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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

How do I defrost a freezer?

10 replies

AddictedtoCrunchies · 19/06/2012 11:13

Mine is very VERY icy due to DH leaving the door open an inch last week so everything is very frozen up.

Previous attempts have involved a fish slice, a hair dryer and a lot of hacking but I'm not sure that's the best way. Switching it off isn't really an option as the plug's behind it and it weighs a ton to pull out but I could if that's the best way.

What do you do?

OP posts:
Pascha · 19/06/2012 11:15

You do need to switch it off otherwise you don't stand a chance. Then leave the door open, remove the drawers etc if its possible, put a bowl of hot water on each shelf and wait.

or alternatively do what my MIL did and attack it with a carving knife, puncturing the back and rendering the whole freezer useless

ILikeyLikey · 19/06/2012 11:36

Suggest you put towels round the bottom to soak up any water that will probably leak out. Wrap your frozen food in newspaper and put into carrier bags and put the bowls or saucepans of hot water on the shelves. Will have to keep changing the water too.

I had to do mine a couple of months ago (left the door open too), took about three hours but got there in the end. Good luck!

Pascha · 19/06/2012 11:37

Or buy a new frost-free freezer like me and never have to do the bastard job again.

PigletJohn · 19/06/2012 11:45

yes, you have got to switch it off. Take the food out, wrap it quickly, put it in the largest cardboard boxes you can find, and wrap them. Big sheets of plastic or paper will be fine, wrap loosely so there are are layers of air. The food will stay frozen for some hours. If it thaws, cook and eat the expensive stuff first, and ice-cream which can't be refrozen. You can safely re-freeze cooked food so you can make casseroles.

the freezer will obviously be lighter once empty. Taking the food out will also let it defrost faster.

If it is difficult to move, consider an "appliance trolley" which is a frame with wheels. The appliance is less likely to fall off than if you use appliance rollers. You can adjust the frame so the apliance feet are on it.

Biosch and Siemens freezers often have wheels at the back, so if you tilt them back enough to get the front feet off the floor, they can be wheeled around. Other brands may also do that.

If it is a frost-free freezer, it will have a fan and air ducts hidden inside the back. If these are choked with ice, it is essential to let it defrost long enough for it all to drip out. It may take more than a day. Wait until there are no more drips and, when wiped, it stays dry.

If you pull a fridge or freezer away from the wall, you can vac the dust and fluff off the evaporator coils, which will make it more efficient. Observe the dish on top of the motor where water goes. Clean it out and make sure no water spills onto electrical parts.

If you check the instruction book, you might find there is a defrost setting that will turn it off without you having to pull the plug out

PigletJohn · 19/06/2012 11:49

About safety and food poisoning - I meant, if you have e.g. a raw leg of lamb, and it thaws out, you can't safely re-freeze it. But if you cook it, you can freeze the cooked dish, so casseroles are a good way of preserving food that has thawed.

AddictedtoCrunchies · 19/06/2012 13:36

That's brilliant - thanks all. That's tonight's job lined up.

Will def check the manual first though.

Thanks again.

OP posts:
JarethTheGoblinKing · 19/06/2012 13:37

Hair dryer.

Grin
JarethTheGoblinKing · 19/06/2012 13:39

Bloody hell PigletJohn, that's detailed Confused

OP just put everything in a cool place, switch the freezer off and blast it with a haidrier (tray in the bottom to collect the water). Will take less than an hour.

AddictedtoCrunchies · 19/06/2012 14:53

That's great. Thank you all for replying.

OP posts:
GiveTheAnarchistACigarette · 19/06/2012 20:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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