It’s one of those tricky but important jobs that needs doing regularly, unless you have a frost free fridge freezer or freezer.
Defrosting your freezer is a vital task that will ensure you get to use the maximum capacity of the appliance, and that it works at the peak of efficiency. The build-up of frost and ice can impede the performance of your machine, and if left to gather, it can stop you from being able to open and close the shelves, and, ultimately, stop you from being able to shut the freezer door.
How To Defrost Your Fridge
- Turn off the freezer
- Remove all contents. Ideally, it’s best to have used up most of the food when doing a defrost. If there is food left, it’s a good opportunity to review the food that is stored, and ensure it is suitable to keep. Once you’ve done this ,you can put the food into an ice box, and use ice cubes to keep it cool. Store the frozen food in a cool, dark place. If unsure, you can use the defrost as an opportunity to a spring clean, and get rid of all food, starting again.
- Place old towels around the base of the freezer,to soak up the water as the ice melts.
- Keep the door open in order to allow the freezer to warm up to room temperature.
- Remove individual drawers and clear the ice from these in the sink, using running hot water. These may not always be removed easily, if they are frozen in place.
- Scraping the ice to remove it. As the ice melts, it will dislodge chunks, and make them easier to pry off, so you can do this gradually, rather than using excessive force. This is the most common means that people use to speed up the process of defrosting the fridge. It’s important to be cautious with this method.
- Note that using a sharp knife for example can puncture the lining of the freezer, which will damage it. Using plastic or wooden utensils instead can mitigate this. It’s best to exercise caution and be patient, letting the ice melt naturally rather than tearing the inner lining of the freezer.
- You can speed up the process by placing pans or bowls of hot water on the shelves of the freezer. The steam will melt the ice quicker. It’s worth replacing these often, as they will quickly lose heat.
- Once all of the ice has been removed, this is a great opportunity to thoroughly clean the inner walls, shelves, seals, drawers and compartments of your freezer, before drying them off.
- Replace the drawers, and any other hardware, such as removable shelves, and turn the freezer back on. When putting frozen food you have stored back in the fridge, ensure it is suitable. If in doubt, it’s best to throw food away.
Defrost Your Freezer : FAQs
How often should you defrost your freezer?
It is recommended that you defrost your freezer once a year, or once the ice inside is more than one quarter of an inch thick. From a practical point of view, It’s unwise to wait until your freezer is hard to use, and the door will not shut properly. It is worth checking your owner’s manual for further information.
Why should I defrost my freezer? Is it important to defrost the freezer?
The accumulation of frozen ice can make it increasingly difficult to use and store food in your freezer, taking up valuable space. This build-up of Ice can also make it harder for your freezer to freeze the food contained inside, wasting energy, and increasing your electric bill.
What happens if you don’t defrost your freezer?
If you continue to allow the accumulation of frozen ice in the freezer compartment, the door will eventually not close. Ultimately, the build-up may cause the freezer to become inoperable and it will cease to work.
Can I defrost my freezer without turning it off?
While it is possible to dislodge some of the frost and ice from the freezer without turning it off, it can cause issues with tearing the inner lining of the compartment. This can damage the freezer and stop it from working, particularly if pointed objects such as knives are used.
For this reason, it is recommended to turn the freezer off altogether, and go through the process of doing the job thoroughly.
Check out our range of fridge freezers for rent here
Check out our pay weekly freezers here.
To save yourself the hassle of defrosting it each year, invest in a frost free fridge freezer, like the Beko CFG3582B we have in stock here.