People are putting a piece of paper in their fridge to see if their home is heatwave-ready — and it makes more sense than you think

Where should a refrigerator go in the kitchen — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

When the weather heats up, it's hard to think about anything else apart from just making it through the day, seeking out shade and worrying about how you'll sleep at night.

But, there's something else you should be thinking about – and that's whether your fridge can cope with the heat.

How does it work?

Faulty refrigerator door seal — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

It's important to check your fridge is working properly when the hotter weather arrives. Why? Well, if it's not then your food will go off and the cold drinks you're so desperately seeking won't be very cold at all.

And one of the biggest culprits for an underperforming fridge is the door seal. If the seal gets worn out, you won't be able to close your door properly and then, the cooling system won't be as efficient.

It'll end up costing you more on your energy bills and your food items might start to spoil a lot quicker than expected. Fortunately, there's where Sun from Beko UK's paper method comes in.

"To check if your fridge door is functioning correctly, use a piece of paper."
Salah Sun, Head of Product Management at Beko UK

Sun is the Head of Product Management at Beko UK (as reported by Birmingham Live) and so knows a lot about kitchen appliances.

And for her seriously cool tip, she says: "To check if your fridge door is functioning correctly, use a piece of paper."

She explains: "Place the paper against the door seal and close the door. When you try to pull the paper out, you should feel some resistance. If the paper slides out easily, your door seal may need replacing."

It's seriously as simple as that and thankfully, a very cheap tool to check your fridge seal. In fact, it probably won't cost you anything at all if you just grab the next letter that comes through your door.

More fridge tips

Fridge shelves — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

After you've checked our fridge seal with paper, there's some extra steps you can take to ensure your fridge is working to the best of its ability.

If you've given your shelves a good clean, Sun advises: "It is important to let each shelf and component dry thoroughly before putting them back into your fridge.

"The cooling technology is designed to keep everything at the right temperature, but any residual water on freshly cleaned shelves can freeze and lead to ice buildup in your appliance."

So, while you might think your fridge is working incredibly well because you notice items getting frosty, it may actually be doing the opposite.

Ice build up can cause increased energy consumption, reduced cooling efficiency and if it builds up round your door seals, you won't be able to close them as well or they'll become damaged.

Keeping yourself cool is super important in the hot weather, but keeping your fridge cool won't take you long and could save you a lot of hassle.

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Grace is a freelance journalist working across homes, lifestyle, gaming and entertainment. You'll find her writing for Tom's Guide, TechRadar, Space.com, and other sites. If she's not rearranging her furniture, decluttering her home, or relaxing in front of the latest streaming series, she'll be typing fervently about any of her much-loved hobbies and interests. To aid her writing, she loves to head down internet rabbit holes for an unprecedented amount of time.

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