4 ways to defrost a refrigerator without the hassle

Modern models of refrigerators do not require regular defrosting, and, you bet, the last time you saw a multi-centimeter layer of ice and snow in a freezer so long ago that you can hardly imagine how to defrost a refrigerator correctly and quickly. On the one hand, you need to rejoice that the technology is less and less perplexing us with such surprises, but on the other hand, the unexpected need for defrosting is likely to take you by surprise. Our guide will help defrost the refrigerator, even if you are doing it for the first time, but if you have already done this procedure, then you can learn some useful tricks.

Why defrost a refrigerator?

Old refrigerators had to be defrosted quite often, but why defrost modern appliances? Do not rush to exhale with relief if the refrigerator says “no frost”: ice can overtake you even in the age of technological progress. It is difficult to say how much ice will form, and it is quite possible that its amount will increase almost imperceptibly at a very low speed. The reason for its formation is usually getting into the chamber of warm air, which is inevitable when opening the door, but the likelihood of icing will increase if:

• you will keep the door open too often or for too long, or even forget to close it;
• due to marriage or damage, the door does not fit well with the camera, allowing warm air to enter;
• your thermostat has failed, ceasing to maintain the desired temperature inside the chamber.

Of course, faced with such problems, it is advisable to hand over the refrigerator for repair or even buy a new one, but you don’t always have money for it, and it threatens with a lot of spoiled products to wait until the camera stops closing due to an ice coat. That is why it is even useful for owners of modern technology to know how to properly defrost a refrigerator.

Getting ready to defrost

In order for the defrosting process to go smoothly, it is better to think through all the steps in advance, otherwise you will then have to throw out spoiled foods and run around the apartment with a mop.

• It is not enough just to pull the plug out of the socket, and even more so you should not just leave the icy refrigerator in the off state, hoping that the water itself will drain somewhere. The process requires constant monitoring, and if you are not tempted by the prospect of replacing a swollen laminate, we recommend choosing a free evening or morning for defrosting.
• Before you begin to resort to vigorous actions, disconnect the refrigerator from power and set the temperature to 0, if your model has a temperature controller.
• After that, you need to remove all products from the chamber, taking care of their storage in advance. If the yard is winter, then you can take out boxes of food to the street, and in summer for perishable products you need to prepare an ice bath.
• It will not work to defrost the freezer without turning all this ice into liters of water, which means that you need to stock up a container to drain the water. Ideally, you can put a hose on the bottom of the chamber to drain the thawed ice into the basin, but if there is no hose, then it is quite possible to collect water with a rag.

Improper defrosting of the refrigerator threatens to spoil food and floor from leaked water

How long does the refrigerator defrost?

Now that you have everything to defrost the refrigerator, you can simply leave it turned off, periodically monitoring progress and collecting water. But there is another way: try to speed up this process.

Surely you do not want to lose a whole day to defrost the refrigerator, fearing for the safety of food and not having the opportunity to leave the apartment for a long time. If you do not want to wait until the ice melts itself, you need to help him, and there are several ways to do this.

• Shovel.

Before any of the methods described below, it would be nice to crack as much ice as you can with a metal spatula or spatula. A dense ice layer is best left alone, because it is unlikely to yield even to a spatula, and if you go into a rage, then after thawing there will be a risk of chips and scratches.

• Hot water.

If warm air is not effective enough for you, you can use hot water to defrost it. A bowl or saucepan with boiling water is placed in the chamber, after which the door is closed. A bowl of water will have to be changed quite often, but in general the method does not require much effort.

• A vacuum cleaner.

If you are the proud owner of a washing vacuum cleaner, it will help to quickly defrost the refrigerator, no matter how much ice it contains. First you need to turn on the blow mode and, having removed the nozzle for the floor, direct the flow of warm air into the chamber. After a significant amount of ice has thawed, you can remove the liquid by sucking it in with the same vacuum cleaner. With this device, you will not need either a basin or a hose, but you will have to be near the defrosting refrigerator throughout the process.

Can a refrigerator be defrosted with a hairdryer?

It is logical to assume that warm air will help speed up the process, but is it safe to use a hairdryer for this? In principle, even room temperature air will blow out, forced into the chamber by a fan, but in order to really defrost a refrigerator really quickly, a hair dryer will do even better. Just do not need to bring it too close to melting ice: keep the device at a distance to avoid the possibility of short circuit and electric shock.

Tip

If the refrigerator requires cleaning, then wash it after defrosting, but before plugging it in.

You can choose the most effective option, in your opinion, or try all of them in turn: as a result, you will get a refrigerator completely free of ice, which is again ready to serve you faithfully.

How to turn on the refrigerator after defrosting?

After a complete defrost, it is time to bring the equipment back into operation. Carefully remove moisture from the refrigerator and from the floor before plugging it into a power outlet: moisture that gets on work elements can cause a short circuit. It is advisable to lay the products on shelves after the refrigerator has been working for some time, since immediately after turning on the temperature in the chamber is still not low enough for food storage.

Despite the fact that due to technical progress we have to defrost refrigerators less and less, having knowledge of how to do it correctly and quickly is still useful: with the help of our tips, in case of unexpected trouble you will not be confused and will be able to cope with the problem yourself.