Step 1: Take out all your items in the freezer and put them into a large black bag (heavy duty bag). Wrap a duvet around it to keep the cold in.
Step 2: Fill large bowls of steaming hot water and place on the shelves inside the freezer. Place a thick towel on the floor to catch drips.
Step 3: Wait.
Step 4: Once the ice is loosened use a plastic scraper to remove the built up ice. Never use a metal implement as this can puncture the walls releasing the CFC's.
Step 5: Once cleaned, with a cotton cloth liberally smear Glycerin all over your freezer walls. This makes a clean-up the next time a lot quicker. Ice won't stick to the walls so easily.
Step 6: Pop back all your foodstuffs back in the freezer. Close the door. Done!
While I was defrosting I counted all of my portions of meats and main meal type items and made a list to keep on my freezer. Now I just tick them off once I use a portion and that way I can see, at a glance what I have and haven't got when I next go shopping!
By Monique from Somerset, U.K.
This page contains the following solutions.
Put the hose on the exhaust end of a vacuum or shop vac and hang it midway down in the freezer and gently close the lid on the hose. The vacuum exhausts warm room temperature air into the freezer with no danger of warping the plastic.
Whoever the angel was who posted the tip about using the broom to scrub the bathtub, well she is just the BEST! I just used the same idea to scrub out my upright freezer with baking soda and water.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
For 8 years my refrigerator/freezer has been in my garage with the doors open. I want to use it now, but found about an inch of old blood in the freezer.
It is super gooey and impossible to scrub out. Any suggestions? I really need help. Thank you.Hi, I found out that it was not blood after all. A can of concentrated juice broke open. I used boiling water and a lot of elbow grease. My freezer is beautiful now. Thank you.
I have a storage freezer, not a freezer in a fridge. Does anyone have a suggestion on what to do when the frozen food has an odor?
By Patsy
I dont know how to remove the odor once it is there. However, I use the foodsaver and the foodsaver bags and rolls. The bags and rolls do not allow air or moisture to pass through. Plastic and paper wrapping does.
In order to remove the odors, you may need to defrost your freezer. You definitely need to remove the food and wipe down all the interior surfaces with a white vinegar/water mixture. If there is still an odor, you will want to place activated charcoal in your freezer and leave the door closed for at least 24 hours.
If after 24 hours there is still an odor, replace the activated charcoal and repeat until odors have completely dissappeared. Then, always keep a box of baking soda in the freezer - if you buy the kind that is specially made for fridge & freezer usage, it won't "leak" out of the box onto your food. Good luck!
How do I clean a freezer box to store frozen food, after it being empty for two years?
Baking soda and water, made into a paste. Rinse thoroughly by wringing a wet rag, wiping, and swishing in clean water, wringing again, wiping, etc...
When baking soda is gone I would go over it with a weak solution of pine cleaner or bleach and let it air for a couple of hours.
On occasion food items and plastic bags of food can get stuck to a freezer shelf. Two good ways to try and remove them are using a blow dryer or very warm water.
Peroxide is a good alternative to baking soda for cleaning your fridge and freezer. This page contains the details for using this cleaning method.
