Chalkboard Freezer

While driving home one night I spotted a chest freezer sitting on the curb.  I have wanted a freezer for a while, but just did not want to spend the money.  I begged my husband to pick it up and he said no, it probably doesn’t work anyways.  I said that if it didn’t work then my dad could scrap it.  No, no, no he said.  But then he went and got it for me. Yay! 🙂

And guess what it works!  But it was beyond dirty…gross really.  Note: I made sure to plug it in and place a bowl of water in it to verify that it worked before attempting to clean it.

So the next morning armed with baking soda, a spray bottle with 2 cups of water, 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoons of dish soap, and a bleach mixture (3 parts water and 1 part bleach) I went out to the garage to clean the freezer.  With a lot of scrubbing and using a toothbrush along the seals, the freezer looks a lot better.

I decided that I wanted to paint the freezer using chalkboard paint for two reasons.  1) It will hide some of the stains that I could not remove and 2) I will be able to write on the freezer what is inside therefore I won’t lose food, hopefully!

I placed blue painters tape along the seals and around the control knobs of the freezer.  Then I painted two coats of magnetic primer and three coats of chalkboard paint as directed on the package.

I found that the paint went on very easily and in no time I had a chalkboard freezer.  I love the black color in my garage (it looks like a brand new freezer).

We have been using the freezer for a several months now and it is still working.  I love having the extra space, which means I can buy more when items are on sale!

What treasures have you picked up on the curb?