Your refrigerator’s efficiency might be affected if the freezer has accumulated much frost. So as a routine, be sure to defrost your fridge once in a while. That’s why modern refrigerators have an automatic defrost function. As a rule of thumb, be sure to defrost your freezer every time there’s about 1/4 inch of ice crystals have accumulated.

Self maintaining refrigerators can automatically defrost your freezer or even prevent your freezer from accumulating too much crystals. However, one thing that you should check out with these kinds of refrigerators is the temperature in the freezer bay. They might actually rise above the proper temperature to prevent spoilage.

Now if your fridge is an older one here’s a quick guide on defrosting your freezer. But before you do, be sure to transfer all of your meat products and other perishable goods into a cooler packed with ice. You can wrap your food items in newspaper for added insulation. You may move some of the things at the coldest part of your fridge.

Check your refrigerator’s manual for the recommended process of defrosting. Some might have special instructions on how to properly thaw the accumulated ice.

The most common way is to turn the dial to Defrost mark or Off. If your fridge has a drip spout, place a pot or container under it to collect the water. If the freezer has a separate door, keep it open until the frost melts. Keep the fridge door closed though.

To hasten the thawing process, you may place pots of boiling water at the freezer floor. The steam would help in thawing the ice. Resist the temptation of hacking away at the ice using an ice pick. You will damage the freezer this way. You may opt to use a soft spatula to scrape off the softer ice crystals.

Before you return the food into the freezer, make sure that you wipe off any excess moisture. The less moisture you have there, the quicker frost will form.