Help me to defrost my freezer please!!

[postcardfromme]

Can anyone tell me how to defrost a freezer without turning it off? I have quite a bit of ice build up in the top compartment but the rest is not too bad.
Thank you in advance 😊

Take the all the food out, put in bags and cover with a blanket or similar to insulate.

Put a towel inside the bottom of the freezer to catch the water and ice.

Blow a hairdryer at the iced-up bits being careful not to put the hairdyer inside where it could get dripped on and cause a shock.

Once it's started to soften and drip a lot of the ice can be scraped away easily.

Dry it all off then replace the food and you're done - takes less than 20 minutes.

I thought they always said to switch it off, but maybe these days it's ok.

Washing up bowl filled with boiling water. And then I use a knife to get under the ice and it falls away. Very satisfying.

If you don’t switch it off it will just waste a huge amount of power trying to cool down. It’ll just try and freeze any ice you melt. Stick some freezer packs or sealable sandwich bags full of water in the night before, store and food in a cold bag and switch it off. Bowl of hot water in the really icy bit and a towel underneath.

Honestly - I used to use the bowl of hot water. It takes a good hour or so.
Hairdryer is soooo much quicker that you really don't need to turn the freezer off.

Switch it off , do as advised above to empty then defrost with a hair dryer , job done quickly and switch it back on

Why don't you want to switch it off?

Why wouldn’t you just switch it off?

Better than a hairdryer, fan heater stood outside the open freezer blowing hot air in. Sit down with cup of tea. Ten mins later the ice will fall away like the Thwaites glacier.

Thank you all....Really helpful advice

Is it that you can't turn it off because the plug is hidden? In this case work out which circuit it's on in the fuse box and turn that one off.

I did mine a few weeks ago and it was so fucking satisfying. Though I did always assume my 30s would be more parties, sex and expensive wine…

I switch mine off, put the food into the fridge first, towel on floor, hairdryer it all off, dry, switch on, takes 15 to 20 minutes

One of the most tragic things about my middle aged life is that whenever it snows, I get really excited about bunging everything in the garden and defrosting the freezer!!

@DysmalRadius

One of the most tragic things about my middle aged life is that whenever it snows, I get really excited about bunging everything in the garden and defrosting the freezer!!

Our cat would see this as a golden opportunity.

I use a bowl of boiling water and then use a hairdryer for the rest

@AuntyBumBum

Better than a hairdryer, fan heater stood outside the open freezer blowing hot air in. Sit down with cup of tea. Ten mins later the ice will fall away like the Thwaites glacier.

Oooh I like this idea, better that sitting in fry of the freezer with a hairdryer..

I put usually put everything thing in to cooler bags after putting all the crap I can make weird meals out of. Turn it off for 30 mins with a bowl of water inside then attack it with a hairdryer and knife.. works well

I'm definitely going to try @auntie bumbums way next time though

I currently have a self-de-icing freezer. It’s nice, but I do feel I’m missing out, as there’s never any ice to defrost

Bowl of warm water always used to be effective, also warm wet cloth to get the last bits off.

I’m about to sound really stupid…. But what is defrosting a freezer? Like why are you doing it? I’ve never done it before and my freezer seems fine. What ice is everyone removing? Is it from an ice maker or ice cubes that have gotten stuck to stuff?

My people! I thought I was the only one who used a hairdryer (and always felt slightly guilty doing it)

I usually choose a time when my fridge is emptiest and put my freezer food together in the coolest compartments of the fridge. You have to turn the freezer off or it's going to take ages.

Then put a towel on the floor and find some way to blow air into the freezer. You can use a hairdryer/fan heater (though i'd be a bit worried about the rapid change in temperature). I usually use a fan and that does the job well enough. In the meantime I take the freezer drawers out and wash them and leave them to dry. By the time i've done that most of the ice has melted and i can have a go at cleaning the freezer itself.

Usually it doesn't take much more than 30 mins from start to finish.

I now too have a frost free freezer. Hot water works well. Never tried a hair dryer I feel like I have missed out.

Not recommended at all. When I was a student we had a chest freezer with a shit seal and the ice would build up. I would periodically attack it with a knife. I think I must have been incredibly lucky not to have pierced it and broken the freezer or hurt myself!!

As per @jellofish, if you are using a knife to scrape off the ice, go very carefully as there is a risk of piercing the plastic over the pipes the coolant runs in, and then your freezer is a dead 'un. I use a wooden spoon to scrape off the ice that is loose enough, and then wait for the fan heater to melt a bit and then the ice will peel off.

@TwoShades1

I’m about to sound really stupid…. But what is defrosting a freezer? Like why are you doing it? I’ve never done it before and my freezer seems fine. What ice is everyone removing? Is it from an ice maker or ice cubes that have gotten stuck to stuff?

@TwoShades1 I don't have to defrost my new freezer as it does it itself. I used to do an old one and I remember DM doing it as a child so I guess it depends on the technology.