How to Get Rid of Freezer Frost

If you’ve recently opened your freezer door and found a big build-up of frost in it, this step-by-step guide will tell you the quickest and easiest way to get rid of it. To help prevent frost from building up in your freezer we will conclude this article by giving you some practical tips.

Let’s get started.

Step 1 – Get prepared

The first step involves removing all the food from your freezer. Since this process can take a while, you should place all your frozen foods into a cooler or even into the fridge to keep them from defrosting.

Once all the food has been removed from the freezer, turn the power off. This can be done by turning the whole refrigerator unit off or, if possible just turning the freezer compartment off.

Step 2 – Remove all shelves and clean them

Once the food has been removed and the power is turned off, remove all the shelves and drawers from your freezer and leave the freezer door open so the frost can start to melt. 

While you’re waiting for the frost to melt, give all the shelving and drawers a good clean using hot soapy water, or a natural cleaning solution like vinegar and lemon juice. Once cleaned, leave them to drip dry.

Step 3 – Clean the inside of the freezer

Once the frost has started to melt in your freezer, you can start giving the inside of the freezer a good clean. To clean the freezer, you will need a cleaning product like liquid detergent, or you can make a natural solution with baking soda, lemon juice, or vinegar mixed with water. You will also need a sponge, a cloth, and if your freezer is really dirty, a brush.

To clean the freezer, start by sponging up all the water created by the melted frost. Once this has gone, spray your freezer with your cleaning product and give it a thorough clean. Once the freezer is nice and clean you can move on to the next step.

Step 4 – Clean the freezer drain and door gasket

Now that the inside of your freezer is sparkling clean, the next step is to clean out the freezer drain and the door gasket.

Start by flushing out the freezer drain by pouring hot soapy water down it (or use your natural cleaning product). If the drain is blocked, you can use a piece of wire to unblock it.

Next, clean the door gasket/seal with a cleaning product and a damp cloth. If you have an old toothbrush, you can use that to get into all the hard-to-reach spots around the gasket. Make sure you dry the gasket carefully before closing the freezer door and turning the power back on. You can also spray a lubricant onto the gasket which will make it easier to open and close the freezer door.

Step 5 – Clean the exterior of your freezer

While your freezer is cooling back down, it’s a good idea to give the exterior of the freezer a quick clean. This can be done with a spray bottle and a damp cloth. If the exterior of your freezer is made of aluminum you can use a specialist cleaning product to make it nice and shiny.

Step 6 – Clean the condenser coils (optional)

Now that your freezer is nice and clean, you can take the opportunity to give the condenser coils a good clean which will help ensure your freezer works to its optimal level.

Here’s how to clean the condenser coils:

• Turn the power back off temporarily
• Pull the whole refrigerator unit out from the wall
• Locate the condenser coils (you may need to remove the lower panel at the back of your fridge)
• If the coils aren’t very dirty, simply use a damp cloth to wipe them
• If the coils are covered in dust, use a vacuum cleaner to vacuum all the dust, followed by giving them a quick wipe with a damp cloth
• Once clean, put the cover back over them (if you removed it earlier), and then put your fridge back against the wall
• You can now turn the power back on and put the shelves and food back into your freezer (see the next step)

Step 7 – Finish up

Now that the cleaning process is complete you can open the freezer door and put all of the shelves and drawers back into position. Once the freezer has cooled down to the correct temperature, you can put all the food back into it.

Bonus: Tips to stop frost in your freezer

• Don’t put warm food into your freezer. When you do this moisture gets into your freezer which causes frost.
• Don’t open the freezer door unless you need to. When the door gets opened too often, warm air gets into your freezer which can cause frost to develop.
• Don’t put too much stuff in your freezer. Make sure food and other items don’t cover the fan or aren’t too tightly packed in as this can cause frost.
• Give your freezer a regular clean. It’s a good idea to give your freezer a regular clean – including cleaning the door gaskets. This will help reduce frost from building up. Make sure you also clean the drain as when it gets blocked frost will develop at the bottom of your freezer.