the door. You will be able to remove the fasteners with a screwdriver, allen wrench, or hex-head driver. Now, transfer the decorative caps to the opposite side of the refrigerator to plug the new holes.
For the hinges, the bottom hinge will bear the brunt of the weight of the door, so start by removing the top hinge. Remove the screws that hold the hinge on and then you can lift the door off the post of the bottom hinge. On some doors, you may have to rotate the door 180-degrees and remove some trim pieces.
To reinstall the door, simply secure the bottom hinge into the holes that were previously covered by the caps. Once the bottom hinge is set, you can place the door onto the post of the bottom hinge. Straighten out the door and then secure the top hinge to both the door and the fridge. After that, just screw the handle back on the plug it back in.