Defrosting the freezer

Galtizz · 31 January 2005 at 12:40PM

I hate defrosting my freezer (cold hands yuk) now that I've run it down on the store cupboard challenge and before I fill it up again with the monthly grocery challenge I thought it would be a good idea to defrost it. Here are my tips for defrosting:

Use a steam wallpaper stripper. The ice comes off quickly and in big chunks sooo much faster (and less dangerous) than my old method of using a hairdrier and a knife :rolleyes: I have tried this and it works.

I read a tip that said once your freezer is defrosted 'paint' the inside with vaseline then the ice comes of much easier next time, haven't tried this yet but I'm going to.

Anyone got any more tips?

trafalgar_2 · 5 February 2005 at 3:38AM

I just stickl a bowl of very hot water in the bottom and the big chunks fall off .............straight into the bowl:D

I once used a knife,it slipped and I have the scar to prove it.............so I don't do that any more.

Using a hair-dryer to finish off works well but on blow rather than hot ....................that way your freezer isn't working itself overtime trying to get the heat back out for start-up:)

Anne_Marie_2 · 5 February 2005 at 4:20AM

Another tip is to wipe glycerine over inside of freezer after defrosting, and this is supposed to help with next defrosting. Can't comment as mine is self-defrosting.

Ticklemouse · 5 February 2005 at 10:41PM

Be careful with hairdriers - I once used one and it must have been too hot because it buckled the inside of my freezer!

Having read somewhere on this site about using wall paper strippers to defrost freezers, i did this for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Why didn't I think of it before? I had the whole freezer which was well iced up clean and dry in about 10 - 15 mins. Doing the bowl of water thing still used to take me forever. If the steamer is that quick, I'll save on the vaseline I think.

Now, if the weather would just warm up a bit, I could defrost the big freezer in the garage (I'm a wimp and I hate the cold)

arkonite_babe · 6 February 2005 at 12:10AM

I borrow my mum's steam cleaner to defrost my freeze and it works fine. Done in no time. That reminds me , must do it again one of these days......................

catznine · 6 February 2005 at 1:50AM

I will have to do mine (If I ever get to the bottom of it!) It is a large chest freezer and seems to be mainly full of brussel sprouts and gooseberries :eek:

I've made a dent in it at last doing the store cupboard challenge but I think some of the stuff I will find will be past it's best when I get to it!

Jeryth · 7 February 2005 at 12:44PM

Golly, wouldn't know what to do with a chest freezer; I'm likely to fall into it! We/I defrosted the fridge/freezer last week, having slowly emptied it. Put all the consumables from the fridge into the coldest room of the house (couldn't find my coolbag), offered the freezer contents to the rubbish bin (they were really past it and frost damaged from the house move last October), then switched everything off, pulled out all the shelves and baskets, soaking them in jolly hot water. I put manky towels (ok, they're all right, but not in my colour scheme) in the bottom of the freezer, and put two pyrex bowls of steaming hot water on one of the shelves. I washed all the removeable parts, washed the inside of the fridge, and the freezer when it was clear, then filled all my plastic tubs with water, stuck them in the freezer, and switched it all back on. Job'sa good'un.

Badgergal · 13 June 2005 at 9:47AM

Well, I discovered yesterday that my freezer was so frosted up that the door was no longer closing properly, which is clearly not good...mind you I haven't defrosted it since I bought it a year ago..!!

So I spent a strangely satisfying hour attacking and scraping with a spatula thing and doing dangerous things with a hairdryer whilst my food sat in a freezer bag (and my kitchen floor got a wash too!!

). Made some interesting discoveries I didn't know I had (and it is only a small freezer!) and will be off at lunchtime to buy some bread to fill up the space I have released to save on elec!

Does defrosting a freezer make it work more efficiently elecricity wise? Just got a monster electricity bill...

which I know is mostly down to my immersion, but every little helps...

MATH · 13 June 2005 at 11:02AM

Keeping it frost free will make it more efficient to run. Do you keep the door open for long periods or put warm food into it. I ask cos I changed my freezer about 18 mnths ago, havn't defrosted it yet co there is very little to defrost (it's not a frost free model)

rchddap1 · 13 June 2005 at 11:05AM

One trick we used when defrosting the freezer, was filling bowls with hot water and placing on the relevant shelves. The not water gives off steam and so encourages the ice to melt. Seemed to work rather well.

cristin · 13 June 2005 at 11:22AM

This thread is such a coincidence as we started defrosting the freezer in our garage this very morning (hasn't been done for ages - but since we cannot now close the door because of all the ice it has to be done!). Just wanted to say thanks for this really useful thread and to let you know that I am already using the hot water bowl technique as we speak! Any other techniques to speed things up will def be considered.

cristin xx

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Defrosting the freezer

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