Although many modern freezers are frost-free, they will still need to be defrosted twice a year. This is to remove chunks of ice which often build up. It is also the opportunity to give the freezer a good clean, check that all the food is still in date and to neatly repack it.

Turn off at the wall plug

Once turned off open both doors, or just the one if a single door. Remove all the food, check expiration dates and store in a cooler box or in another fridge. It should take you no more than about 10 minutes to defrost the freezer but in summer this may be enough to start defrosting some things. Make use of ice blocks if you need to keep ice-cream frozen.

Remove the shelves

This is a good time to clean them thoroughly. If you don’t remove them completely you should try to get them away from the back of the freezer.

Grab your hairdryer

It is far less messy to do this than to carry pots of boiling water around. On medium heat start to melt the edges of the ice so that you can chip around them and loosen the ice.

Make sure you only use a plastic or wooden spatula to do this. Never use a metal spatula as this can accidentally chip at the coating and cause the freezer to rust. It is also better if you manage to loosen the entire sheet of ice in one go as you will have less puddles than for many small pieces.

Clean the entire inside

Use a dry clean cloth to wipe down the inside of the freezer to make sure that any spills are wiped up.

Restock

Once you have done a check on all good foodstuffs you can re-stock the freezer. It may be helpful if at this time you do an inventory of the contents and keep the list at hand. Things that are used can then be crossed off the list and restocked if needed. Be sure to date when the foods expire.

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