Defrosting the freezer

Aril

I put what I can in my Mum's [not an option for everyone I appreciate]. Fill the bath with cold water/or a bucket & stand some of the smaller waterproof pieces in there and if I'm running out of storage then I let bread defrost as you can always refreeze that. My Aunt always reckoned that a day with a good hard frost was good because you could just put the bits out on the lawn [wrapped of course] Perhaps not that practical on a balmy September day granted!
Aril

beachbeth

Aril wrote:

if I'm running out of storage then I let bread defrost as you can always refreeze that.

Can you! I didn't think you could re-freeze anything!

Biddyrolo

My mum used to keep the melt water and use it in her steam iron.

MATH

I run the contents as low as possible and then when it is almost empty I wrap the food left in newspaper while I blast off the ice with my steam cleaner and the suck all the water and loose peas out with my vax before switching back on and re-filling. The whole process takes about 30 mins and I only need do it once every two years.

Ticklemouse

:doh: I've just had one of those forehead slapping moments :doh:

I have a vax. Why did I never think of getting it to aid with the removal of water? I run around with my baking trays which I have invariably let fill too much so half is slopped on the floor before I get to the sink.

Thanks MATH :rotfl:

full-time-mum

I try and empty it out as much as possible and then pack everything into cool boxes.

Don't think that using a hairdrier is very MS on the electricity.

I try and pick a day when it is cold outside (preferably freezing) and put the cool boxes out there and then keep the door to the kitchen shut whilst cooking to keep the heat in

I also carefully chip off as much ice as I can.

Karb

Use as much food as I can out of it first (usually near the end of the month so I dont have to spend much on groceries).

Whatever is left goes in the M-i-L's freezer and then I defrost overnight. Followed by a trip to Farmfoods so I can restock without spending a fortune

MrsMW

I'm with Ticklemouse, I just dump the stuff out, blast the steam cleaner at it and then slurp up the water with my George cleaner. Done and dusted in half an hour. With the one in the garage I don't even bother much if the floor gets wet. I just let MrW clean it up.

Rikki

I stack the baskets and cover with towels. Then I use bowls of hot water to speed the process up.
Didn't think about using the steam cleaner.:( I only did mine last week.:)

Counting_Pennies_2

Can anyone give me advice on how I should defrost an integrated freezer.

My freezer is so iced up that some times the door is difficult to close, as the drawers are being pushed forward, so I really do need to defrost it.

Can anyone give me tips on how I go about it.

Luckily I have a separate freezer in my utility room, so I can put the food elsewhere, but how do I catch the drips, when there is a cupboard casing around the freezer?

Thanks