How to Defrost your Deep Freezer

This is the best way to defrost your freezer.

Instructions courtesy of my mom.

It had been several years since our deep freezer had been defrosted, and we were losing space due to the ice getting so thick on the walls.



I waited for a cool day to begin the process so that my food would stay frozen.

First, I put two big pots of water on the kitchen cooktop to boil.



Next, I took everything out of the freezer and put it in laundry baskets.



Then I covered it all up with a ton of blankets.  The ice cream and a snowball from last winter went into the refrigerator freezer in the kitchen.



The water was now boiling.  I placed the pots of boiling water in the freezer and put them on top of cutting boards.



I shut the lid and walked around the yard.



My mom said you should begin the next step in about 15 minutes.  My ice was so thick, my freezer needed a good 30 minutes.

After about 30 minutes, most of the ice was melting and sliding off in big chunks from the sides.  I got a bucket and began carrying the ice chunks out and dumping them in the yard.  To speed up the process, I used a measuring cup from the kitchen and poured small amounts of hot water behind the ice that was still stuck to the sides.  After hauling all the ice out, there was a small amount of water in the bottom of the freezer.  I used the shop vac to suck it out.

Clean Freezer!



The entire process—from start to finish—took under an hour, and I was able to reorganize my freezer goods.

Thanks, mom.