Still relevant: instructions for defrosting the refrigerator

How often should I defrost the refrigerator?

The answer to this question can be given based on the type of your refrigerator. So, a device without an auto-defrosting system will need to be defrosted about once a month. The specific dates may differ both in a smaller and in a larger direction — depending on the thickness of the ice on the inner walls and around the freezer. A large amount of ice will prevent the maintenance of normal temperature conditions in the freezer and create the risk of premature failure of the compressor, which is the "heart" of the provisions storage. Also, the "ice coat" often prevents the tight closing of the refrigerator door or freezer in particular.

Refrigerators with the No Frost system are subject to the defrosting procedure approximately once every six months. This is done in order to thoroughly wash and disinfect the shelves and walls inside the refrigerator compartment. In this way, you can get rid of unpleasant odours and prevent the proliferation of bacteria. It is advisable to defrost No Frost refrigerators in spring and autumn, when the hot summer heat has not yet begun and the central heating has not yet been turned on — in a cool room it will be easier for the power unit to reach the operating temperature after the defrosting is over.

The situation is somewhat different with the drip defrosting system — a kind of semi-automatic option to prevent the formation of ice. The defrosting process in models of this type is based on the natural melting of ice particles that collect on the back wall of the device (an evaporator is built into it, where the refrigerant is pumped by a compressor). During the shutdown of the refrigerator's power unit, the ice begins to actively melt and, under the influence of engine heat, turns into water, which then flows into a special tray, from where the liquid evaporates later. But anyway, the freezer will need to be defrosted manually, since the drip defrosting system does not apply to it. The alarm system, which is triggered if the temperature in the freezer exceeds the norm, will tell you about the need for the procedure.

Procedure of actions

Before you start defrosting the refrigerator, you need to take care of the safety of perishable products. In the cold season, they can be taken out to the balcony, and at other times of the year — put in a basin with ice water or put in a thermos bag (if available).

In the future, defrosting of the refrigerator is carried out according to the following scheme:

• at the first stage, it is necessary to set the zero temperature and disconnect the device from the power supply;
• it is advisable to remove all shelves and drawers from the refrigerator so that they do not interfere with the defrosting process (if some of them are frozen, it is better to wait until the ice under them thaws a little);
• at the bottom of the chamber, you will need to lay a rag and put a bowl, a pallet or a large saucepan to collect meltwater (if there is no special reservoir for collecting liquid in the refrigerator design); in models with a gutter for removing meltwater, you can arrange for the liquid to drain into a pre-prepared container through a hose;
• the refrigerator door is subject to mandatory fixation in the open position, since when closed, the cold inside the refrigerator will last much longer and the defrosting procedure will be delayed in time.;

• after the melting of the ice, it will be necessary to remove the ice particles and wipe the walls of the refrigerator and freezer compartments dry, otherwise there is a threat of the formation of a new ice crust from the remnants of the melted liquid; it is possible to implement this stage both with a rag and by using a fan installed in front of the open refrigerator door;
• at the last stage of defrosting, the refrigerator needs to be equipped with shelves, grids and drawers, then plugged into the network, wait until the temperature inside drops to operating values (15-30 min.) and only then load the products into the device.

As you can see, there is nothing complicated in this and the question is "how to defrost the refrigerator correctly?" disappears after the first independent implementation of this simple procedure. In terms of time, defrosting the refrigerator usually takes from 3 to 10 hours, but in case of urgent need, the process can be accelerated at times.

How to speed up the defrosting process?

The simplest way to save time on defrosting is a hot water bottle placed in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. As a replacement, it can be suggested to use a pot of boiling water installed on a towel or a tablet in order to avoid damage to the surface of the chamber. In this case, it is advisable to leave the refrigerator door closed. When using these methods, the ice layer will begin to break off from the walls within 30-60 minutes after the start of defrosting.

Similar in principle of operation is the method using a spray gun with hot water, which must be sprayed with ice deposits. If there is none at hand, use an ordinary rag, dipping it into a heated liquid and periodically wiping the "ice coat".

As an alternative method of accelerating the defrosting of the refrigerator, it can be proposed to install a fan heater in front of its open door — hot air flows will melt the ice inside the device in 30-45 minutes. Finally, ice blowing with heated air using a hair dryer is implemented in a similar way. The main thing is not to direct it to the sealing gum, and also completely exclude the contact of the hair dryer with water in order to avoid a short circuit.

Two compressors

A separate caste of two-compressor refrigerators involves alternate defrosting of the refrigerator and freezer chambers. Products for the time of defrosting of one of the compartments can be transferred to another, which greatly simplifies the task of storing food supplies. However, only the price of such models does not differ in its democracy.

Tips for keeping clean

Proper wet cleaning of internal surfaces, which is carried out at an intermediate stage between defrosting the refrigerator and its inclusion in the network, helps to get rid of unpleasant odours and destroy harmful microorganisms.

Shelves and drawers should preferably be washed by hand with detergent or liquid soap. At the same time, it is highly not recommended to use abrasives, since they can severely scratch the surfaces to be cleaned. After processing the removable elements with detergents, they will need to be rinsed under ordinary water and then wiped dry.

Similarly, the inner surfaces of the refrigerator should be treated. Also, it will not be superfluous to walk with a damp cloth around the perimeter of the sealing gum and thoroughly wash the handle — among all the elements of the refrigerator, it most often comes into contact with the hands of household members and collects the lion's share of dirt on itself.

Compliance with the basic rules of defrosting will prolong the life of your food storage and allow it to properly work out the claimed service resource.