How to clean refrigerator condenser coils

Updated October 10, 2026. By the OakTend team.

The condenser coils give off the heat your refrigerator pulls out of the food compartments. Cleaning them means brushing and vacuuming off the dust and pet hair that settle on them.

How often: Whirlpool says to clean them regularly, as often as every other month in a greasy or dusty spot (GE names the garage) or a home with pets. GE says most of its refrigerators made since 2001 have a sealed condenser that never needs cleaning.
What you need: Refrigerator coil brush, Vacuum with a brush attachment, Screwdriver, if the base grille is screwed on, Flashlight

Why it matters

ENERGY STAR lists clean coils, room for air behind the fridge and a setting of 35 to 38 degrees among its tips for running a refrigerator efficiently.

Steps

Check your manual to see whether your model has coils to clean and where they are: behind the base grille at the bottom front, on the back, or on top.
Unplug the refrigerator.
Bottom coils: take off the base grille and slide the coil brush in to loosen the dust.
Back coils: pull the fridge out from the wall slowly, minding any water line, and brush the coils.
Vacuum up the loosened dust, the grille and the floor underneath.
Put the grille back, push the fridge back with a few inches of space behind it, and plug it in.

When to call a pro

If the fridge still runs warm or runs nonstop after the coils are clean, call an appliance repair technician. Anything involving the refrigerant needs a certified technician.

Safety

Brush gently: the coils and the thin tubing around them bend easily, and a bent tube is a repair call.

General information, not professional advice. Your equipment's manual comes first when it says something different.

Sources

Whirlpool: cleaning the condenser
Clean coils regularly, as often as every other month in greasy or dusty homes or with pets; unplug, remove the base grille and vacuum the grille and coil.
GE Appliances: refrigerator, cleaning condenser coils
Coils sit behind the base grille, on the back or on top; clean more often with shedding pets or in a dusty spot such as a garage; always unplug first; use a coil brush; most models made since 2001 have a condenser that needs no cleaning.
ENERGY STAR: appliances brochure
Keep the fridge at 35 to 38 degrees, leave a few inches between it and the wall, keep the coils clean on older models and read the manual on how to clean them safely.