How to Prevent Ice Buildup in Your Freezer

When ice builds up in your freezer, it can take up space, stop your freezer from working properly, and in some cases, emit a strange odor. This is both annoying and time-consuming, as you’ll have to spend time cleaning it out.

Thankfully, there are a few simple steps you can take to stop this from happening. Simply follow the tips in this article, and annoying buildups of ice should become a thing of the past.

Tip 1 – Use a Freezer Frost Remover Spray

The easiest way to remove ice if you do have an ice buildup is to use a freezer frost remover spray. You don’t need to defrost your freezer or scrape it out; simply spray the remover in your freezer, and you can wipe the ice out. However, it’s even better if you can avoid a buildup of ice in the first place – which the rest of our tips will help you do.

Tip 2 – Open Your Freezer Less Often

One of the best ways to stop a buildup of ice in your freezer is to open the freezer door less often. This is because every time you open the door warm air gets inside, which causes humidity, which can then result in more ice. The best way to reduce how often you open the door is to organize your food better so you can easily find what you need and shut the door quickly.

Tip 3 – Make Sure the Freezer Gasket is Airtight

To ensure your freezer door is staying shut properly, you need to check if the gasket on the door is airtight. When the door doesn’t close properly, cold air in the freezer will escape, and ice build ups can develop. The easiest way to check if this is a problem with your freezer is to open the freezer door and check if you can feel cold air circulating around it. If not, this is a good sign the gasket isn’t airtight. If this is the case, you will need to repair or replace the door gasket. The most common reason the gasket isn’t airtight is due to the placement of items in the freezer. Try moving items around or avoid overloading the freezer with items so they don’t push on the door.

Tip 4 – Clean the Gasket

As discussed above, if the door gasket doesn’t close properly, ice can build up in your freezer. The gasket needs to be cleaned regularly to avoid this problem.

You can clean the gasket with hot, soapy water or use a natural solution of baking soda and warm water. When cleaning the gasket, make sure you get into all of the hard-to-reach spaces (using an old toothbrush can sometimes be useful). After you clean the gasket, make sure you dry it out completely before shutting the freezer door again.

Tip 5 – Don’t Overload Your Freezer

The next tip for how to prevent ice buildup in your freezer is to not overload it. When you overload your freezer with food, an excess buildup of ice can occur, and the same applies if you have too little food in it. This is because the more your freezer has to operate to stay at the right temperature, the more likely you’ll have an excess of air running through it, which can cause more ice. Try to store about three pounds of food for every cubic foot of space in your freezer to avoid any problems.

Tip 6 – Cool Your Food Down

To prevent ice buildup in your freezer, never put hot food into it until it has cooled down. This is also important for food safety. When you put hot food into your freezer, this causes humidity, which can help create the perfect environment for ice to develop. To avoid this happening, let your food cool down to room temperature before putting it into the freezer.

Tip 7 – Set the Right Temperature

Make sure that the freezer is set to the correct temperature. Sometimes people set it to the lowest possible temperature, which isn’t correct and will cause your freezer to build up with ice, and your food might spoil.

It’s recommended that you set your freezer at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or -18 degrees Celsius. Make sure you check the temperature every now and then to ensure it is set at the right level – if you have an external thermometer, you can check it with that to be extra sure.

Tip 8 – Keep the Drain Unblocked

Sometimes the drain in your freezer can get blocked or frozen over, which will cause an excess of water at the bottom of your freezer, which will turn into ice. The easiest way to unblock the drain is to pour hot water down it. You can also use a piece of wire to push down it if there is loose debris blocking it.

Tip 9 – Clean Your Freezer Regularly

The final tip is to give your freezer a good clean-out every couple of months. The best way to do this is to remove all of the food and other objects in it, defrost it by turning it off, and then give it a good wipe with a cleaning spray or a natural cleaning solution. If you do this and follow the other tips in the article, you should be able to avoid a buildup of ice in your freezer.