How to Clean Refrigerator Water Filter: Everything You Need to Know

Are you wondering how to clean refrigerator water filter? Are there ways to clean the fridge water filter?

Is vinegar can help you to clean your refrigerator water filter? If you don’t have the answers to these questions you’re in the right place.

Refrigerator water filters have become commonplace in many homes, as they are meant to filter out leftover contaminants in our water at an inexpensive price while not taking up any space in the kitchen.

A fridge water filter, like Water Drop, uses a coconut-activated carbon block filter which can effectively reduce contaminants in water.

they mainly just cover up bad tastes and smells in water and cannot be relied on to actually remove all particles and bacteria that may be harmful to anyone drinking that water.

More so, waterborne bacteria need fungus and moisture to survive, making your refrigerator water filter the perfect place for them to bloom.

We’ll show you how to save hundreds of dollars over the years by easily cleaning and reusing your refrigerator water filters for the cost of a container of distilled white vinegar.

Instead of buying and replacing water filters each month, we’ll show you the way to clean your fridge water filter without buying a new one.

So in this article, we’ll show you how to clean refrigerator water filter with white cooking vinegar.

How to clean refrigerator water filter

What are Items you will need?

  • White vinegar cooking
  • A tray or a container
  • Cup or pitcher

We’ll use white vinegar cooking to dissolve and remove mineral deposits inside the filter.

Before we start:

  • Make sure your refrigerator is unplugged.
  • We recommend that you not use an industrial cleaning vinegar use only white vinegar cooking.

Why you should clean your refrigerator water filter?

If you use the same filter for a long time, it won’t filter out pollutants and other debris. If bacteria and minerals get through the filter, you’ll find that the water in the fridge won’t taste good, the ice won’t smell good, and eventually, the filter will clog up.

A clogged water filter can lead to other problems with the refrigerator, including low ice production and lowered water pressure in the water dispenser. So you need to clean your refrigerator water filter regularly.

How to clean refrigerator water filter with white vinegar cooking?

Step1. Remove the water filter from the fridge.

Most water filters on the elite fridge are located inside the refrigerator on the top back of the refrigerator, the upper-left corner of the inside refrigerator.

  1. push within the button both sides of the water filter cover and it just snaps out of place. And then you have the water filter.

Note: replacing the filter causes a small amount of water (around oz, or 25 cc) to drain.

  • Place a cup under the filter hole to catch any waste.
  • Pull the cartridge (old water filter) downward.
  • Pull out the filter cartridge (water filter).

Note: when opened at the full angle the cartridge should easily come out

Once you remove the refrigerator water filter.

Step2. Clean the refrigerator water filter.

  1. Place the water filter into the container or tray or small bucket.

the idea is to use a container that is similar in size to your filter so you don’t waste a lot of vinegar.

  • open up your bottle of white distilled cooking vinegar.
  • fill the container to the top of the filter  till the filter is completely submerged.
  • push the filter to the bottom so it is totally submerged

in my case, I used about a third of the bottle of vinegar so the bottle would be good for about three filter cleanings and will last me approximately one year.

  • let the soak for at least 24 hours.

after letting the filter soak in fresh water for one day clean it a couple of times to flush out as much of the white vinegar as possible.

while doing this it’s a good idea to determine if you can taste any of the vinegar in the water before you place the filter back into the refrigerator.

it’s important to flush out as much of the white vinegar as possible so it cannot contaminate your ice cubes

and drinking water.

Step3. Reinstall refrigerator water filter

  • Push the water filter into the manifold hole until it stops.
  • Firmly lock in the cover will click on back into place.

Step4. Flush out of the filter

Flush all of the vinegar out of the refrigerator.

dispense some water for a taste you’ll taste that vinegar taste in the water with a small amount of vinegar in the water system.

Follow these steps below to flush your water filter and all of the vinegar out of the refrigerator:

How to flush refrigerator water filter?

first step:

  1. prepare a large pitcher or a container which fits well into the water dispenser.
  • place a large cloth or towel on the floor next to the refrigerator to absorb the water spills.

Second step:

  1. put the container under the water spout.
  • press the dispenser button to fill the container.

Third step:

  1. pour the water directly down the drain.

you can also collect the water for watering plants they will benefit from these tiny black specks

fourth step:

  1. repeat  secend step and third step after running three to five gallons of water

with the filter reconditioned I expect it to last another four to five months before it needs to be cleaned again.

How often should you clean your refrigerator water filter?

In general, it is recommended to replace and clean your refrigerator water filter every six months or so, depending on how they are used. So you should check to see if your filter is clean, maintained, or replaced every 3 months.

In the absence of significant damage to the filter or any of its components. Usually, you can clean your filters every 6 months to extend their life.

After all, you want your water to be healthy, and sacrificing your health for the sake of using your filter for a few more months isn’t the wisest thing to do.

However, if the filter is in good condition, you can clean it and put it back in place.

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