Dmmetler Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 My studio has a small, dorm sized fridge on a desk, and apparently the door wasn't 100% sealed when I ended up leaving suddenly for 6 weeks, because the freezer part is a solid block of frost/ice. It's an old, heavy one and I can't get around it to lift it due to where the pianos are, so I can't move it outdoors for an afternoon. There's a shelf in the back thar is molded in, so I can't put a bin under the freezer section I can put one under the front half, but not the back. I would really like to unplug it, open it up and let it melt out over the weekend so it's usable again. And, it's tornado season. The chance of a power outage sometime this summer is pretty near 100%, so If I don't defrost it now it will do so at some random time. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Have a plastic dishpan, bin or plastic dollar store shoebox that will fit inside to catch the water as it melts? Unplug it once you have a bin there & let it go. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Can you use a knife to chip away most of the ice, then put a towel under it while it finishes defrosting? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 THe one in my office I unplug and just do the best I can. I can place a bin underneath, sort of -- but it does not catch everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elona Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 Lots of towels and a hair dryer? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 39 minutes ago, Elona said: Lots of towels and a hair dryer? Another vote for towels! I would just put a bunch of towels in there and leave the ice to thaw in it’s own. It’s super easy, requires no actual work on your part, and it doesn’t take that long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
history-fan Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 (edited) Put a pan of boiling water in it close the door, sometimes it takes several pans. Then when you open it and clean it out have a fan blowing the room air into it to finish the thaw. I usually put empty dish pans on bottom to help catch water and many towels. Make sure you unplug it before you start. Edited June 2, 2022 by history-fan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 4 hours ago, athena1277 said: Can you use a knife to chip away most of the ice, then put a towel under it while it finishes defrosting? I watched someone puncture the freon thingy doing this with a dorm fridge. 1 hour ago, Elona said: Lots of towels and a hair dryer? This would work. We can defrost our ice maker this way in a very short period of time, and that's bigger than the freezer part of most dorm fridges. Just make sure you leave some space for the hair dryer to take in air. The other option would be opening it and placing it on its face. If you can't because of the door, I'd prop it on something that will not put stress on the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 If you don't want to deal with wet towels you can use puppy pads. They're great for lots of things besides puppies, and this is one of them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 I think you will find that after some point of defrosting, you will be able to remove large chunks of ice. Oh, and lots of towels. But, I don't think this is something you can just open the door and leave it for a long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted June 3, 2022 Share Posted June 3, 2022 The freezer is so small on those things. If you unplug and open it for an hour you may be able to just take the ice out in chunks. I have a tiny cheese freezer and I’ve just opened it for a couple minutes then chipped away the ice. It was quicker and easier than I thought it would be and I didn’t have to deal with a lot of water clean up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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