Defrosting

I used to put a hot water bottle in the freezer to defrost it. But inevitably, one time, I forgot to take it out and made a very effective ice pack. Now I have an auto-defrosting freezer.

(clean) dog towels around the freezer, bowls of boiling water on the shelves to help speed the process. Works every time without too much mess.
However - I have a secret weapon, it's a steam cleaner. Talk about making life easy.

I have a chest freezer in the garage.
I could have written MOnica's post.

Much as others, drawer freezer indoors I put a couple of towels on the floor and put washing up bowl in the bottom to catch some of the water that drips off the shelves. Then bowls of hot water to speed up the job.
The chest freezer in shed has a small plastic plug in the bottom which pulls out to leave drainage hole. Bowls of hot water to get that started and as soon as the ice starts to melt the side stuff usually come away fairly easily so I take them out and chuck them on the path outside the shed. I also use dustpan to clear anything from the bottom.
I put contents in laundry basket and cover with towels to help keep them cold.

I do my defrosting on an icy morning so that I can wrap the contents and put them outside.

For my upright I use a raised fan heater at a distance and lots of old towels.

When I had a chest freezer I developed a technique of pouring hot (not boiling) water down the inside walls, trying to get it behind the ice, which then came away in sheets. Any water in the bottom I removed with a dustpan. I used to be able to finish the whole job in about 15-20 minutes.

Old towels on the floor then put some roasting tins in the freezer, fill with boiling water and when the ice loosens take it off and throw it into the sink (quite enjoyable!) and use the dustpan method mentioned above . Although our freezers are supposedly frost-free, one old one did get very iced up and the thick ice took a lot of getting rid of; luckily it has been fine since.
Then dry out the freezer with clean towels.

With my chest freezer, I first scrape off any loose ice and use a dustpan and brush to sweep it up and remove it from the bottom of the freezer. I then put a bowl of boiling water in it to help the defrost. It usually takes about two hours. I then use the dustpan alone as a scoop to remove most of the defrost water from the base of the freezer. and a dish cloth to mop the rest up.

My freezer lives in a corner of our integral garage so it can be accessed without going outside.

My outside freezer is for stock piling stuff!! I then bring into the inside one stuff for the next few days. The inside one is for veg and bread and stuff in transit.

Guess what? My appliance is auto defrost. Its a Lamona 50 50 by Howdens, anyone else have one of these?

Yes, kitty; my current freezer came with a specific instruction that it shouldn't be kept in a garage or shed as it may be damaged by temperatures below, I think, 10C and the guarantee would be invalidated. Not a problem as I have no intention of going out in the rain every time I want a few frozen peas or a scoop of ice cream!

Well, I suspect that mine isn’t frost free unless I’ve been doing something terribly wrong! It came with the brand new kitchen and I didn’t think to check the details. Perhaps I should as there may have been a brilliant gadget that I’ve not noticed.

I have been told that it is not advisable to have frost free in the garage. Something to do with low temperature I think. My inside ones are frost free.

I have an upright and use the hairdryer technique (being careful not to overdo the heat). I put an absorbent towel (Lakeland I think) on the floor with a large plastic tray on top that catches a lot of the water. As the hairdryer loosens the ice I can pick it out so there isn't too much water. The whole process only takes about 15 minutes as I prefer to do it regularly rather than let too much ice build up.

You have to use the hairdryer on a low setting or you can damage the insulating walls.
I have a couple of large cloths that hold water like a sponge. I can't remember where I got them, but the absorbent power is immense.
I just switch the freezer off and leave that in the bottom, with a towel on the floor in case.
Oh and I put all the food in a high tog sleeping bag. Keeps it all frozen quite long enough

I've had a frost free fridge and freezer for over 30 years and would hate to go back to the faff of defrosting. But, recalling the wet messes we used to get pre frost-free, how I wish someone had given me the hairdryer hint back then!

My upright is an automatic defrost - it is such a relief not having that job to do. My defunct chest freezer had a drainage pipe to pop a bowl under so not too bad to do.

Mine has a pull out drainage pipe under which I put a bowl, and rotate with another each time it's full. I also use a hairdryer to speed up the process, and give it a good dry with a towel before switching it on again.

It’s an awful job isn’t it. I usually use lots of towels, bowls of hot water and the hairdryer sometime but still make a mess. Today I made the mistake of going out and leaving it to it’s own devices instead of keeping a beady eye. There HAS to be a better way - sure sign men have designed these things!

Chest freezer trick is lots of towels in the bottom and lifting off the ice as soon as it is loose enough. In fact that's the trick for both of them.

I put a bowl of hot water in both to help the process.

I always use the dog towel (clean!) on the floor. I get a hair dryer and loosen the ice which means that there is less water to pour every where. Luckily I don’t have a chest freezer!