The refrigerator is meant to cool the food you put inside, so when it’s not doing it, you have a problem and should address it immediately.

Is your fridge not cooling? There are a number of ways to fix it as given by commercial appliances repair professionals:

Set the temperature control properly

You might think your unit has a serious problem, but all you need to do is set the temperature control. In most cases, the kids are the ones that mess up the controls, so if you have them in your home, this is the first place you should check.

If the temperature isn’t where it should be, set it properly. While at it, check the freezer as it might have separate controls.

Even after making the changes, don’t expect the temperature in the fridge to change immediately—give it at least an entire day for it to stabilize.

You might be wondering what is the ideal refrigerator temperature, right? Well, the FDA recommends that you keep your fridge at 40 F or lower. For the freezer, keep it at 0 F or lower.

Instead of relying on the internal temperature gauges, consider buying an appliance thermometer that will help you keep tabs on the true fridge temperature.

Clean the condenser coils

Every refrigerator comes with condenser coils that are filled with refrigerant. Over time, the coils get caked with dust, hair, or even pet fur, reducing their ability to keep the fridge as cold as possible.

You should clean the coils using a condenser brush and vacuum to suck up the loosened dust.

To do the cleaning, you need to unlatch the anti-tip brackets at the exterior bottom-front of the cabinet, carefully slide the fridge out, and clean the coils. As you are cleaning, take care not to bend them as you can easily lender them ineffective.

To prevent dust from adhering to the coils in the future to the extent of preventing the fridge from cooling as well as it should, make it a habit to clean the coils at least once or twice a year.

Remove the food items blocking the air vents.

Air vents run between the refrigerator and freezer compartments, where the cold air circulates.

Unfortunately, food items block the airflow leading to inconsistent temperatures in the refrigerated compartment.

To fix the problem, locate the air vents and remove the clogging food items. Depending on the brand and model of the fridge, the vents could be located along the inside back wall or along the sidewall. You will need to check the owner’s manual to know where they are.

You should then remove any items that might be clogging the vents.

To prevent the food items from clogging your vents in the future, avoid packing your fridge too tightly.

Besides food, frost can also build up in your freezer and block the air vents, reducing or even preventing cold air from reaching the refrigerator compartment.

To clear the air vents, you should unplug the fridge and open the freezer door to allow frost to melt. Once the frost has melted, unplug the refrigerator back in, and now it should cool better.

You should note that the freezer can take the entire day to defrost, especially if it is heavily frosted, so always think about where you will store the perishable food items. For example, you can store them in your neighbor’s fridge.

Parting shot

These are some of the ways you can fix a refrigerator that isn’t cooling. If you do all the above and still the fridge isn’t cooling, consider having experienced commercial refrigerator services Tysons Corner look at it as it could be having more complex issues.