How NOT to Defrost Your Stand Up Freezer

[@johnkay4701]

Well done, an honest video. You're such a little sweetie. I de-frosted my fridge-freezer yesterday & I'm starting to de-frost my larger upright freezer right now. First, I'm no expert at all. However I use a low power electric heater only 200w & place it at a distance angled up & a small air blowing fan. I use one of the drawers to catch as much of the dripping water as possible. However, there is still quite a lot of water that collects at the bottom that I just sponge-out into a bucket (without any holes in it). I don't have any drainage hole in the base, so I MUST sponge-up the water frequently. Lastly I wipe all of insides clean with disinfectant water then dry with an old but clean rag. I can't see how certain other commentators have done everything in less than 30-minutes. It still takes me about 4-hours start to finish. Regards, JohnnyK from the UK.

[@joec.1906]

The quickest way I found to defrost was to unplug it; unload it; then I used a hand truck to wheel it outside or you can just roll it there. If the freezer is indoors then use a hand truck to wheel it to an exterior door. A hand truck will not damage a floor and is easier. It’s not hard to move a unloaded empty freezer unless you have 500 lbs of ice inside LOL. I lift/tilt the back side then place a 2”x4” under it to keep that angle, open the freezer door, then I used a garden hose to wash off the ice, but DO NOT SPRAY THE CONTROL KNOB even though it likely is water proof. It only takes a few minutes to defrost it this way. Even though you need to move it outside it only adds an extra couple of minutes to move there and saves you most of the day then use rags to get most of it semi dry. It does not need to be completely dry because HELLO it is a freezer. Advantages of doing it this way are 1) Takes only a short time and much easier 2) No need to stand there with a heater 3) The food you took out can go back in ASAP and should not be defrosted.

[@lassooftruth5964]

Hey, I’m really proud of you. It was a frustrating job, but you soldiered on!! 😊 I really do dread defrosting my side-by-side freezer/refrigerator, but it’s gotta’ get done!! Glad I watched your video. Thank you!!

[@FreezerMeals101]

Good luck!

[@joec.1906]

For an indoor freezer I recommend a self defrost. For a garage it does not matter. I had an upright manual defrost similar to what you have located in my garage. The quickest way I found to defrost was to unplug it; unload it; then I used a hand truck to wheel it outside or you can just roll it there. If the freezer is indoors then use a hand truck to wheel it to an exterior door. A hand truck will not damage a floor and is easier. It’s not hard to move a unloaded empty freezer unless you have 500 lbs of ice inside LOL. I lift/tilt the back side then place a 2”x4” under it to keep that angle, open the freezer door, then I used a garden hose to wash off the ice, but DO NOT SPRAY THE CONTROL KNOB even though it likely is water proof. It only takes a few minutes to defrost it this way. Even though you need to move it outside it only adds an extra couple of minutes to move there and saves you most of the day then use rags to get most of it semi dry. It does not need to be completely dry because HELLO it is a freezer. Advantages of doing it this way are 1) Takes only a short time and much easier 2) No need to stand there with a heater 3) The food you took out can go back in ASAP and should not be defrosted.

[@FreezerMeals101]

That sounds very slick! Great advice!

[@harrisfoster2204]

We all have that problem. Next time boil two pots of water and place them on a cutting board to protect the coils. Close the door and check every 1/2hour Empty pan and check water. I always have 2more pot boiling for the swap out. Should only take a hour or so.

[@FreezerMeals101]

Thank you for this suggestion!

[@shocker1215]

For goodness sake just lift the racks packed full of ice out of the freezer and take them outside and let the ice melt or just knock then again the ground to knock it off.

