Pro Handyman Blog

You don’t need a handyman to clean the coils on your refrigerator. This is a five minute job and will help your fridge run better and more efficiently. You will need a coil brush and a vacuum to suck out the debris is loosens.

These coils cool and condense the refrigerant for your refrigerator. On a standard fridge, they are found either on the bottom or running across the back of the unit. If they run across the back, you will need to pull the fridge out from the wall. If they are on the bottom, you will have to remove the grill to access them. The grill will probably just pop out, but you may need to remove a few screws. It’s a good idea to unplug the refrigerator while you work on it.

Use a coil brush and gently run it across the coils. It will collect some of the dirt and debris, and the rest will fall to the floor. This is where the vacuum comes in. Use the skinny nozzle attachment and suck up any debris laying on the floor or clinging to the coil area.

While you have the tools out, you might as well check the condenser fan and clean it too. If your fridge has the coils on the bottom of the unit, pull the fridge out from the wall and remove the back cover at the bottom. You will see the fan near the condenser. This fan blows across the coils keeping them cool, but it can get clogged up with debris as well. Clean it and vacuum it out and make sure it runs properly.

You should probably do this twice a year or more if you have pets that shed.