August Kitchen Maintenance To-Do: Clean the Refrigerator Coils

The dog days of summer are barking and Labor Day is just around the bend, signaling the end of yet another epic season in the sun. But before you give your flamingo pool float one last hurrah, take a break with some home maintenance prep for the changing season ahead. And some home maintenance tasks, like checking and cleaning some of your larger Kitchen Appliances, are best tackled in the late Summer months, before temperatures start dipping.

Did you know that you can save as much as $100 a year on your power bill by vacuuming the refrigerator coils regularly?  It’s true!  And since your refrigerator has been working even harder to keep things cool during the hot summer months, Summer is a great time to clean those suckers so they’ll work more efficiently.

The coils can often be found in the back of the refrigerator, and if this is the case for you, you’re lucky, because they’re easier to reach. So, if the refrigerator coils are on the back, you simply pull the fridge out from the wall to allow access, then clean them using a vacuum cleaner brush attachment.

Now, if your refrigerator has the harder to reach coils located underneath the unit behind the kickplate, here’s how to proceed:

• Cover one end of a cardboard gift wrapping tube with duct tape.
• Punch holes in the side of the tube.
• Attach the open end of the tube to a vacuum cleaner.
• Remove the kickplate on the refrigerator.
• Turn the vacuum on and run the cardboard tube back and forth under the fridge to vacuum out any dust bunnies.

Safety First! Regardless of where your refrigerator’s coils are located, be sure to unplug your fridge any time you’re moving it or vacuuming the coils.

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