Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Home Maintenance: Refrigerator Coils


Remember how we're supposed to vacuum the coils of the refrigerator every year (mine somewhat more often, for reasons you see above- that's about 5 months of dirt)? How many people actually back the thing away from the wall to do it? How efficiently can it run with that many dust bunnies?
Our refrigerator came with the house. It is a festive harvest gold that matches the orange, yellow, and green-brick faux vinyl on the floor. The coils are UNDERNEATH, which is really bad for accumulation of dust bunnies, and probably for efficiency. But the ice maker still works.
It is also easier to clean than a new one with coils on the back. I don't have to move the whole thing, just remove the bottom panel and use the long, skinny vacuum cleaner attachment to remove as much dust as possible. And repeat frequently for best results. 
Here's the "after" shot. Some dust is stuck to the insulation up top, and in places the wand didn't reach well, but it looks a lot better. Home maintenance is a good thing to do when the weather allows little else. Tomorrow: SNOW PICS!

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