Inside: Cleaning the fridge coils not only helps keep your house cleaner but also saves you money! See how to clean refrigerator coils like a pro. Help prolong the life of your refrigerator.
I love finding new ways to save or make money. Especially when I don’t have to sacrifice anything except a bit of my time. So every couple of months I take the time to clean my refrigerator coils. It’s one of those jobs that isn’t a lot of fun, but it is so satisfying to see the difference cleaning the fridge coils makes.
Cleaning refrigerator coils helps to keep your electric bill down too. An inefficient running fridge can cost you an extra $5-$10 dollars a month. It’s easily worth 30 minutes of my time every couple of months to save $60 to $120 dollars a year. It’s not that hard to clean under the fridge. You just need some time, a vacuum, and a wand like this. Check out how to clean refrigerator coils like a pro.
You will want to start by turning off the power to the fridge. You can either unplug it or just turn it off at the breaker. My cord is hard to reach, so I just turn off the breaker. Then you will want to remove the panel at the bottom of your fridge so you can access your coils. If yours is anything like mine it has dust, dog hair, and stuff spilled on it.
Wash or wipe down the panel and leave it to dry. Then you will want to vacuum what you can of the coils. I can usually only reach the very front coils with my vacuum, but I still get so much dust from vacuuming them.
Once you have what you can clean with the vacuum then use the wand to clean the dust from the rest of the coils. Gently feed the wand under the fridge and move it around over a few of the coils. Remove the wand, clean off all of the dust and feed the wand under the fridge again. You will need to repeat this process many times.
Usually I get out huge chunks of dust bunnies this way. I think they are more dust monsters then bunnies. 😉 It’s always amazing how much I can remove from under the fridge when I clean refrigerator coils.
Once you feel like you have most of the dust out you can vacuum one more time under the fridge. Snap the cover back on to the fridge.
If your fridge is easy to move you can pull it out from the wall to wipe down the sides. I am always amazed at how dirty my sides get since they aren’t exposed to anything. This is just the dirt from one side!
While the fridge is pulled out I recommend vacuuming and mopping the floor under the fridge. The dust bunnies always seem to mix with moisture and stick to the floor. Once the floor is clean gently push the fridge back into place and turn back on the breaker.
It has only been a couple of months since I last cleaned the fridge coils and this is the dust I cleaned up. It is amazing how much is there.
Cleaning the fridge coils not only helps keep your house cleaner but also saves you money! You will save money on your electric bill and help prolong the life of your refrigerator. What dirty jobs do you do to save money?
Want to clean other appliances? Check out how to clean a dishwasher.
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CONNIE KLINE says
August 20 at 5:46 amTHANKS FOR THE ADVICE. I’m ORDERING ONE THE WANDS TODAY!
Bob says
September 7 at 10:51 pmI found that using a snow scraper, the cheap wood ones work great. They are thin to get under he fridge and when you turn it the brush part cleans the coils very well.
Julie says
September 8 at 2:32 pmI will have to try that next time. Thanks for the tip.
John V. Karavitis says
September 8 at 8:39 amGreat article. Just curious, do you have a point where you would definitely replace your refrigerator, even if it works just fine? My current fridge is 29 years old.
Thank you.
John V. Karavitis
Julie says
September 8 at 2:33 pmI have found that newer appliances don’t last as long as the older models do. You may pay a little more each month for electric, but I say hold on to it until it dies.
César Medellin says
September 8 at 2:23 pmNice idea .
Julie says
September 8 at 2:31 pmThanks!