How often you should defrost your freezer naturally depends on how often it ices up. As a rough guideline, the following rule of thumb applies: the layer of ice should be no more than one centimeter thick. But why all this effort?
Why should you defrost your freezer?
Quite simply: even thin layers of ice in the freezer compartment lead to increased energy consumption. The refrigerator has to work harder and in this way more electricity is also consumed. Of course, the ideal time to defrost is winter: here, for example, you can “temporarily store” all your food on the balcony or in the garden and defrost the refrigerator perfectly.
Who would have thought? Our refrigerators and freezers consume on average up to one fifth of our electricity consumption. Exactly how much energy these appliances use depends, among other things, on a variety of factors. Of course, the energy efficiency class already accounts for a large part of the electricity consumption, but the proper defrosting and cooling behavior are also not entirely insignificant.
And this is how to defrost your freezer best
Here you will find tips for defrosting a freezer compartment in the freezer more quickly.
Turn off the freezer
Whether salt, hot water or the trusty hair dryer – there are a variety of techniques for removing the annoying layers of ice. Anyone who has the option of storing their food elsewhere can, when defrosting, take it easy. To do this, it is best to disconnect the appliance completely from the power supply, open all appliance doors and wait. The ice gradually comes loose on its own and stress never arises in the first place.
Small tip: to prevent the defrosted water from flooding the whole kitchen, you should place towels in front of the appliance. You can remove these towels from time to time and replace them with new ones – it couldn’t be easier.
Salt and vinegar
If this method is a touch too slow for you, you can simply make do with Saltit. To do this, simply sprinkle the layers of ice with a little table salt. The salt penetrates deep into the ice and thus practically dissolves it. It works even faster if you then wipe over it with a cloth soaked in vinegar. The ice disappears faster.
Warm water
The classic method, however, is the warm-water method. To do this, place a pot of boiling hot water in the appliance – the heat causes faster defrosting. Experts, however, strongly advise against this method: the large temperature differences could potentially damage the freezer appliance. A hair dryer can cause similar damage.
Beware of sharp tools
Sharp tools are also particularly popular for knocking the ice off the appliances as quickly as possible or for creating leverage. However, this option should be avoided under all circumstances. With sharp, pointed and hard objects, you can damage the walls of the freezer and thus put the insulation at risk. Better suited to supporting the defrosting process is a cloth or plastic ice scraper, which you normally use for car windows in winter. Afterwards, simply wipe out the freezer appliances – done.
How can you prevent increased layers of ice in the future?
Ice naturally forms due to the presence of water.Water, in turn, is found mostly in and on the food that we store in our freezer appliances. But the air is also responsible for ice formation. With these tricks, you can now easily prevent increased layers of ice in the refrigerator and freezer:
- Open the freezer for as short a time as possible and close the door quickly and securely.
- Freeze food well packaged, otherwise too much moisture can circulate in the freezer.
- It is best to set up your freezer freestanding.
- For freestanding and built-under appliances, be sure to make sure that the ventilation grilles are unobstructed.
- If possible, place your appliances in cool rooms, far away from radiators and the stove.
- do not freeze hot food; let everything cool down and only then freeze it.
 Extra tip: To prevent a layer of ice from forming again so quickly, simply rub the freezer compartment after defrosting with glycerin in. This prevents it from freezing up again so quickly.
Read also:Â Clean refrigerator
Image by Janine, meinhaushalt.at
