Before you grab an ice pick when defrosting your refrigerator, it would make sense to familiarize yourself with the process. This makes this often time-consuming household task quicker and cleaner. If you've had your fridge or freezer for a while, chances are its interior resembles Antarctica. Such household appliances can benefit from occasional maintenance to keep them running smoothly. This is especially true for most commonly used kitchen appliances, like refrigerators, which are constantly running to keep perishable items fresh. Here is a guide to defrosting yoursrefrigeratorand ice buildup removal tips you can follow.
What causes freezing and why defrost the refrigerator?
Defrosting a refrigerator isn't exactly fun, but it's still important. If you leave the ice where it is, the refrigerator will no longer be able to keep the room cool as efficiently and will use more energy. However, with a few steps you can prevent this and make the device ice-free and clean. But how does ice come to accumulate inside the refrigerator? The main reason for this is condensation and freezing moisture from the outside air, whichproper operation of the freezeror the cooling device. The ice can also clog the refrigerator's vents or disrupt proper airflow, leaving colder or warmer areas throughout the interior and potentially causing some of the food to spoil.
So, a common problem that needs to be addressed is the formation of ice in the refrigerator or freezer compartments, blocking this cold air circulation. The ice builds up, forms a barrier and can even expand and cause further damage. While most modern refrigerator manufacturers equip their units with a timed heating element to melt ice buildup, it is still important to defrost from time to time in order for a refrigerator to perform at its best and be more energy efficient.
What factors lead to rapid ice formation in refrigerators?
In such cases, your refrigerator may start to compensate for the temperature fluctuations by making its compressor work extra hard. This can increase your electricity bill. With constant opening and closing and every time you use your refrigerator or freezer, warm, moist air from the room enters and condenses. As soon as the refrigerator closes and the temperature drops, this moisture freezes and causes ice to form.
Do not put warm food in the refrigerator. If you put away your leftover food while it is still warm, the temperature difference can also cause condensation. Additionally, if the food is still steaming hot when you put it in the refrigerator, the steam will introduce additional moisture into the area surrounding the refrigerator. Poor seals can also affect the normal functioning of the device. If your refrigerator door doesn't seal properly, warm air from your kitchen can leak into the refrigerator's cool interior even when it's closed, causing temperature fluctuations. So stay cool and learn how to defrost a refrigerator to keep it running smoothly and efficiently.
This is how you should prepare the refrigerator for defrosting
Before you begin defrosting your refrigerator or freezer, you need to consider what you will do with the contents. Defrosting the freezer can be a great excuse to turn whatever you were trying to get rid of into a gigantic, gluttonous feast. If you decide to defrost your refrigerator, there are a few steps you need to take first.
- First, eliminate as much food as possible.
- Start by taking inventory of the foods in it and consuming or eliminating as much as possible. Otherwise, you'll find yourself storing everything in refrigerators.
- An easy place to start is to simply clear out expired foods or spices that are past their prime orcompost in your home. Also, try to eat all foods a week or two before defrosting the refrigerator, especially those that have the potential to spoil or don't keep well in a cooler, like ice cream or meat.
- Then pack all remaining food into a cooler with ice packs. Afterwards, store them in a shady, cool area of your home. Basements stay relatively cool and a garage is a good option even in the colder months as long as the weather is not too sunny. You can also use cooler bags or cooler boxes for this.
- After removing all perishable items, you can turn off the refrigerator and unplug it to begin the defrosting process.
- Leave doors open to allow the temperature to rise and remove shelves and drawers in both the freezer and refrigerator.
- Finally, gather some highly absorbent towels (ideally old towels that you no longer use) and cover the floor around the refrigerator with them. At this point, you can also spread a few towels around the interior, especially on the lower shelves.
Remove shelves and drawers
The emptier your refrigerator is, the easier it is to reach its surfaces for defrosting and cleaning. Keep refrigerator shelves and drawers in a safe and dry place during ice removal. Once you've laid out towels and are prepared, now it's time to defrost the fridge.
Defrost the refrigerator using various methods and tricks
Defrosting your refrigerator can be done using a variety of methods depending on how thick the ice layer is. Here are some of the most common of them:
- Slow and steadyAllow the refrigerator to defrost – This is the best but also the most time-consuming option. Although it takes longer, this is also the safest method of defrosting. As simple as it sounds, just leave the doors open and check in to make sure the towels absorb the melting ice. Depending on your ice layer, this could take several hours to over a day.
- Defrost with boiling water– For this method, place a bowl or pot of boiling water in the freezer compartment and close the door tightly. Repeat every 30 minutes until all the ice has melted, catching and wiping up any water that spills.
- Heated cloth and scraperTo use - With this method, you simply place a cloth in a shallow bowl of boiling water and pour a splash of rubbing alcohol over it. The hot solution acts as a loosening agent, allowing you to easily break off chunks of ice. Use a plastic scraper or spatula, or a wooden spoon to avoid damaging the interior walls.
- Use a fan or hairdryer– In this case, set up a fan or hairdryer in the refrigerator to increase air circulation, which will speed up the melting of the ice cream. At the same time, wipe the water about every half hour and check the melting process if you use fan. When using a hairdryer, you should be careful not to let the device come into contact with moisture to prevent electric shock.
- Wet vacuum cleaner for defrostingInsert – If you have a wet/dry vacuum, this is also a quick and easy way to defrost a refrigerator. Select the wet vacuum setting and blow alternately to melt the thick ice. Then vacuum with the device to remove the puddle of water.
Tips for maintenance and care for an empty refrigerator
It's a good idea to service your refrigerator while it's empty. A freshly defrosted interior offers the perfect opportunity to clean the refrigerator and mop up the last puddles. Here are some steps you can follow to do this:
- First, dip a non-abrasive sponge in a solution of warm, soapy water mixed with a tablespoon of baking soda and wipe the entire interior surface.
- Then wipe the surfaces with a damp cloth and dry with a microfiber cloth. This ensures that all moisture is removed. Otherwise, a new layer of ice will form when you turn the refrigerator back on.
- Wash and dry shelves and drawers separately and use antibacterial wipes on the attached interior shelves.
- Finally, check whether the seals are still sucking properly, as this can lead to frost formation in the first place. Replace these if they appear to be broken. You can also try pushing a piece of paper through the seals with the door closed. When this occurs, it is a clear sign that they need to be replaced.
Reload the fridge
Once your refrigerator is clean, dry, and ready for food, you should take some time to follow these final steps:
- First, plug the refrigerator back in and set the temperature as low as possible.
- Give the device a good half hour to return to a normal cooling level.
- Once your fridge cools again, you can put the products back in the fridge and freezer.
