to defrost my freezer with a hairdryer

[elliejjtiny]

I keep reading on facebook about people taking the drawers out of the freezer, turning it off, blast with the hairdryer for 10 minutes and all done. Sounds great. But DH thinks it will damage the freezer and I should use up all the food and then leave it turned off overnight so the ice melts. He thinks me putting bowls of hot water on the shelves when I defrosted killed the old freezer.

Has anyone defrosted a freezer with a hairdryer before and did it survive?

I've had my freezer for nearly 8yrs and have always used a hairdryer to defrost it.

I have and it worked a treat - was done in less than an hour. I just put the food to one side and covered it in a blanket - no harm done whatsoever.

yeah, done the hairdryer trick numerous times and nothing terrible happened.

DId it regualrly but now I have one that de ices itself....

I've done it and it survived several times! Still going strong as a spare these days. My new all singing all dancing american style fridge freezer keeps breaking down and I haven't gone near it with a hairdryer - having said that the last repair man that came used one. I don't think its the best way to do it though.

Just don't do what DH did and lay about it with a chisel and a hammer. Can you guess how that ended up?

My DH used to defrost one of our freezer(s) using a hairdryer. At least you know when to mop up. So quick and in control while not letting the freezer do it itself.

I used to remove everything, defrost it overnight and always regretted it because of the puddle on the floor. I'm so glad I married him.

Yikes isn't that a bit dangerous?! There are always puddles of water about whenever I do it.

I hate defrosting the freezer though; maybe I leave it until there's too much ice and water to deal with.

Yeah I did that last time......go for it :)

Have defrosted mine many times using both hairdrier and bowls of hot water. Neither have caused damage to the freezer.

just put bath towels on the floor while you do it, and keep the hairdryer out of the way of any water - is perfectly fine.

I used to do this but it was too much like hard work holding the hairdryer up poor frail clipped so I now stick bowls of boiling water on each shelf, far easier and takes the same amount of time.

Tell your DH that he's talking a load of old shite.

HOW DID I NEVER KNOW YOU COULD DO THIS?!

I've always used a hairdryer, hot water and a blunt knife and it never takes me more than an hour.

Word of caution though, only used the blunt knife on chunks of ice that are already half melted and are hanging on by a thread.... I do not recommend chiselling at a frozen solid freezer!

it's what the freezer repairman did.

Don't use anything vaguely pointy to chisel as the ice, no matter how tempting. It could lead to a tiny hole in the freezing element, through with the coolant gas escapes, rendering the freezer permanently useless. You'll then have to explain to your husband that the less than a year old freezer has been murdered died and frantically rush round trying to get a same day replacement before the contents defrost and you lose them too. (This advice does not come from personal experience, honest )

Yip - it works well. Though last time I defrosted it, I did just switch it off in the morning, drape the area with towels, left the door open and came back in the evening and it was largely done (but we do have a small freezer).

Hairdrying it is VERY satisfying, you can blow holes in the ice and watch it melt away.

We use the wallpaper stripper steamer with the narrow nozzle attachment, makes a lot of puddles as it works fast to defrost it(very satisfying) but, as someone has said, just use lots of towels on the floor.
Somehow my weird logic dictated that this would be safer as it produces steam therefore would be ok to have the water from the melting ice dripping on it - I would be too scared to put a hairdryer near a dripping freezer, whereas this can go right inside. Works a treat.
Could never be arsed with the whole buckets of water method especially as I wait until the ice is so thick I can't remove the food

How have I missed this housekeeping genius?

Well I used to use a hairdryer and a knife.
DP decided to to the same but he made a hole in the freezer and the kitchen filled with blue gas

We now have lovely American fridge freezer, ice and water dispenser and self defrosting so it doesn't ever need to be chiselled. I do miss that job a little!

I use our steam cleaner. Couple of quick blasts and it's done in no time.

It's probably really, really bad for the freezer but so far it hasn't broken it.

I used to do this, no problem.

Wallpaper steamer using the big square bit that you press to the wall is by far the most efficient way I've found of defrosting the freezer.

Pots of hot water are marginally better than bowls as the metal conducts the heat a bit better.

Every year I defrost my freezer (normally just before Christmas so i can fit more into it). I have always used the hairdryer/bowls of hot water/blunt knife method and my freezer is 18 years old and still going strong.