One chore I hate and tend to put off for far too long is defrosting the freezer. By the time I get round to doing it it tends to look like Everest in there, the drawers don’t open and close properly and I cannot get things in and out.
I tend to get it done as fast as possible.
- turn off the freezer
- take the food out and put in a cold place (like in a cooler box or out the balcony if it is winter here – my balcony is literally colder than any freezer in mid-winter Sweden).
- put soak-up sheets on each shelf and on the floor by the door
- blow my really powerful Parlux hairdryer on stubborn ice
- place thick pots and bowls with boiling water on each shelf
- remove the thick pieces of ice as they fall down
- clean all shelves and drawers
- Voila!
What has really been a lifesaver for me has been soak-up sheets for the defrosting process. No more newspaper to soak up drips. No more water all over the floor.
They are biodegradable sheets which soak up all the water as it drips and trap it in pockets within the paper-like surface. The outside of the sheets stay dry and when you are done you just lift the sheet (now extremely puffy and very very heavy) and dispose of it with your biodegradable waste. They have been a lifesaver for both me and probably my freezer because I now defrost much more regularly.
You can also place them anywhere there is a leak – a pipe, a washing machine, a boiler. And some of them have indicators to tell you when they are full.
I have bought a freezer that does not require it to be defrosted. Such a joy after years of wet patches, soaking wet towels and a dehumidifier to get the floor dry.
Hi Janet – where did you find the soak-up sheets?
Clas Ohlson!
They are also brilliant to catch drips or floods when bleeding radiators!