Defrosting the freezer

Pooky

Pack the contents into freezer bags if you have them or wrap in newspaper and pack tightly into bags/boxes, put in a dark place outside if possible.

Turn the freezer off, lay a couple of bath towels in the bottom to catch the worst. I either use my steam cleaner which can defrost a tall freezer in under half an hour or place a couple of bowls of boiling water on the shelves to help loosen the really big chunks. I've used a hair dryer in the past (obviously water and electric don't mix so do t put the hair dryer into the freezer just hold at a safe distance and waft the warm (not hot) air around.

If you lay a couple of tea towels or hand towels on each shelf you can shake the bigger bits of ice into the sink/garden as they fall off and it stops so much melting onto the floor.

anotheruser

Or just chip it off with something strong :P

floss2

anotheruser wrote: »

Or just chip it off with something strong :P

DON'T do this! If you accidentally crack the lining your freezer will not be useable again as the gases that keep it cold can leak out.

I use a washing up bowl and a couple of roasting tins of very hot water when defrosting mine - leave the door open with a couple of old towels on the floor and keep changing the hot water regularly.

If you really need to try & loosen large lumps of ice, use a wooden spatula.

peachyprice

When this happens to mine I just shut the door and it sorts itself out.

maman

I'd second replacing trays of boiling water as frequently as possible and removing the lumps as they loosen. That way a minimal amount turns to water but you do need the old bath towels or similar on the floor. I poke at them with a wooden spoon but certainly nothing too sharp. Actually, it's quite satisfying seeing it all coming away!;)

The frozen food will stay frozen for quite a while (certainly long enough for you to defrost the freezer) especially if packed in together and covered with paper. Just put it in the coldest place you have.

nobodyspecial

Don't forget after you've wiped it all nice and dry to set it on it's coldest setting for an hour at least before you repack the food back into it.

dronid

peachyprice wrote: »

When this happens to mine I just shut the door and it sorts itself out.

Oh I wish that would happen with this one!

aileth

When my OH defrosts the freezer, he puts all the food in the fridge (they're connected so when he switches one off they're both off) in bags and doesn't open the door until freezer is ready to go again. You've gotta keep the frozen food on a shelf away from the fridge food and not have anything too perishable in just in case the sudden cold affects it, but if you don't open the door the seal will effectively keep the cold in.

booter

A friend of mine (who's normally quite intelligent ) was attempting to defrost her very furred up fridge freezer. She couldn't figure out why it wasn't happening - until I pointed out that she might want to switch it off (she didn't want to for fear of the fridge contents spoiling). By the time I arrived, the freezer door had been open, and running, for over 8 hours :eek: and by now the ice in the freezer was pretty solid (whatever thaw there may have been from leaving the door open, re-froze making it more like packed ice!)

So, the fridge freezer got switched off at the plug (leaving the fridge door shut to keep stuff cool) and I got busy with the bowls of hot water. Then my friend realised she'd got a bottle of that freezer defrosting spray so was giving it a blast with that, but it didn't work that well. Around midnight (and after consuming quite a few glasses of wine ), as a final act of desperation we raided the garage and 2 tins of car de-icer later, the freezer was clear of ice We gave the inside of the freezer a really good "rinse" after though.

NoGoodNamesLeft

I find that wrapping the frozen food in a quilt keeps it frozen for ages. Probably traps the cold in the same way it keeps heat in.