If you don't regularly service and clean your refrigerator, it is bound to become less efficient over the years. Most people will clean out their refrigerator every once in a while to make sure everything is being evenly cooled, and defrost it when necessary. However, there are a few other refrigerator repairs that are only a slightly more complicated. Cleaning your evaporator system is one of the easiest, yet most effective DIY jobs. This article explains how to best clean the evaporator system in a traditional refrigerator.

Before you Get Started

First of all, you need access the evaporator from the inside of the refrigerator. The job might take an hour or two, and you need to unplug the unit. So, the first thing your need to worry about is what to do with the food while you are working on your system. Once you have that sorted out, you can start to work on your evaporator system.

Finding the Evaporator

The evaporator is easy to find because it is usually on the back wall. Look for a removable panel with vents. Most panels can be removed by popping them off with a flathead screwdriver. Once you pop off the panel you should notice a few of the main elements, like the fan and the evaporator coils. At this point, double check to make sure your refrigerator is unplugged.

What to Clean

The most important things to clean within your evaporator system are the fan and coils, but it is helpful to clean out the entire compartment. Any dust or dirt build up within the evaporator compartment can be moved around by the fan, so you want to get it all out. Start off by sucking out the loose dust with a hose vacuum. Because of moisture, some of the dust will be caked on and stuck to the surfaces. If this is the case, just wipe it down with a wet rag or mild cleaner. Don't spray directly onto any of the surface with cleaners.

You need to be particularly careful when cleaning the evaporator coils. The coils are made out of fragile copper which can bend and break under too much pressure. You shouldn't apply too much pressure while wiping them down. You might need a tiny scrub brushes to wipe away any dust between the individual coils. Just remember to be delicate.

Cleaning your refrigerator's evaporator system is simple work, but it could hugely increase the efficiency of your unit.