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How to Get Dents Out of Stainless Steel

Large rectangle, stainless steel, kitchen sink

Stainless steel appliances look good except when they start getting some dents. While stainless steel is strong, it is not invulnerable to pressure. When the right force hits your beautiful stainless-steel appliances, their good looks are diminished.

With the right amount of effort and the proper technique, you can get those dents out easily. You just have to take your time and do patient work. Soon you can get those top appliances looking good again.

To learn how to do this just keep reading our article. It has the information you need to know about to get the dents out of your expensive appliances.

How to Remove Dents from Stainless Steel

closeup of dent in a sheet of stainless steel

Each of the techniques described in this section may or may not work. It will depend on the type of dent you are working with, the thickness of the steel, and so on. Not all of these techniques will work all the time and you may need to call in a professional to help.

1. Push the Dent Out

Some dents are not that deep or that hard to remove. Simply pushing with your fingers or a rubber mallet will get the stainless-steel wall back to its original look. You can apply either heat or cold to help you, but the success rate is limited in this technique.

2. Plunger or Suction Cup Method

Someone removing a dent from a car door

The size of either tool will be determined by the size of the dent and appliance wall you are working on. Some dents are too small for a plunger so a suction cup would be the better tool to use. All you do in this method is:

  1. Wet the dented area to help form a strong seal
  2. Press the suction cup/plunger in the dent to form a tight seal
  3. Pull-on the plunger/suction cup gently but firmly
  4. Repeat if necessary

3. Use Pop-a-Dent

This may be a commercial product designed to handle different types of dents you encounter. It is easy to use, and you will need hot glue, a frame, and a suction cup. Those items may or may not be included in the kit.

Follow instructions to make sure you do this application right. Again, you will have to fit this kit to the dent size, and it may not work on all dents you have to remove.

4. Apply Cold Elements

Dry ice being held over a bowl with tongues.

The cold makes things contract and when they contract, they can return to their original shape. The cold source you use is up to you, but dry ice and computer cold air duster are the recommended options.

Spray the air duster or place the dry ice on the center of the dent. Then wait about two+ minutes before removing the elements. Sometimes you get instant results and other times you may have to repeat your work.

When using these two products you will need proper gloves to handle the dry ice and a well-ventilated room for the air duster.

5. Hair Dryer or Heat Gun

Hair dryer isolated on a white background.

Heat sources are good tools to use when popping dents out of stainless steel. The key is to get the dent so hot it is too hot to touch. When you get that level of heat, the dent should pop out.

Heat, like ice, helps the metal to contract and have it pull the dent out itself. The hairdryer may not get the metal hot enough so opt for the heat gun instead.

6. The Combination Method

When one of the above methods does not do the trick, combine it with the others on this list. A combination of pushing, cold, and heat may do the trick. As would heat, cold, and a suction cup or plunger.

You are not limited to using one at a time or only one method. You can use the methods or combination of methods that do the best job for you. Also, if you have dents in non-stainless-steel appliances or other metal surfaces, these methods will work for those problems as well.

If Nothing Works for You

Woman with short hair, wearing a yellow shirt and holding a pink phone in one hand while the other is thrown up as in confusion on a pink background,

If you have tried these methods and repeated the process several times, and the dent remains, then there is one last option you can try. You can replace the wall of the appliance that has the dent.

This may be costly, but it also may be your only option.

Some Final Words

Front view of a stainless steel dishwasher mounted under a counter top in a wood cabinet setting

These dent removal techniques are not difficult to do. Just do not be afraid to do them. All it takes is a little patient work, gentle but firm pulling or pushing, and the dent should go away.

There is no reason to rush through any of these methods so take your time and do the job right. Then if one does not work, try another, or combine them until it does get the dent out.

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