diff --git a/BitFaster.Caching/Buffers/MpscBoundedBuffer.cs b/BitFaster.Caching/Buffers/MpscBoundedBuffer.cs
index ee2640e3..f3f7c6a3 100644
--- a/BitFaster.Caching/Buffers/MpscBoundedBuffer.cs
+++ b/BitFaster.Caching/Buffers/MpscBoundedBuffer.cs
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ private int GetCount(int head, int tail)
         public BufferStatus TryAdd(T item)
         {
             int head = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Head);
-            int tail = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Tail);
+            int tail = headAndTail.Tail;
             int size = tail - head;
 
             if (size >= buffer.Length)
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ public BufferStatus TryAdd(T item)
         public BufferStatus TryTake(out T item)
         {
             int head = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Head);
-            int tail = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Tail);
+            int tail = headAndTail.Tail;
             int size = tail - head;
 
             if (size == 0)
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ public BufferStatus TryTake(out T item)
                 return BufferStatus.Contended;
             }
 
-            Volatile.Write(ref buffer[index], null);
+            buffer[index] = null;
             Volatile.Write(ref this.headAndTail.Head, ++head);
             return BufferStatus.Success;
         }
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ private int DrainToImpl(Span<T> output)
 #endif
         {
             int head = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Head);
-            int tail = Volatile.Read(ref headAndTail.Tail);
+            int tail = headAndTail.Tail;
             int size = tail - head;
 
             if (size == 0)
@@ -214,13 +214,13 @@ private int DrainToImpl(Span<T> output)
                     break;
                 }
 
-                Volatile.Write(ref localBuffer[index], null);
+                localBuffer[index] = null;
                 Write(output, outCount++, item);
                 head++;
             }
             while (head != tail && outCount < Length(output));
 
-            Volatile.Write(ref this.headAndTail.Head, head);
+            this.headAndTail.Head = head;
 
             return outCount;
         }
diff --git a/BitFaster.Caching/Lfu/ConcurrentLfu.cs b/BitFaster.Caching/Lfu/ConcurrentLfu.cs
index c98657de..4ae642cd 100644
--- a/BitFaster.Caching/Lfu/ConcurrentLfu.cs
+++ b/BitFaster.Caching/Lfu/ConcurrentLfu.cs
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 using System.Diagnostics;
 using System.Diagnostics.CodeAnalysis;
 using System.Linq;
+using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
 using System.Runtime.InteropServices;
 using System.Threading;
 using System.Threading.Tasks;
@@ -70,7 +71,7 @@ public sealed class ConcurrentLfu<K, V> : ICache<K, V>, IAsyncCache<K, V>, IBoun
 
         private readonly IScheduler scheduler;
 
-        private readonly LfuNode<K, V>[] drainBuffer;
+        private readonly LfuNode<K, V>[] drainBuffer;
 
         /// <summary>
         /// Initializes a new instance of the ConcurrentLfu class with the specified capacity.
@@ -478,9 +479,10 @@ private void AfterWrite(LfuNode<K, V> node)
         private void ScheduleAfterWrite()
         {
             var spinner = new SpinWait();
+            int status = this.drainStatus.NonVolatileRead();
             while (true)
             {
-                switch (this.drainStatus.Status())
+                switch (status)
                 {
                     case DrainStatus.Idle:
                         this.drainStatus.Cas(DrainStatus.Idle, DrainStatus.Required);
@@ -494,6 +496,7 @@ private void ScheduleAfterWrite()
                         {
                             return;
                         }
+                        status = this.drainStatus.VolatileRead();
                         break;
                     case DrainStatus.ProcessingToRequired:
                         return;
@@ -509,8 +512,8 @@ IEnumerator IEnumerable.GetEnumerator()
 
         private void TryScheduleDrain()
         {
-            if (this.drainStatus.Status() >= DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle)
-            {
+            if (this.drainStatus.NonVolatileRead() >= DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle)
+            {
                 return;
             }
 
@@ -521,15 +524,15 @@ private void TryScheduleDrain()
 
                 if (lockTaken)
                 {
-                    int status = this.drainStatus.Status();
+                    int status = this.drainStatus.NonVolatileRead();
 
                     if (status >= DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle)
                     {
                         return;
                     }
 
-                    this.drainStatus.Set(DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle);
-                    scheduler.Run(() => DrainBuffers());
+                    this.drainStatus.VolatileWrite(DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle);
+                    scheduler.Run(() => this.DrainBuffers());
                 }
             }
             finally
@@ -559,7 +562,7 @@ private void DrainBuffers()
                 }
             }
 
-            if (this.drainStatus.Status() == DrainStatus.Required)
+            if (this.drainStatus.VolatileRead() == DrainStatus.Required)
             {
                 TryScheduleDrain();
             }
@@ -567,7 +570,7 @@ private void DrainBuffers()
 
         private bool Maintenance(LfuNode<K, V> droppedWrite = null)
         {
-            this.drainStatus.Set(DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle);
+            this.drainStatus.VolatileWrite(DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle);
 
             // Note: this is only Span on .NET Core 3.1+, else this is no-op and it is still an array
             var buffer = this.drainBuffer.AsSpanOrArray();
@@ -609,10 +612,10 @@ private bool Maintenance(LfuNode<K, V> droppedWrite = null)
             // 1. We drained both input buffers (all work done)
             // 2. or scheduler is foreground (since don't run continuously on the foreground)
             if ((done || !scheduler.IsBackground) &&
-                (this.drainStatus.Status() != DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle ||
+                (this.drainStatus.NonVolatileRead() != DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle ||
                 !this.drainStatus.Cas(DrainStatus.ProcessingToIdle, DrainStatus.Idle)))
             {
-                this.drainStatus.Set(DrainStatus.Required);
+                this.drainStatus.NonVolatileWrite(DrainStatus.Required);
             }
 
             return done;
@@ -743,6 +746,7 @@ private ref struct EvictIterator
             public LfuNode<K, V> node;
             public int freq;
 
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
             public EvictIterator(CmSketch<K> sketch, LfuNode<K, V> node)
             {
                 this.sketch = sketch;
@@ -750,6 +754,7 @@ public EvictIterator(CmSketch<K> sketch, LfuNode<K, V> node)
                 freq = node == null ? -1 : sketch.EstimateFrequency(node.Key);
             }
 
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
             public void Next()
             {
                 node = node.Next;
@@ -863,9 +868,10 @@ private class DrainStatus
 
             private PaddedInt drainStatus; // mutable struct, don't mark readonly
 
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
             public bool ShouldDrain(bool delayable)
             {
-                int status = Volatile.Read(ref this.drainStatus.Value);
+                int status = this.NonVolatileRead();
                 return status switch
                 {
                     Idle => !delayable,
@@ -875,19 +881,34 @@ public bool ShouldDrain(bool delayable)
                 };
             }
 
-            public void Set(int newStatus)
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public void VolatileWrite(int newStatus)
             { 
                 Volatile.Write(ref this.drainStatus.Value, newStatus);
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public void NonVolatileWrite(int newStatus)
+            {
+                this.drainStatus.Value = newStatus;
             }
 
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
             public bool Cas(int oldStatus, int newStatus)
             { 
                 return Interlocked.CompareExchange(ref this.drainStatus.Value, newStatus, oldStatus) == oldStatus;
             }
 
-            public int Status()
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public int VolatileRead()
             {
                 return Volatile.Read(ref this.drainStatus.Value);
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public int NonVolatileRead()
+            {
+                return this.drainStatus.Value;
             }
 
             [ExcludeFromCodeCoverage]