How often should you clean your refrigerator condenser coils?

Dusty coils make the fridge work harder, wasting energy and risking failure.

A dust-blanketed condenser makes the compressor run substantially more, which raises running cost on an appliance that operates continuously. Sustained overheating is also the main thing that shortens compressor life, and a failed compressor generally means a new fridge.

1. Unplug the fridge. Not just switched off at the controls. Unplug it.
2. Find the coils. Either a black grille across the back, or underneath behind a removable kick plate at the front. Modern units are usually underneath.
3. Remove the kick plate. It usually unclips or is held by two screws.
4. Vacuum with a brush attachment. Work gently along the fins rather than across them. A refrigerator coil brush reaches further back than a vacuum nozzle.
5. Clean the condenser fan blades. On units with a fan, dust on the blades unbalances them and makes them noisy and inefficient.
6. Check and clean the drip tray. The evaporation tray above the compressor collects defrost water and can grow mould and smell.
7. Pull the unit out and vacuum behind it. While it is out, check the door seals by closing a sheet of paper in the door: if it pulls out easily, the seal has failed.
8. Leave clearance when you push it back. Manufacturers specify a gap at the back and sides. Pushing it flush against the wall defeats the coil you just cleaned.

• The motor running noticeably more often, or almost continuously
• The exterior sides or the back feeling hot rather than warm
• The fridge struggling to hold temperature, particularly in hot weather
• Visible dust or pet hair matted across the coils
• Frost building up inside a frost-free unit
• A rising electricity bill with no other explanation

• Not knowing the coils exist, which is genuinely common and means many fridges are never cleaned in their entire life
• Cleaning the coils but pushing the fridge back flush against the wall, removing the airflow clearance
• Using a stiff brush or a vacuum nozzle hard against the fins, which bends and closes them
• Ignoring the door seals, which are a bigger efficiency factor than most people expect

• Pets, particularly shedding cats and dogs, can make this a quarterly job
• Fridges in garages, basements or dusty utility rooms need it more often
• Units in hot kitchens or in direct sunlight work harder throughout
• Some newer units have sealed or inaccessible coils and do not require this at all, so check the manual

If the fridge still will not hold temperature after cleaning the coils and confirming the seals, the fault is in the sealed refrigerant system or the compressor, which needs a technician and is often not economic to repair on an older unit.