How to properly and quickly defrost the refrigerator in 8 steps

How to defrost a refrigerator

Whatever fridge you have, say, a modern Samsung with an auto-freezing system or an old Biryusa, you need to defrost it periodically.

  • How often should you defrost a refrigerator? There are no strict rules in this matter, the main thing to focus on is the appearance of ice. The old model refrigerator without any system of freezers, requires frequent defrosting - about 1 time per month. If you have a modern refrigerator with the No frost, Frost free or Full No Frost (dual compressor) system, then one duty defrosting in half a year will be enough.
  • Why do I need to clean the frost? A layer of ice, and especially a thick ice coat inside the freezer / refrigerator, not only complicates access to the products, but also makes the compressor work more with less efficiency, while increasing your electricity bill.
  • Why frost is formed? The appearance of ice occurs due to the ingress of warm air into the refrigerator / freezer at the time when the door is open. If you notice that the ice coat is growing too fast, then most often the reason for this is damage to the thermostat or the sealing gum.

With the help of our step-by-step instructions, you can defrost any refrigerator - one- or two-compressor, old or modern, with the function Know frost, Frost fries (with a defrosting drip system) or full frost, brands Atlant, Veko, Nord, Ariston, Samsung, Bosh, Gorenje, Lg, Liebherr, Whirlpool, Zanussi, Electrolux, Indesit, or Stinol.

See also the material: How to clean the iron inside and outside - 10 home ways.

Defrosting the refrigerator in 8 steps

Step 1. Adjust the temperature of the refrigerator to 0 degrees, then disconnect it from the power supply and open the door wide open.

  • How to defrost a refrigerator with two compressors? The principle is the same, the only difference is that its chambers can be defrosted in turns or simultaneously.

Step 2. Remove all food from the camera. It is good if you have planned the defrosting of the refrigerator in advance and were able to organize supplies so that among them there are no perishable and frozen products left. And if not? The following tips will help you to keep food at the time of defrosting the refrigerator:

  • Take out products to the balcony (in winter);
  • Put the food in a saucepan and put it in a basin filled with cold water and ice;
  • Put the products in a thermopackage (isothermal package) together with bags filled with ice cubes, and put it in a dark, cool place. Thermopacket can be purchased at a hardware store.
  • Thermopacket can be replaced by foiled polyethylene or any reflective insulating material that is sold in hardware stores. In this case, the products just need to be wrapped with ice packs.
  • If your refrigerator is a two-compressor, then you can defrost the upper chamber first and put all the products in the lower compartment, and then do the opposite.

Remove all containers, shelves and grids from the chambers as well.By the way, we advise you not to pull products out of the refrigerator directly in containers, as the plastic may crack from their gravity.

Step 3. If your refrigerator does not have a tank for collecting melted liquid, put towels or several layers of newspaper sheets under it, and a pallet on the bottom shelf. Usually, this measure is required for older models of refrigerators, with modern technology water is drained into a special sump (most often it is located behind the refrigerator).

Step 4. Now we just have to wait for the refrigerator to defrost. The natural process of melting an ice coat can take from 3 to 10 hours, depending on the thickness of the ice.

  • It is best to defrost the refrigerator in the traditional way - just leave it overnight.

But if you wish, you can speed up the process with the help of simple actions. First, let the refrigerator stand for half an hour just to stand, then choose one of the following methods for accelerated defrosting and begin the practice.

See also: What should be the temperature in the refrigerator?

Ways to Accelerate Defrosting the Refrigerator

  • Method 1. Put a hot water bottle filled with hot water in the freezer.
  • Method 2 Put a plate in the chamber and a pot of boiling water on it. Change the water as it cools. Do not put the boiling pot without a plate, so as not to damage the plastic. After 30-60 minutes of such a “bath”, the ice coat should begin to split off.
Accelerated defrosting of the refrigerator with steam from boiling water in bowls

Accelerated defrosting of the refrigerator with steam from boiling water in bowls

  • Method 3. Fill the spray bottle with hot water and start spraying the chamber walls with it. After 15 minutes or more, the ice will begin to break off.
Accelerated Defrosting of the Refrigerator with a Hot Water Spray Gun

Spraying ice with hot water is perhaps the safest, easiest and at the same time effective way to quickly defrost a refrigerator.


  • Method 4. Place a heater in front of the refrigerator so that the melted water cannot come into contact with it, and the warm air is not directed directly onto the rubber seal.
  • Method 5. Is it possible to defrost a refrigerator with a hair dryer? Yes, if you keep it at a distance of 20-30 cm from the walls of the chamber, distribute hot air evenly and do not direct it precisely to the rubber gasket. And of course, do not neglect the observance of safety rules and completely eliminate the contact of the hair dryer with water.
  • Method 6. Dampen a rag in hot water and wipe it off with ice. Repeat the procedure until the ice begins to break off.

See also: How to remove the smell from the refrigerator in 6 steps

Unwanted actions

  • Do not chop off, do not scrape and do not collect ice with a knife. So you can damage not only plastic, but also the channel under it, which is carried out by the refrigerant freon. In the event of a breakdown, you will have to do repairs - fill the canal with freon, and then solder it.
  • When heating the ice coat with a hair dryer or a fan heater, do not direct the flow of hot air directly at the sealing gum. Otherwise, it is dried and deformed. If this happens, warm air will constantly flow into the chamber, which will disrupt the operation of the refrigerator and provoke the rapid appearance of a new fur coat.

Step 5. Remove all melted water and ice from the chamber with a rag.

Step 6. Clean up cameras, shelves and containers by following recommendations of our article.

Step 7. Using a rag and / or the same blow dryer, dry the walls of the refrigerator to prevent the formation of ice again. Next, wipe the floor and the area around the device dry.

Step 8. Turn on the fridge. Wait until the temperature in the chamber drops to normal (it takes about 30 minutes) and proceed to filling the shelves with food.

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And finally, we offer to see a visual video instruction on how to quickly defrost the Atlas refrigerator using a boiling pot and a hairdryer.

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2 Comments

  1. Tanya says

    For sure! I have several thermopackets in my box, I bought them on Probiotics recently, there the prices are generally ridiculous and the quality of the products is good, durable, and roomy. Only I used thermopacks on trips with children (I kept snacking there on the road, so as not to deteriorate), but I could not guess that you can store food in them while the refrigerator is unfrozen)).

  2. Anna Mitrofanova says

    ospad! what a middle ages! I thought no one was doing this anymore) I have Indesit with no-frost, I don’t defrost it at all, I just have nothing - I don’t freeze anything! what I wish everyone - to start a normal refrigerator and not to bathe)

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