1. Prepare the Door Seal

Door seals are usually folded to fit into the packaging they come in. This means the door seal will need to be unfolded and the twists and kinks removed before you can fit it to the refrigerator.

Lay the door seal out on a flat, sturdy surface, and leave it for 24 hours. This will help the door seal to return to its proper shape and form.

2. Heat the Door Seal

To get rid of kinks and folds in the door seal, heat from a blow dryer, set on low, can be applied to the door seal. This will make it easier to put the door seal on the refrigerator. Blow-dry the door seal while using your fingers to straighten it out and remove folds. Soaking the door seal in a tub or sink filled with hot water can also be used to prepare it for installation.

3. Clean the Area

Before fitting the new door seal, clean and dry the area on the refrigerator where the new seal will go. This will help the new door seal to stick to the door.

4. Attach the Door Seal

There are three common styles of door seals. The first style is easier to apply, as it simply pushes into a groove around the perimeter of the door. Use your fingers to push firmly on the door seal and fit it to the refrigerator door.

Another style of door seal fits behind the liner on the door and is held by a retainer lip. You can use your fingers to push firmly and attach it to the lip. This style of door seal requires a little more effort to get it to fit and attach but is also relatively easy to install.

The third style of door seal requires screws around the door liner to be loosened so that the door seal can be fitted between the outer and inner door panels. After loosening the screws, position the new door seal at the top of the door. Start in the top corners, fit the door seal, and then move on to the bottom half.

5. Check the Door Seal

When the door seal installation is complete, close the door and check that the seal seals evenly around the door. Look closely at each section of the door seal, checking for places where the door seal may not have attached correctly. If you find any issues, you can use a blow dryer to apply a low heat and then smooth out the sections with your fingers.A lubricant, such as silicone grease or vaseline, can also be applied to help fit the door seal correctly and stop it from folding in when the door is closed. If there are still sections of the door seal that are not fitting correctly, with time, the pull generated by the magnetic strip should help correct the issue. It may take a few days for this process to work.