Plain House Manual

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Chapter 01Records · Know-how

Where to find the model and serial number on each appliance

Quick answer

Open the door first. Most labels sit somewhere you only see with a door or lid open. On a refrigerator, look on a side wall inside the fresh-food section. On a dishwasher, check the tub frame or the edge of the door. On a range, try the oven frame or the storage drawer. On washers and dryers, look around the door opening or under the lid. The label lists two numbers. The model number names the product line, and the serial number belongs to your one machine.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, dishwasher model tag, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, range model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

A hand touching the inside edge of an open dishwasher door
Example161 days leftRefrigerator warranty on October 5, 2026

Open the door, then look

Makers put the label where it stays clean and out of sight. Whirlpool's list puts most of them behind a door, under a lid or on a drawer frame. You won't find it standing in front of the closed machine.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026.

The label goes by different names: rating label, data plate, model tag. They all mean the same sticker or metal plate, and it has both numbers you need for the log.

Kitchen appliances

123456 RefrigeratorDishwasherMicrowaveRangeCooktop 1 Inside the fresh-food side wall 2 Tub frame or door edge 3 Oven frame, door open 4 Storage drawer frame 5 Front frame, door open 6 Rating plate underneath
Fig. 1Kitchen appliances and where the maker pages say to look first. Your model can differ, so check the next spot on the list.
  • Refrigerator: inside the fresh-food compartment, on a side wall near the top. Whirlpool says the left side on top-freezer and bottom-freezer models, and the right side on side-by-sides.
  • Dishwasher: open the door and look along the tub frame. Whirlpool puts it on the left side of the frame. GE lists the left or right front inside edge, or the right side edge of the door.
  • Range: on the oven frame with the door open, or on the frame of the storage drawer. GE lists seven possible spots on its ranges, including the left leg behind the drawer or kick panel.
  • Over-the-range microwave: on the front frame when the door is open. GE also lists the left inside wall, the bottom near the back, or the back.
  • Cooktop: on the rating plate on the underside. If you can't see it without taking the cooktop out, check the manual or the original paperwork instead.
  • Garbage disposal: on the bottom of the back of the unit, under the sink.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, dishwasher model tag, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, range model tag, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, microwave model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

A hand pointing at a label behind the open lower drawer of a range
Most kitchen labels sit just inside a door or drawer. Open it and look along the frame.

Laundry

Front-load washerTop-load washerDryer Door open, rim of the openingLid up, on the tub rimDoor open, inside the front
Fig. 2Laundry: open the door or lift the lid, then look around the opening.
  • Front-load washer: inside the door, on the rim of the opening.
  • Top-load washer: lift the lid and look on the tub rim.
  • Dryer: inside the door on the rim of the opening, per Whirlpool. GE says the inside front face of the drum compartment, on the left or right side, with the door open.
  • Pedestal drawer: on the drawer, on the inside or outside wall. It has its own numbers, separate from the washer's.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, dryer model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

Model number or serial number?

SAMPLE RATING LABEL MODEL NO. AB123CDEF4GH SERIAL NO. XY4567890 QR code (newer tags) Model number Names the product line. Same on every unit sold. Serial number Belongs to your one machine. No two are alike. Made-up numbers for illustration. Copy yours exactly, letters and all.
Fig. 3A made-up label showing the two numbers you need. The model number is shared by every unit of that product; the serial number is yours alone.

The model number is the product. Every unit of that model shares it, and it is what you type in to find a manual or a part. The serial number belongs to your one machine, and no two are alike. A maker asks for it when you register a product or call about a warranty.

GE says its model numbers always begin with a letter. If the number you copied starts with a digit, it may be the serial number, or a letter got misread.

Source: GE Appliances, range model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

Scan it if you can

Some newer GE tags carry a QR code. Scan it with your phone camera and it opens that product's page, which shows the model number spelled out.

