My fridge-freezer broke and, despite my DIY efforts to fix it, I had to finally get rid of it. It was a fully integrated appliance and was neatly tucked away in a large cabinet. I decided to replace the appliance with a free-standing one, rather than another integrated one. The decision was based on two factors; practicality and cost.

It was much cheaper to find a free-standing one because they're more common. Economy of scale I suppose. There are more of them made so they price is lower due to better mass production efficiency. The other thing is, they're easier to fix when they break.

I decided to repurpose the fridge-freezer cabinet as a pantry of sorts. Having sealed off all the holes in the back, including those going into the wall, cut through the plasterboard, I fitted a shelf (one that I'd had in storage anyway for a while). There was only one problem; the bottom door of the cabinet, that had previously been connected to the freezer part of the appliance, would not shut. I tried adjusting the hinge to no avail.

To resolve this problem, I decided to install one of these magnetic latches. I pondered other options, such as hooks, but the magnetic latch seemed the most elegant solution. I originally doubted the strength of the magnet but once it arrived and I tried it out prior to installation, I was quite impressed. In fact I thought the magnet was way too strong as it took some effort to dislodge the metallic plate from it.

Well, that's another little issue resolved with a little DIY. I have quite a few more of these little things all over the house to fix. One to the next one :)

Peace & Love,

Adé