Defrosting The Freezer

Blessings Darlings!

Being the busy little home maker I am, I'm defrosting the freezer as I type this.  We have an OLD upright freezer, 14.7 cubic feet, not at all frost-free.  We got it in January 1979, so it predates our 1980 marriage and LONG predates our 1987 Spawn. 

Every now and then (really, more NOW), it needs to be defrosted.  It's one of the easiest household tasks, if you manage things right.  And the one thing that is most critical, to me, in 'managing things right' is to use big cardboard boxes - the type to hold hanging files in - in your freezer to  hold things as a matter of course. 

Our freezer has 4 of those in use.  Two for meats, one for bones for broth and prepared broth, and one for fruits.  I also use the cardboard 'bases' from cases of catfood in two places.

The boxes do two things.  First, they prevent ice buildup on the TOP of the shelves.  This the cardboard bases to, too.  But on top of that, to empty the freezer before defrosting, and to re-fill after defrosting, all I have to do is move the box out or in.  No trying to find things to store that food in.  Easy peasy. 

Once everything is out of the freezer, I just put big pots of boiling water in, close the door, and wait. Thermodynamics FTW! Of course, I have layers of towels on the floor, but since the freezer is in the garage, mostly I just sweep the puddles out after I'm done.

Once defrosted, the old darling runs like a top. 

And while it defrosts, I get to multitask online.

Frondly, Fern