How to defrost your freezer

How to defrost your freezer

You should defrost your freezer as soon as ice build-up becomes noticeable. The safest way to defrost your freezer (for both you and your freezer) is to let it defrost on its own once you’ve turned it off.

To defrost a freezer, follow these seven simple steps:

1. Switch your freezer off. Unplug it from the socket if possible.
2. Prepare your space. Put newspaper or puppy pads around the freezer to soak up the water as the ice melts. Then get dry towels ready to place inside your freezer, after you've taken the food out, to soak up any water as it defrosts. Wring these out every so often or replace them with dry towels. If your freezer has a drainage hose or a tray underneath it, make sure you’re set up to dispose of the water in these as the ice melts.
3. Remove your frozen food. To prevent items from thawing, place them in a cool bag or insulated cooler box with ice packs. Store this in the coldest area of your house, away from direct sunlight.
4. Remove and clean all drawers, shelves and bottle holders. Don’t try to force them out if they're stuck – you'll be able to remove them later as the ice melts. Clean with soapy water and dry off using a clean tea towel.
5. Wait for the ice to melt. If you haven't let the ice build-up get too out of hand, this should take two to three hours. 
6. Clean and dry inside the freezer. Get into all those nooks and crannies with soapy water to remove any dirt or food that has collected. Dry as much as possible with a clean tea towel, this will help keep ice from immediately building back up.
7. Switch the freezer back on. Give it time to cool down again before putting your frozen food back in. Any food that has started to defrost shouldn’t be refrozen.

Can you defrost a freezer without turning it off?

You should always turn the freezer off if you’re going to defrost it, otherwise the ice won’t melt and you’ll have to attempt hacking it off (this has potential to damage the freezer).

If you don’t have cool boxes to store your frozen food and there are no kind neighbours on hand, use ice build-up as an opportunity to defrost and eat all those bags and boxes that have been hiding in your freezer for the past few months.

How to defrost a freezer without losing food

If you’re going to defrost a freezer, you need to remove the food.

Previously frozen food that's been defrosted should not be frozen again, as there’s a higher chance of food poisoning when you eventually come to eat it. The exception is for food that’s been previously frozen, defrosted and cooked. This can be frozen again without a higher chance of food poisoning.

If your frozen food defrosts while you’re defrosting the freezer, you’ll either have to cook it before you re-freeze it or eat it almost straightaway. The Food Standards Agency advises that defrosted food can be stored in the fridge for up to two days before it needs to be cooked or thrown away.

If you want to keep your food frozen while you defrost your freezer, you may have to invest in cool boxes or cool bags, freeze the ice packs that go in them and then pop your frozen food in there. Keep these out of direct sunlight. The alternative is to ask a friend or relative to look after your frozen food in their freezer until you’ve finished defrosting. Cloud also have a limited supply of table top freezers if you need to borrow one.

Why should you defrost your freezer?

There are several reasons why it's good to get into the habit of regularly defrosting your freezer:

• If you’ve got a build-up of ice, it's taking up space where your food should be. If you leave it long enough, enough ice can build up to prevent the door from closing properly, so you're better off defrosting the freezer before it gets to this stage.
• A build-up of ice (although cold) actually acts as an insulator. This means your freezer has to run longer and work harder in order to penetrate that block of ice to keep your food cold. This means it will cost you more in electricity to run.
• Frost that builds up quickly could indicate an issue with your freezer's door seal. But you won't notice a problem unless you defrost regularly. If you notice more frost building up than usual and you know you’re closing the freezer door as soon as you’ve popped food in or taken it out, it’s worth checking your freezer seal.