Easiest Way to Defrost a Freezer

Defrosting a freezer is one of the boring tasks you might have to do. So, in this article, I will share with you the easiest way to defrost a freezer to make your life a bit easier.

But before presenting the process of defrosting let me tell you why it is so important to defrost your unit on time so that you would never want to delay the defrosting of your freezer. 

Why Defrosting is Required for Freezer

When ice accumulates on the walls of the freezer cabin, then it is required to defrost the freezer and get rid of the ice. The accumulated ice takes a good amount of space in the freezer cabin, therefore, reducing the usable capacity of the freezer.

The operational efficiency of the freezer also decreases resulting in a reduction in energy efficiency. Less energy-efficient equipment requires more electricity to provide the same level of output. The unit’s electricity consumption increases and it burdens the monthly electricity bills.

The accumulated ice on the inside walls of the freezer is also daunting to maintain proper food hygiene. The ice soak juice extracted from fish or meat kept in the freeze and it remains in the freeze for much longer. This can become a potential source of contamination to other food items resulting in foodborne illness. 

So, please do not delay defrosting when it is due. Most of the people feel ok with defrosting their freezer once in a year. But it is not a good practice. You should plan a defrosting when ice accumulates on the top and sidewalls of the freezer cabin or if the ice grows to quarter to half-inch thick. 

The Defrosting Process of Fridge

Take Everything with You that Might be Required for Defrosting 

It makes defrosting hassle-free for you when you have every piece of equipment at hand that you might require during defrosting your freezer. Following are the list of items generally used when defrosting a freezer.

1. Spatula
2. Hand gloves
3. Sponge
4. Clean old towels
5. Bucket
6. Sweeper mop

Preparation Before Starting to Defrost the Freezer

The defrosting process starts with the removal of all the stored food items from the freezer. It would be better if you could plan for a defrosting one week before. During that time, try to consume most of the stored foods from the freezer. If possible, delay the purchase of new frozen items that you might require to store in the freezer. Low stock during defrosting means less hassle for you to remove them from the freezer and keeping them safe outside the freezer.

Keep in mind that the water from the melting of ice will spill on the floor outside the freezer. So you can keep some old towel ready to put it on the surrounding floor of the freezer to soak the water away. It is a necessary precaution to avoid probable accidental slipping on the wet floor. 

Last but not least, do not touch the plug or switch with a wet hand.  

Procedure for Defrosting a Freezer

The easiest way to defrost a freezer is by following the below-mentioned step by step procedure: 

1. Move all food items from the freezer to a cool place.
2. Turn off the power.
3. Open the freezer door and keep it like that for a while until the ice melts away from the walls of the freezer. 
4. Remove all the shelves, drawers, baskets, and other moving parts from the freezer. But do not force anything. If any of them do not come out easily, wait for a while. It will loose eventually when the ice melts. 
5. Remove the ice with a spatula.
6. Soak the melted ice water away from the freezer cabin with the help of a sponge.
7. Cleanse all the surfaces of the freezer cabin with clean old towels

Cautions to Follow During Defrosting

I have already discussed the points that you need to be cautious of during defrosting your freezer. For a quick review, here is the snippet. 

1. Do not force any shelf, drawer, or moving part of your freezer when taking it out. If anything is stuck in place, wait until it becomes loose from the melting of the ice.
2. Do not use any sharp equipment to scrape the ice. Use a soft spatula or a wooden spoon instead. Otherwise, the freezer wall may get a permanent scratch. 
3. Be aware of the wet floor. You can put some old towels on the floor surrounding the freezer to soak water. 
4. Do not touch the plug or switch with a wet hand. 

Conclusion

There are lots of ways to defrost a freezer. We have discussed the easiest way of them all to defrost a freezer in this article. Basically it is a five-step process. Turn off the power, keep the freezer door open, wait until ice starts melting, scrape the ice out, and clean and dry the water from melted ice. 

Following the process will make defrosting a little less painful than before. So, defrost your freezer in due time as otherwise the operational and energy efficiency, as well as the storage capacity of your unit, will decrease.