Is your refrigerator running? Then you better go clean it!

by Jen Ward

Your refrigerator is one of the only items in your house that runs nonstop. Cleaning the condenser coils is an essential maintenance task that can help your fridge run more efficiently and save on energy costs.

Refrigerator condenser coils dissipate heat, which keeps the food inside cool. They're located behind or underneath your refrigerator, and they're likely caked in dust, pet hair, and whatever else drifts across your kitchen floor.

When dust insulates them, the compressor works harder and longer to hit the same temperatures, which shows up on your electric bill and shortens the appliance's life. A refrigerator running with dirty coils can use 25–30% more energy than one that's maintained.

Cleaning them takes fifteen minutes. You need a vacuum with a brush attachment and, ideally, a coil brush (a long flexible brush you can find for about five dollars). That's it.

1. First, pull the fridge away from the wall and unplug it. Coils in older models are usually on the back as a black grid. In most modern refrigerators they're underneath, hidden behind a removable kick plate at the bottom front.

2. Pop off the plate, and you'll find them there.

3. Brush the coils from top to bottom to loosen debris, then vacuum everything up. If there's a fan near the coils, clear it too.

4. Plug the fridge back in, push it back into place.

If you'd like to see coil cleaning in action, check out this video.

Do this once or twice a year. Set a calendar reminder if you're the type to forget. Your refrigerator will run quieter, cool faster, and last longer. Fifteen minutes now versus a thousand-dollar appliance replacement in five years is not a hard trade-off to make.