Your refrigerator has lungs. Sort of.
Dust and pet hair collect around condenser coils or ventilation areas on some refrigerators, which makes the appliance work harder than it should.
LaLa's 60-second version of this is coming.
Watch it here, or on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram or Pinterest.
The 30-second version
- 1.Your refrigerator has lungs. Sort of.
- 2.Find your coils.
- 3.Unplug it.
- 4.Pop the grille or pull it out.
- 5.Brush, then vacuum.
- 6.If the refrigerator still isn't holding temperature after clean coils, or you hear the compressor cycling constantly, that's a sealed-system or a fan issue. Call an appliance tech.
Short on time? That's the whole thing. #DidYouCleanThat
Check
- Condenser coils
- Ventilation grille
- Drip pan
- Door gaskets
01 — The problem
Your refrigerator dumps heat through its coils. When those coils are wearing a coat of dust and dog hair, the heat has nowhere to go, so the compressor runs longer and longer.
02 — Why you should care
- Higher electric bills for the exact same cold.
- The compressor is the expensive part, and it's the part you're wearing out.
- Food doesn't hold temperature as well.
- This is a fifteen-minute job standing between you and a new refrigerator.
“We are not buying a new refrigerator because nobody vacuumed underneath the old one.”
03 — What you need
- Your appliance manual, because coil locations vary
- A refrigerator coil brush
- A vacuum with a hose
- A flashlight
04 — How to do it
- 01Find your coils.Look in the manual. Some are behind a kick plate at the bottom front, some are on the back, and some newer models are sealed and not meant to be serviced.
- 02Unplug it.Not negotiable. You're putting a brush near a motor.
- 03Pop the grille or pull it out.Bottom grilles usually unclip. If it's a back-coil model, walk it out from the wall slowly.
- 04Brush, then vacuum.Work the coil brush gently through the fins, then vacuum up what falls. Do the floor underneath while you're down there.
- 05Wipe the door gaskets.Warm soapy water, then dry. A gasket that seals is free efficiency.
- 06Plug it back in and push it back.Leave the manufacturer's clearance behind the unit. It needs to breathe.
05 — Don't do this
- Don't bend the coil fins. Brush along them, not across.
- Don't spray water or cleaner into the coils.
- Don't do this with the unit plugged in.
- Don't force a sealed unit open because a video told you to.
06 — Know when to stop
If the refrigerator still isn't holding temperature after clean coils, or you hear the compressor cycling constantly, that's a sealed-system or a fan issue. Call an appliance tech.
07 — LaLa's pick
If LaLa says it works, it works. Nothing gets the seal until she's used it.
Refrigerator coil brush
Long, thin and flexible enough to reach the back of the coil pack.
Shop vacuum with hose
A household vacuum wand rarely gets under there.
Questions people actually ask
- How often should you clean refrigerator coils?
- Twice a year is plenty for most homes. Every three or four months if you have shedding pets.
- Where are the condenser coils on a refrigerator?
- It depends on the model. Check your manual: common locations are behind a bottom front kick plate or on the back panel.
While we're at it
08 — Ask LaLa™
Still stuck on this one?
Try something like “My refrigerator runs constantly.” and tell her what's actually happening.