How to reverse the swing of a refrigerator door

If you have ever needed to change the direction your refrigerator door opens - for remodeling projects, buying new appliances or for any other reason - this is how you do it!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• phillips head or flat heat screwdriver
• socket set
• socket wrench

1. Process is for an upper and lower fridge configuration. Unplug your refrigerator. You do not have to unpack the food, as this is a fast process, but you can if you want.

2. 
    

   Check the top of your refrigerator to see if there are plastic plugs on the side of the fridge that you want to change the doors to swing from. If there are plastic plugs on the non-hinged side, you can reverse the swing of your doors.

3. Remove the top hinge cover, and then unscrew the top hinge or unbolt it.

4. 
    

   Once you have removed the top hinge, lift the door off of its lower hinge, and set it down gently.

5. You now have to remove the center hinge that will be exposed and is holding the lower door in place from the top. Unscrew the screws or the bolts holding this in place.

6. Once you have removed the middle hinge, you can now lift the door off of the bottom hinge. Set it down gently.

7. Remove the bottom hinge from the refrigerator by unscrewing it or unbolting it.

8. With the doors off of the refrigerator, you can now move the handles to the other side of each door. You may have to gently remove some trim from the top and bottom of the door to remove the handles, but you will find screws or bolts under the trim, and the handles come off pretty easily.

9. Reattach the handles on the opposite side of the doors and replace the trim.

10. Remount the hinges exactly as you took them off on the other side of each door and the other side of the refrigerator. Remember to take out the plastic plugs, and also start at the bottom of the fridge and work up. Put the bottom hinge on first.

11. Remount the lower door onto the bottom hinge and line up the center hinge. Remount the center hinge.

12. Remount the top door onto the center hinge and line up the top hinge. Remount the top hinge, replace the top cover, put the plastic plugs in the opposite side.

13. Get yourself a cold Soda, because you are done.