Vacuum Your Refrigerator Coils and Cut Its Work in Half

Your refrigerator dumps the heat it removes through coils underneath or on the back — and those coils wear a blanket of dust and pet hair that makes the fridge run longer and louder.

How to clean them

1. Unplug the fridge or switch off its breaker.
2. Pop the front kick plate or pull the fridge out to reach the back coils (get a hand with this — fridges are heavy and floors scratch).
3. Vacuum the coils with a brush attachment, then a long coil brush to get between them.
4. Vacuum the floor under it while you're there, plug it back in, and push it home.

Every six months with pets, once a year without. The fridge runs quieter, cycles less, and the compressor — the expensive part — lives longer.