How to Defrost Your Freezer Quickly

When you’re hungry and reaching into the freezer for food, there’s nothing more annoying than discovering that the door is frozen shut. Freezers can suffer from a build up of ice for numerous reasons: faulty door seals, clogged vents or blocked drains are common causes.

It is important to maintain your freezer regularly, and this means defrosting your freezer. Whilst this can be a boring task, failing to defrost it could mean that your food doesn’t stay at the right temperature, as well as causing doors to jam which means that the freezer could be easily damaged.

This blog describes the best ways to defrost your freezer, so that you can go back to using your appliance to its maximum capability.

How long does it take to defrost a freezer?

If you switch the freezer off and then leave the doors open, you should allow 24 hours to allow the freezer to defrost completely.

You may want to decide to defrost the freezer in advance, and then work through the food that’s stored in there so that it doesn’t go to waste – or alternatively, borrow a neighbour’s freezer space.

How to defrost a freezer quickly

If you’re short on time and want to defrost your freezer as quickly as possible, first turn off the freezer at the wall, and then remove the food inside. Then remove the drawers if possible and prepare the area by laying down towels around the bottom of the freezer and inside. Replace the towels every few hours to avoid them soaking through.

You can even place bowls of boiling water on the shelves to further speed up the process and use a wooden spatula to remove stubborn ice, though this should be done with caution to avoid damaging the walls of the appliance.

Before plugging the freezer back in, be sure that the inside surfaces are dry.

How often should I defrost my freezer?

A freezer should be defrosted each time it develops a thick build up of ice on its inside surfaces. The defrosting process will help to maintain the freezer’s efficiency, saving you money – but also crucially, freezer space. In order to keep the freezer from building up an excess coating of ice, keep the door shut tightly as often as possible.

If you’ve noticed that your freezer develops frost quickly, there could be a problem with the drain or vents. Contact Glotech for fridge repair to arrange an appointment with an expert.

How to defrost a freezer without turning it off

If you have a fridge freezer, you may be reticent to turn off the appliance at the wall as it will harm the food inside the fridge as well.

To defrost a freezer without turning it off, first remove all the items from your freezer, and pack them tightly into the fridge, being careful to shut the door properly.

Then cover the floor with towels to soak up excess water that comes from the freezer during the defrosting process.

Use bowls of boiling water and a spatula or ice scraper to speed up the process, being careful to avoid damaging the walls of the freezer in the process. This should ensure it gets defrosted quickly, within 1-2 hours rather than 3-4. We would not recommend using a hairdryer as this poses an electrocution risk.