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My mini fridge has separate top freezer which has to be manually defrosted. This can be a chore, but I've found that pre-coating the interior with PAM allows the ice to come off easier when it comes time to defrost. In fact, I just turn off the refrigerator, leave the freezer door open for two hours, and WOW.. the ice drops off in large neat sheets. There's very little mess or mopping up. Once defrosted, I re-coat with PAM. I used to do the job with a blow dryer and screwdriver. Talk about a majorly wet hassle. Anyhow, hope this tip helps someone!
I used a clip on fan and a hair drier a few minutes at a time. Hit the ice with the hair drier for a few minutes in key locations, clip on the fan on medium speed, wait 5 to 10 minutes and hit with hair drier again. As ice loosens or falls off, remove them and the water from the refrigerator. Don't let fallen ice remain in the freezer. NEVER USE ICE PICK OR KNIFE TO BREAK UP ICE!!! If you do this, you may be buying a new refrigerator. I suggest perform regular cleaning of the refrigerator door seal and contact points to help ensure a good tight seal. Also, consider deicing when the ice gets to about a 1/4 inch thick so it won't take so long.
I think the PAM trick does make this potentially messy job neat & quick. My ice buildup might be 1.5 inches before defrosting. It forms on the freezer ceiling and at the back wall. After leaving the door open for 2 hours, I can grab an edge of the ceiling ice, press down, and viola.. it neatly detaches in one whole piece. The ice on the back wall usually slides off in 2 sheets. Then I use a chamois to soak up whatever little water is on the freezer bottom. Hardly any water ends up on the kitchen floor -- just a few drops!
The perfect defrosting device has been around for a few years. I was tipped off on it by a repair tech. The little hand held steamers like the Shark do a fantastic job without damaging anything. Our frost-free freezer will, on rare occasion, freeze up the overflow tube, which would take at least 48 hours to defrost if left to do so on its own. I use a flexible plastic tube attached to the end of my steamer, and within 15 minutes have it completely clear. The steam actually transports more useful heat than a hair dryer and can be easily guided. With a freeze plate, once you have the steam hitting the plate and playing on it for a while it will melt the BOTTOM layer of ice, giving a nice sheet of ice to remove.
The real trick is not to chip the ice off and puncture the coolant lines. Been there....done that.......
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