Defrosting A Freezer On Your New Investment Property

New freezers have self-defrosting features, but old freezers need defrosting sometimes. If you’ve purchased a new property with an older freezer in the kitchen, garage or basement, you might want to extend its life a little bit. If it’s frosted over, defrosting it can add some life to the machine while you wait to get more energy efficient models.

Since this is a new property, you won’t have to worry about finding a place to store your frozen food. Normally, that can be the biggest hassle. If you’ve just purchased a home with food still in the freezer, just toss that in the trash! Let’s face it,  some of the bargain homes that home flippers buy actually offer lovely surprises like old freezer-burnt food.

The first step is turning off the freezer. Next, you will remove any removable parts like shelves or ice bins. This isn’t always easy, especially if there’s a snow bank holding a shelf in place. It’s possible that you might have to wait to get the shelf out, but you need to be careful. Get some towels out and place them along the floor in case there’s so much built up ice that it melts into a puddle that exceeds the holding capacity of the freezer floor.

Next, clean all removable parts with a mild dishwashing detergent. Then, let the parts dry on the counter for a bit. You can sometimes speed the defrosting time with a hair dryer (be careful not to allow the hair dryer to contact the melting ice. Even safer: You can take warm water bowls and set them in the freezer, replacing them frequently. This helps the ice and freezer snow thaw more quickly. If you’re not in a hurry, just let it melt on its own, but be careful to monitor the thawing process so that water doesn’t end up all over the floor. You can also sometimes scrape the ice off of some parts in sheets with a plastic putty knife or a piece of hard cardboard.

After the ice is either removed or melted, wipe the whole freezer with baking soda. This will help neutralize any odors and clean the compartment. After you’ve washed the freezer, you’re not quite done. So, don’t plug it in yet. Allow around 5 minutes for the freezer and the parts to dry completely. Replace all parts, and then turn on the freezer!

The freezer will take time to get back down to a safe temperature, so don’t add any food to the appliance for at least a half hour.

Are You Looking for a Hard Money Loan to Flip a House Or Buy A Rental Property?

Paces Funding is a hard money lender offering hard money loans to purchase and renovate non-owner occupied residential and commercial properties throughout the Atlanta, Nashville, Florida, or the North and South Carolina metropolitan areas. Our application process for hard money loans is easy. Just fill out this very simple online form and you will be contacted shortly. Unlike other lenders, the window between applying and funding is very small. We have funded properties in as a little as one day, but typically funding hard money loans takes about seven to ten days.

Call us at 404-814-1644 or contact us online to find out whether you might qualify for this type of funding. In the meantime, check to ensure that you meet our loan criteria. Our loan amounts can be up to 65 percent of the after-repaired value of the collateral—and if you use the loan for renovation or construction, the loan amount can be based on the collateral’s improved value.