How to Defrost a Refrigerator Fast

Defrosting a fridge is definitely not the most pleasant house choir. No wonder you would want to take care of it as quickly as possible.

You might be able to fully defrost your fridge in only about 30 minutes if you put a bowl of boiling water inside the appliance after emptying it. You can also place a fan in front of the open refrigerator.

What things should you bear in mind when defrosting your refrigerator and why is the appliance frosting up in the first place? Let’s find out!

Unplug the refrigerator.
Remove all the food items and components (such as shelves and drawers) from the fridge.
Cover the floor with some towels. If your fridge has some ice buildup, the water will inevitably end up on the floor once the ice starts to thaw.
If you simply leave the fridge door open, it should take the appliance a couple of hours to defrost. In case you don’t have that much time, you can try speeding up the process by using hot water.
Lay a towel inside the fridge and place a bowl with extra hot water on it (the towel will protect the surface from damage). If there is still ice buildup inside the freezer after 15-30 minutes have passed, replace the bowl with a new one.
If you have a particular spot in your refrigerator with a lot of ice buildup, you can soak a cloth in hot water and rubbing alcohol and lay the cloth over the ice.
Once the fridge has defrosted, use a few towels to dry the inside of the appliance, and then return all the shelves and items to their places. You can also give the fridge a quick clean while it’s empty.

Tips on Defrosting a Refrigerator Fast

Never keep the fridge plugged in while defrosting it. First of all, it’s simply unsafe as you will be dealing with quite a lot of water. Secondly, you would have to spend more time defrosting the appliance if it stays plugged in.
Don’t use sharp objects (like knives and ice picks) to punch through the ice. You can easily damage the fridge in such a way. Don’t scrape the Ice.
You can use a hair dryer to speed up the process. But you would have to be extremely careful. Standing in the water while using the tool and allowing the hair dryer to touch the melting ice might cause electrical shock.
Place a fan in front of the open fridge and allow it to run while the bowl of hot water is still inside the fridge. This will accelerate the process even more.
Defrost your fridge whenever the thickness of the ice reaches around ¼ of an inch. A thicker buildup will make your refrigerator work a lot harder which will lead to higher energy bills and, in some cases, to breakdowns.
Furthermore, getting rid of the ice that is thicker than ¼ or ½ of an inch would be a lot harder, and might take you half of the day.

Why Is Your Fridge Frosting Up?

Ice forming on the inside walls of your fridge can indicate a problem with the appliance.

The good news is that it’s usually an easy fix.

Make sure that the fridge door gasket is not damaged, broken, or bent. You should also give it a quick clean from time to time as dirt buildup can prevent the fridge door from properly closing.
Try not to open the fridge door too often or keep it open for too long. That’s when moist air gets drawn into the appliance.
Allow hot food to cool down to room temperature before placing it into the fridge.

Here are a few more similar articles you can find on our website Can Peanut Butter Be Refrigerated?, How To Clean Refrigerator Shelves and How To Catch Mice Living In Refrigerator?

Final Thoughts

The fastest way to defrost your fridge is by emptying it and placing a bowl with boiling water inside the appliance. To speed up the process even more, put a towel soaked in rubbing alcohol and hot water onto the large chunks of ice and place a fan in front of the open refrigerator.

Such a combo might help you eliminate all the ice in only around 20-30 minutes.