[@kevinrehberg8758]

Make some "sealed" waterbags... Either a "seal a meal" creation or a zipper closed sandwich bags within bags.. They are easily microwavable and a little safer than carrying a pot of hot water from stove to freezer. I liked the shop vac but I keep a bussing tub next to the freezer and wring the water out of the towels. It's also handy to have when the ice "breakoffs" inevitably fall off of the underside of shelves

[@janeshealthadventure8778]

Oh Sharla, lol 😂 👏 I’m getting ready to defrost my upright freezer and I’m so glad I found your video 😜 You are lovely, I enjoyed laughing along with you 😘

[@FreezerMeals101]

We are planning a "how to organize your freezer " video soon so stay tuned!

[@bonitademas3352]

Oh my dear, you had a looooong day of freezer cleaning, hope next time you clean it will be a lot easier 👌

[@FreezerMeals101]

I hope so too!

[@dunki-dunki-dawg]

I put boiling water in containers and close the door.. Put towels in the bottom and replace them when drenched. I spin the towels in the washing machine to cycle the towels and this works pretty good. The hot water does most of the work for you.

[@nikkiwurn3921]

Oh my goodness, my freezer is in horrible need of defrosting 😱 I am laughing with you, not at you 😂😲 the hair dryer was a good idea!! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 you are a trooper! Thank you for this video… I’m celebrating with you that your freezer is defrosted and not you have all the information on how NOT to defrost it next time!!

[@susieQ666]

easiest way n super fast is to unplug it and use a steamer you know them hand held ones that can also mop your floor ...easy ...you just unplug...blast away n it melts instantly ....then use a bucket to remove ice and water n have some big towels on hand oh n a scraper to help get the lumps of ice off when it starts to give IM A BIT INPATIENT n wallah .. i do it once a year ...i can get it done in like 20 mins ...hope this helps ...ill carry on watching now ...watch you have already used the steam mop but i wanted to tell you before i forgot 🌷🌷 bless you what a chore ... even if you dont have a all in 1 steam mop ... get one ha ha there like 15 pound ...your a trooper doing all that ...us women never give up ...my partner would of shouted me like 1 hour in hee hee hairdryer was genius too 🌷🌷

[@mystikskye]

I like the idea of using a shop vac to get the water out. I use a hair dryer and bowls of hot water.

[@joec.1906]

The quickest way I found to defrost was to unplug it; unload it; then I used a hand truck to wheel it outside or you can just roll it there. If the freezer is indoors then use a hand truck to wheel it to an exterior door. A hand truck will not damage a floor and is easier. It’s not hard to move a unloaded empty freezer unless you have 500 lbs of ice inside LOL. I lift/tilt the back side then place a 2”x4” under it to keep that angle, open the freezer door, then I used a garden hose to wash off the ice, but DO NOT SPRAY THE CONTROL KNOB even though it likely is water proof. It only takes a few minutes to defrost it this way. Even though you need to move it outside it only adds an extra couple of minutes to move there and saves you most of the day then use rags to get most of it semi dry. It does not need to be completely dry because HELLO it is a freezer. Advantages of doing it this way are 1) Takes only a short time and much easier 2) No need to stand there with a heater 3) The food you took out can go back in ASAP and should not be defrosted.

[@steviegeez8032]

Standard freezer defrosting is a mess and there's no way around it unless you can put your freezer in your bathtub or a drainage ditch 🤓. I've had great success and it's very fast by simply turning off the freezer, opening the door wide and putting my floor fan on full blast. About 30 minutes later it's pretty much done. You might get an old blanket out and lay it in front of the floor instead of towels but its not going to stop the mess either. Your wet or dry vacuum is a great idea and I'll have to try that next time. A Hair Dryer around all that dripping water might possibly expose you to a electrical shock or worse. Just sayin' .

[@FreezerMeals101]

Great tips! Thanks!

[@karawillis4767]

That looks like what could be a drainage area in the bottom. Some freezers you can attach a hose to somewhere on the appliance and have it go outside or something. If not go ahead and use an oven broiling pan or bread pans etc to catch the drips.

[@iceislifeasmr]

I would've ate every crumb