There are lots of malfunctions that can take the chill out of your fridge. One common cause of suddenly soft ice cream or warm juice is a simple loss of electricity. If the light doesn’t come on when you open the fridge door, make sure the fridge is plugged in and check the breaker panel. If the fridge runs but doesn’t get cold enough, chances are one of the following fixes will restore the chill.
1. Check the temperature control dial. The temperature control dial inside the fridge is sometimes irresistible to curious kids. Make sure it hasn’t been turned way down. Adjust the temperature control dial.
2. Make sure the vents inside the fridge or freezer compartment aren’t blocked by containers. These little vents on frost-free fridges allow air to circulate in the freezer. Don’t block them or let crumbs or twist ties get sucked in around the evaporator fan or clog the drain tube. To help save energy, keep your freezer about three-quarters full to retain cold air. But don’t pack it any fuller—the air needs to circulate.
3. Shut off power to the refrigerator. Clean the coils with a coil-cleaning brush and vacuum so air can flow through them. In order for your fridge to create a chill, air has to flow freely through the condenser coils. A coil-cleaning brush, which is bendable to fit in tight areas, does a thorough job.
COIL CLEANING BRUSH
4. With refrigerator off, free up the condenser fan. Pull out the fridge and unscrew the cover panel. Vacuum the fan. Then start the refrigerator to make sure the fan turns freely.