During the last heatwave, my fridge started running nonstop and the freezer ice cream went soft around the edges. I panicked, called a repair guy, and he laughed at me. Your fridge is fine, he said. Your room is the problem.

A fridge has to work against the air around it. When the kitchen hits 95 degrees, the fridge works harder, and sometimes it loses the fight. Here is how to help it win.

Give the coils room to breathe

The condenser coils, usually on the back or bottom of the fridge, dump heat into the room. If they are packed against the wall or buried in dust, the heat has nowhere to go. Pull the fridge out and check the gap.

The repair guy vacuumed my coils and it made an immediate difference. Do it twice a year, more if you have pets. Hair and dust on the coils act like a blanket.

Do not crowd the vents

Fridges push warm air out through vents, usually at the front bottom or the sides. Keep 2 to 3 inches of clearance on the sides and top. Cramming the fridge into a tight cabinet space makes it work harder for the same cooling.

I moved my fridge an inch away from the wall and it stopped that constant running sound within a day.

Keep the door closed, obviously but also seriously

In a heatwave, every second the door is open is warm air flooding in. Know what you want before you open it. Take everything out in one trip instead of standing there deciding. This sounds silly, but it is the single biggest factor in how hard a fridge works.

Check the door seals

A worn gasket lets cool air leak out all day. Test it with the dollar bill trick: close the door on a dollar bill, then tug. If it slides out easily, the seal is weak. Clean the gasket with soapy water first, because grime can break the seal even when the gasket itself is fine.

Fill it up (a little)

A fridge that is too empty loses cold air every time you open the door, because there is nothing cold to hold the temperature. Jugs of water in the fridge act as thermal mass. They stay cold, and they help the fridge recover faster after the door opens. Bonus: cold water to drink.

Give it a heatwave break

If the kitchen is roasting, do not put hot leftovers straight in. Let them cool on the counter for a few minutes first. Hot food forces the fridge to work overtime to pull the temperature back down. A quick cool-down outside the fridge saves it the effort.

The repair guy charged me for the visit and told me to call him next time before I panic. Fair. The fridge ran quietly the rest of the summer, and the ice cream stayed frozen.