Source: GE Appliances, range model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

Copy it right the first time

  1. Find the label

    Open the door, lid or drawer and run a flashlight along the frame. Check the spots above in order.

  2. Photograph it

    Take a sharp photo straight on, with the whole label in the frame. Then you can copy it at a table instead of bending into the dishwasher.

  3. Copy every character

    Include letters, dashes and slashes. Watch the look-alikes: 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S, 8 and B.

  4. Check it against the maker

    Type the model number into the maker's manual search. If a manual comes up, you copied it right.

  5. Log it

    Enter both numbers in the appliance log, one row per machine, and print the sheet for the drawer.

Source: GE Appliances, manuals by model number, checked October 7, 2026.

Let the tool do the arithmeticAppliance and warranty logType in the model, serial number and purchase date. It works out when each warranty ends and prints one page for the drawer.Example: 161 days left (Refrigerator warranty on October 5, 2026)Open the tool

When you can't find it

  • Check the other spots on the list. Makers move labels between product lines.
  • Look at the owner's manual, the receipt, the order email or the box if it's still in the garage. All of them often show the model number.
  • If the only label is behind a panel that needs tools, a removed drawer or a pulled-out cooktop, stop there. Write label not reached in the log and fill it in at the next service visit.
  • A worn label can still read in a photo. Try the flash, then try a side light.

Checklist to print

Tick each one as you photograph its label:

  • Refrigerator: fresh-food side wall, near the top
  • Freezer: inside side wall
  • Dishwasher: tub frame or door edge
  • Range: oven frame or storage drawer
  • Microwave: front frame with the door open
  • Cooktop: underside plate, or the manual
  • Disposal: bottom of the back, under the sink
  • Washer: door rim or tub rim under the lid
  • Dryer: inside the door opening
  • Each number copied in full, letters and dashes
  • Model numbers checked in the maker's manual search
  • Both numbers entered in the appliance log

Open the printable checklist

Model and serial number hunt

Tips and tricks

  • Tip 01

    Photograph before you clean

    Degreaser and scrubbing pads wear printed labels. Take the photo before you deep-clean a new-to-you kitchen.

  • Tip 02

    Name the photos

    Rename each label photo with the appliance and room, like fridge-kitchen. A folder of photos with camera numbers for names is hard to search later.

  • Tip 03

    Do the pedestal too

    Pedestal drawers, ice makers and stacking kits often carry their own label. Give them their own rows if they have one.

  • Tip 04

    Mind the look-alikes

    When a character could be a letter or a number, zoom in on the photo and compare it with a character you're sure of on the same label.

What we would do

Do every appliance in one pass

Pick one evening with a flashlight and your phone, go room to room and photograph every label, then type them all into the log at the table. Doing them all together beats hunting for one number the day something breaks.

Questions

Where is the model number on a refrigerator?

Inside the fresh-food compartment, on a side wall near the top. Whirlpool says the left side on top-freezer and bottom-freezer models and the right side on side-by-sides.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026.

Where is the serial number on a dishwasher?

On the same label as the model number. Open the door and look along the tub frame or the edge of the door.

Source: Whirlpool, model and serial locations, checked October 7, 2026; GE Appliances, dishwasher model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

What is the difference between a model number and a serial number?

The model number names the product, and every unit of it shares that number. The serial number identifies your one machine. You use the model number to find manuals and parts. Makers ask for the serial number when you register a product or call about a warranty.

Is there a way to read the label without bending into the appliance?

Take a photo of it with your phone and copy the numbers from the photo. Some newer GE labels also have a QR code that opens the product's page.

Source: GE Appliances, range model tag, checked October 7, 2026.

The label is gone. What now?

Look for the model number on the manual, receipt, order email or box. If none of those survive, write label missing in your log and ask for the number at the next service visit.

Part of a system

This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.

The tool and more guides

Sources

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.

Photos: Alex Tyson / Unsplash, Pickawood / Unsplash, Spacejoy / Unsplash and 2 more, see photo credits