Every household appliance requires frequent maintenance checks, repairs, and upgrades to serve you with utmost effectiveness. Defrosting is a maintenance procedure that prolongs the shelf-life of your mini-fridge, ultimately giving you more years of service and energy efficiency.
You need to defrost your mini fridge to:
- Move it when it’s extra heavy with built-up ice.
- Prepare it for maintenance repairs (You can’t spot leaks with accumulated ice.)
- Increase food safety by getting rid of contaminated ice buildup.
- Relieve the pressure that ice loads place on the compressor.
And it should be done on a quarterly basis.
Without regular defrosting, your freezer may suffer extensive damage due to ice accumulation, which creates an unnecessary load on the compressor. This additional load eventually leads to poor energy efficiency and premature breakdowns.
The chemicals in the evaporator, which retain humidity, could also contaminate your chilled food.
Moreover, the growing mold could lead to potentially hazardous situations. Mold and mildew formation in the mini-fridge is due to the moisture produced by ice buildup and slowly rotting food products. Such spores can cause allergies and breathing problems, especially in asthmatic people.
They could also kill you with food poisoning! Thus, neglecting maintenance is not an option.
How Often Should You Defrost a Mini Fridge?
Defrost and maintain your mini-fridge quarterly. Defrosting comes at least a day before any scheduled maintenance. However, manufacturer warranties impose varying maintenance periods. Also, food hygiene demands you defrost in between scheduled maintenance that focuses on structural effectiveness.
According to the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), defrosting your mini-fridge once or twice a year is essential for healthy food storage. However, we think you should do it even more often.
So much happens within three months! Any food spoilage ice-buildup would be noticeable. Additionally, hidden damages will become apparent.
Defrosting is a quarterly activity, just like major financial accounting reviews. Keeping every maintenance schedule and product manual comes in handy for reference before defrosting or contracting maintenance crews.
How Do You Defrost a Mini Fridge Without Making a Mess?
Defrosting takes more patience than skill, though patience is also the main ingredient to acquiring skills and other virtues. If you’d like to defrost your mini-fridge, follow these simple steps.
1. Switch off the unit and unplug it from the electricity supply.
As long as it’s on, the thawing process can’t start. If you don’t unplug it, this step is incomplete, and you risk causing more damage.
Electricity flows through all metallic components of the mini-fridge, including copper tubing, which acts as a conductor of electricity.
2. Remove everything in the freezer, fridge, crispers, and shelves.
As you peel off the frozen contents, frost falls, making a mess. You may opt to pull out all items at once and work on one side of the mini-fridge at a time. Don’t leave out plastics and food products.
The thawing matter could drop on food containers or utensils, which you don’t want to clean up.
4. Wipe out all the interior walls with a cloth dipped in warm water.
Do it before defrosting starts, if possible. You would avoid bothering with water spills and pools once the freezer starts melting down the ice.
5. Remove the back panel of the freezer.
You won’t fear any short-circuiting because you already unplugged the mini-fridge.
6. Using a hairdryer, remove all ice and frost from the evaporator coils and fins on all interior walls of your mini-fridge.
You may defrost one side at a time for maximum convenience and maximum control. Wait until it’s entirely defrosted and wipe away all the wet puddles on the interior.
7. Replug in your mini-fridge and let it run for a few minutes.
This step is purely experimental, checking to see if any leaks are present. If your mini-fridge is not dripping, you are good to go! If it’s leaking, you know there’s a problem to fix.
8. Replace your food containers and utensils.
Remember safety standards for all the food you removed from the mini-fridge before returning. Place back the food containers and utensils, discarding any food that went bad during the defrosting process.
9. Save your receipt for warranty purposes.
Demand restitution if you suspect any problem with your mini-fridge or if it’s obviously faulty. Your consumer rights are protected by law, and the manufacturer has to honor them.
How Long Does It Take To Defrost a Mini Fridge?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fridges should be allowed to defrost for two or three days before you put them back into service. As a rule of thumb, it takes 24 hours of defrosting for every pound of ice you need to eliminate.
For a mini-fridge, that’s about one liter of ice cubes or 1/4 inch in thickness on the interior walls. Remember, keep it below 38 degrees Fahrenheit for thawing to start.
If your mini fridge has a full freezer compartment that’s been active for a while, the ice buildup would be more. It takes about three days to defrost that kind of buildup.
Remember, these metrics are dynamic, and they vary with brand manufacturers. They also depend on the material construction, size, and effectiveness of the insulation in your mini-fridge.
If you’re buying a new, used, or refurbished one, we recommend taking the advice we gave earlier. Saving all maintenance and product manuals for reference when it’s time for defrosting.
Refrigerators are designed to survive in areas where the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius) or below.
It’s hazardous to mess with the integrity of these appliances by defrosting them in warmer conditions. It could cause damage to the inner components. The only exception is units with effective self-defrosting mechanisms. In such cases, it’s okay if you leave them out in a 70 degree Fahrenheit (22.5 degrees Celsius) room.
In the case of a mini-fridge, we recommend defrosting within 24 hours. It can also be sooner in optimal conditions. Don’t leave your mini-fridge out for too long to avoid food loss and freezer burns.
So, Are You Storing Food Safely?
Another significant concern for owners of mini-fridges is how to store food safely. If you are using a second-hand fridge, check to see what kind of gasket it has on its door. If you have an older model with no seal, opt for aluminum foil taped around the opening.
If future repairs are necessary, your new fridge should include a light switch on its compressor. The light switch will help you control the amount of power going to your mini-fridge, preventing accidents and upholding food safety.
As long as your mini-fridge door remains closed, there is no risk of spoilage if you have a new model with automatic defrosting. The Federal Department of Health and Human Services suggests keeping the door closed as much as possible to prevent unnecessary spills.
What Does The FDA Advise?
Properly defrosting your mini-fridge is vital to protecting the food inside. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the FDA alleged that leaving a door open for longer than 30 minutes could cause dry meat and vegetables, leading to other malfunctions.
If your unit does not have an automatic light switch, it’s essential to check the door seal for cracks or tears. It may be defective. Such malfunctions mean that your fridge is no longer airtight.
In this case, you have to change the gasket on the door immediately.
Final Thoughts
Remember; don’t take on the arduous task of defrosting your fridge all at once. Slow and steady wins the race! Take care of your appliances to continue enjoying them for years to come!
Regularly defrosting your mini-fridge is helpful, but you mustn’t be destructive or clumsy while doing it.