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No mess way to defrost a fridge freezer

Claudeduck
Cultivating a Following

No mess way to defrost a fridge freezer

This is how to defrost a fridge freezer without creating lots of water in the fridge and on the floor to mop up with rags or towels. 

Steps

Step 1

I don't know why its took me so much of my septuagenarian life to work this out but I am not alone in this regard as EVERY Youtube on the subject off how to defrost a fridge freezer talks about using towels or rags to mop up all of the water that comes from defrosting the freezer in a fridge freezer.  I have done it twice with this method over the past few months and it works a treat!  Yes, most of us probably have frost free fridges these days but that is not always the case.  For example, my little "bar" fridge is not a frost free fridge and every now and then I cannot open the freezer part because it has frozen over with ice.  This is how to defrost such a freezer without making a mess and having to be vigilant in watching the defrosting process regularly and mopping up as it proceeds.

Step 2

The secret is simply in using capillary action on some sort of a open weave wicking cloth to get rid of the water from the melting process into an easy to carry container.

 

Many fridges will have a tray under the freezer to capture any dripping water.

 

All I have done is to shove one end of a piece of a "Chux" type wipe into that tray and suspend the other end of the wipe into a plastic tub with handles to make removal of the tub full of water easy.

 

As the ice melts into the tray, the water will wick itself down the wipe and drip, drip, drip into the plastic tub. Too easy!

Step 3

If however, your fridge freezer does not have a tray under the freezer to collect the water, all you would have to do is get a tray of a suitable size that fits on the top shelf under the freezer to collect the drops of water and wick it away from that tray using the method described above.

Step 4

This is cheap project.  all you need is a big enough tub to collect the water. I used a $3.50, 16 litre, Ezy Storage tub from Bunnings and a piece of wipe, which in my case was a piece of the more industrtrial width and strength wipes that Bunnings sell but I reckon any open weave domestic Chux type "wipe" will do the trick.

 

I could show a video of the drops of water going into the tub but it appears that videos cannot be uploaded to these  pages.

MitchellMc
Bunnings Team Member
Bunnings Team Member

Re: The Brilliant Non Messy Way to Defrost a Fridge Freezer

What a nifty trick @Claudeduck! I trust any of our members with a similar issue will be pleased to come across your process. I love that you solved the issue with a bit of science.

 

To add a video to your post, it needs to be first uploaded to YouTube. You can then add a link to the video in your post. 

 

Many thanks for sharing.

 

Mitchell

 

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Claudeduck
Cultivating a Following

Re: The Brilliant Non Messy Way to Defrost a Fridge Freezer

Aha!   Here is the video. It is only 14 seconds long but it shows the water dripping from the wipe into the tub.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZX3TICgvQ

 

It works, Grommit!  It works!

Dave-1
Community Megastar

Re: No mess way to defrost a fridge freezer

Good Evening @Claudeduck 

hahahaha Brilliant!  :smile: Says the guy who usually trundels teh whole fridge downstairs and defrosts the block of ice in the basement at work! I will try this next time for sure :smile: Even checked out the video!

 

Picture a bunch of IT staff poking away at the bar fridge to remove the ice.... Also picture one of them spearing the freezer iteslf.... Yeah, one dead fridge. Your way is a LOT safer and wiser :smile:

 

Dave

Claudeduck
Cultivating a Following

Re: No mess way to defrost a fridge freezer

It sounds like you need this method!  😁

If it is a fridge at work, it is probably a job that you can do overnight because then you won't get impatient awaiting the last few drops of water to wick out of the tray under the freezer.  It does leave that tray reasonably dry if you have the patience to just let it do its gig.

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