How to Defrost a Refrigerator Fast

Posted July 15th, 2022

When it comes to maintenance and taking care of your refrigerator - defrosting is one of the easiest ways you could take care of your fridge. We will go over how to defrost your refrigerator the fastest.

Why is Defrosting Important?

Frost build-up is a common issue that is seen in refrigerators and can typically happen when warm or humid air gets in. I'm sure we've all heard when someone in our family says “hurry you're keeping the refrigerator door open too long!” When the frost accumulates over time, it can smell and affect the functionality and efficiency of your appliance resulting in an increased electricity bill.

Before your start the process of defrosting your fridge you should try to use up as much food from your refrigerator and freezer so you don't spoil any of your food when you take it out. For instance, if your ice cream melts it won't be quite the same when you try to freeze it again.

What You'll Need To Defrost a Refrigerator:

• Boiling Hot Water

• Rubbing Alcohol

• Table Fan or Hair Dryer

• Dry/Wet Vaccum (optional)

• Cleaning Supplies

• Cooler

• Ice Packs

• Absorbent Towels

Step 1: Prepare Your Refrigerator

First, you'll want to unplug your refrigerator and start removing all of your food and frozen food, and place it in the cooler with ice packs on top of it. Next, remove all of your fridge components such as shelves, drawers, and organizing bins. Finally, make sure to cover the floor with your absorbent towels to soak up all the liquid.

Note: Take this opportunity to throw out any expired or old food leftovers.

Step 2: Wait For Your Fridge to Defrost

Every refrigerator/freezer is different and the amount of frost that built up over time varies. So, you might have to use a few methods to help get the defrosting process moving faster.

The time it takes to defrost also varies on the thickness of the frost, but can overall take a couple of hours.

Next, take a seat, sit back, and wait for it to defrost. Check on it a few times to clean up the excess moisture. This method can take more than a couple of hours or you could use the rest of the tools you have handy to defrost it faster!

Step 3: Use Hot Boiling Water

If you skipped the “sitting back and relaxing” part of these steps then you'll want to use the boiling hot water in this step. Take an absorbent cloth and lay it down in your freezer and then rest the pot of boiling hot water on top of the cloth.

At the same time, grab another pot and boil water. After about 20-30 min replace the pot in the freezer with the new pot of boiling hot water.

Essentially you'll continue to change the pot of hot water every 30 min to speed up the process. Keep repeating this step until all of the ice melts.

Step 4: Use Rubbing Alcohol to Defrost Faster

Take a cloth and apply rubbing alcohol and hot water to it. Once your cloth is damp you can start to dab the ice build in your freezer and slowly scrape the ice off. Rubbing alcohol actually has a lower freezing point than water which can help speed up the melting process.

If you have a particular spot in your freezer that has a lot of built-up ice on it you can lay this cloth on top of it.

Step 5: Use a Table Fan or Hair Dryer

Get more airflow and circulation by using a table fan or hair dryer to blow into the interior of your fridge and freezer. Make sure to come back and check on the melting progress every 20-30 min so you can use the absorbent towels to soak up any water that melted.

If you don't have a table fan and you need to use a hair dryer just know this will require more of your attention. You'll need to hold the hair dryer and aim it towards big layers of ice and frost that built up until it starts to melt.

Tip: Don't forget to fully dry your hands before using the hair dryer.

Step 6: Use a Wet and Dry Vacuum

If you have one handy, a wet and dry vacuum can help you defrost your refrigerator and soak up the ice that melts.

Step 7: Disinfect, Clean, & Dry Your Refrigerator

After you are satisfied with the way your refrigerator or freezer is defrosted you should start to clean and disinfect it fully from top to bottom.

Here are a few tips you can follow:

• Combine soap, hot water, and baking soda to create a liquid solution you can use to wipe down the inside using a sponge.

• Once you've wiped down the inside, use a microfiber towel to dry it down completely.

• Wash and disinfect all of the shelves, drawers, and organizing bins you took out early on and wipe them down using an antibacterial solution.

Step 8: Check the Refrigerator

Lastly, make sure to check the seal on the fridge. Checking the seal ensures you keep the cold air inside and your food stays at the right temperature.

If your seal is working correctly you can plug your fridge back into the wall unit and start adding your food back in once it gets cooler.

Usually, the newer refrigerators do come with anti-frost or defrost features that can automatically detect frost buildup. However, knowing how to manually defrost your fridge is an essential skill to have in case your fridge does stop working for one reason or another.

At Queen City Audio Video Appliances we have several options when it comes to buying a refrigerator or freezer that provides all the features you need such as anit-frost. Choose between top-freezer refrigerators, french door refrigerators, side by side refrigerators, bottom freezer refrigerators, chest freezers, and more.

Our kitchen appliance store has several locations you can choose from serving the Carolinas in Charlotte, Salisbury, Morganton, Monroe, Pineville, and our new store coming soon in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.