How to defrost a freezer quickly and safely

2 min read · 9 steps · Updated 3 October 2026

Ice on the walls of a freezer is more than a nuisance. It takes up room, stops drawers from closing and makes the appliance use more electricity. A freezer without automatic defrosting (no frost-free label) needs to be defrosted about twice a year, or when the ice is around 7 mm thick.

If you rent, tell your landlord about problems with the heating or with appliances that belong to the flat before you try anything beyond these simple steps.

Step by step

1. Choose the moment

   Defrost when the freezer is nearly empty, and in winter if you can, when the food can wait on a cold balcony. Allow a few hours.

   Done

2. Switch off and unplug

   Turn the appliance off and pull the plug out of the wall. With a fridge-freezer on one plug, the fridge is off too, so plan for that food as well.

   Done

3. Take the food out

   Put the frozen food in an insulated cool bag or box with ice packs, or in a neighbour's freezer. Wrapping the bag in a blanket keeps it cold for longer.

   Done

4. Remove drawers and shelves

   Take them out carefully. If one is frozen in place, leave it until the ice around it has loosened. Forcing it breaks the plastic.

   Done

5. Catch the water

   Lay old towels on the floor in front of the freezer and inside at the bottom. Put a baking tray or a flat container under the drain spout if there is one.

   Done

6. Speed it up with hot water

   Put one or two bowls of hot water inside and close the door. Change the water when it has cooled. A fan standing in front of the open freezer, at a safe distance from the water, also moves warmer air inside.

   Done

7. Lift out the loose ice

   When sheets of ice come away by themselves, take them out by hand or with a plastic scraper and put them in the sink.

   Done

8. Clean and dry

   Wipe the inside with a damp cloth and a little washing-up liquid, then dry it completely. Water left behind turns straight back into ice.

   Done

9. Switch on and restock

   Plug in and switch on. Wait until the freezer has reached its temperature again, which can take a few hours, before you put the food back.

   Done

Good to know

Never use a knife, a screwdriver or any sharp tool on the ice. The cooling pipes run just behind the wall, and one puncture ruins the freezer.

Do not use a hairdryer or a heater. Electricity next to melt water is dangerous, and the heat can warp the plastic.

Food that has thawed should be eaten soon or thrown away, and not frozen again raw. Food that still has ice crystals and feels as cold as in a fridge can go back.

If thick ice returns within weeks, check the door seal: close the door on a sheet of paper, and if you can pull it out easily, the seal no longer closes.

A frost-free freezer defrosts itself. Ice in one of those points to a door left open or a fault.

In short: Unplug, food into a cool bag, drawers out, towels down, bowls of hot water inside, wait, wipe and dry, switch on, restock when cold. No knives, no hairdryer.