Your refrigerator’s coils work to compress and cool the refrigerant chemical in the appliance. Dirt, dust and pet hair can accumulate on a refrigerator’s condenser coils, which makes them work less efficiently. Try to clean them every six months by using a brush and vacuum cleaner to keep the machine working efficiently. If you have dogs or cats who shed hair frequently, it may be best to complete this chore more often. The whole process should take less than an hour.

How to Clean the Refrigerator Coils

It’s safer to first unplug your refrigerator before cleaning, to eliminate the electrical current to your appliance.

Next, identify the location of your coils. They’ll either be in the front below the door, or at the bottom of the rear of the refrigerator. If they’re behind the fridge, you’ll need to roll it out from the wall to access. To check, look for the horizontal lines of your grille vents. Once you locate the grille, unsnap it from the refrigerator with a simple tug.

With the grille free, you’ll see thin, metal bars spaced about an inch apart. These are your coils. Clean them with three easy steps:

1. Brush Free Debris

Use a soft-bristle brush in long strokes across the coils, both vertically and horizontally to loosen dust and debris. Appliance parts stores sell coil cleaning brushes designed for the job, but you can also use a paint brush or even a rag.

2. Vacuum the Debris

After loosening the build-up, use a dust buster or your vacuum’s detachable hose to pick up the dust and debris.

3. Reattach Grille, Plug Back in the Refrigerator

Once finished, reattach the grill in front of the coils. Then, don’t forget to plug back in your refrigerator!

Have you noticed your refrigerator not cooling as well as it used to? Don’t panic. It could be a simple fix. The best thing to do is schedule a maintenance check-up with a professional appliance repair technician to assess the overall performance of the appliance. Doing this could help cut your electric bill by making your refrigerator run more efficiently. Doing a simple maintenance check could also extend the life of the appliance. CLICK HERE to make an appointment online for service on your schedule.