Freezers; protector of food, creator of ice cube. Almost everyone has a freezer as they offer long term storage of a wide variety of food. What can be a real pain is the process of having to manually defrost your freezer from time to time. It’s a painstaking process and most people would rather take a trip to the dentist than clean out their excess ice.
Although today, the majority of fridge freezers have ‘no frost’ facilities, there are still plenty out there than need it doing the hard way. Here’s a step-by-step guide to defrosting your freezer effectively.
Right tools, right job
Things you will probably need include a mop & bucket, hot water and some towels or clean rags. Have these to one side before you begin.
Waste not, want not
Preserve any food from the freezer by placing it in another freezer (if you have one). If not, then the best place might be the fridge compartment, which will remain cool for a while still. If you’re lucky and doing this in winter, then just outside the back door safely wrapped away from any wildlife might even be a good place to keep it.
Turning it off
The next step is making it safe. Turn off the appliance at the mains. Also remember to unplug it. It’s the safest way to defrost. Leave the door ajar (or wide open which is better).
Soak it up
Those towels and rags will come in handy now. Place them on the shelving and at the bottom of the compartment, put some on the kitchen floor, under and around the edges of the appliance. This will help soak up the melting water.
The Waiting Game
Possibly the most tedious part of the whole process is allowing the ice to gradually melt. This can take a few hours if the build up is great. However, that hot water you’ve got will help a little. Fill a couple of bowls with hot water and place them on the shelves. This will speed up the thawing process. Feel free to scrape or chip away at the ice if you’d like, but be careful not to damage any of the cooling pipes or sides.
Now, you might need to regularly wring out the towels (hence the bucket and mop). Once all the ice and water has been eliminated, it’s time for the cleanup.
Spray your way to happiness
Give the interior a good spray with sanitizer or a small amount of detergent in warm water. Ensure its washed out properly with clean water. Almost finished now.
Turn it on
Once you are satisfied that everything is nice and clean, close the door and turn the power back on. Wait at least an hour before putting your food back inside if it’s still well frozen. Wait around 2 hours if the food that is not frozen.
That’s pretty much it. It’s not the best job in the world but sometimes it has to be done. Follow this and you’ve got a pretty stress free time ahead of you.
Author Bio
Halit Bozdogan is a writer for Appliances Online, the UK’s largest online white goods retailer. So he knows a few things about freezers.
Twitter: @thebozdog