Living in a van comes with its fair share of little chores, and defrosting the freezer is definitely one of them. Our fridge was starting to look pretty empty, which meant it was the perfect time to take care of something we’d been putting off: the growing collection of ice inside our freezer. And when I say ice, I mean enough buildup that opening the freezer door was becoming a challenge. So, before our next grocery run, we figured it was time to deal with it.
For a little background, we have an Isotherm Freeline 140 refrigerator and freezer in our van. It’s a pretty decent-sized fridge for such a small living space, and having a separate freezer is something we appreciate while traveling. Of course, that also means having to maintain it. The first order of business was clearing everything out. One by one, the bottles, jars, drinks, and whatever else we had tucked away came out of the fridge and onto the kitchen counter. It’s funny how much stuff you can fit into a small refrigerator until you have to take every single thing out. Once everything was out of the way, we had an empty fridge, a very icy freezer, and enough counter space to get started.
With the fridge emptied, it was time to tackle the freezer. We prepared some water and got to work on the buildup, giving the ice time to loosen rather than trying to force everything out at once. This wasn’t exactly the most exciting part of the day. A little preparation, a little waiting, and a few trips back to check on the progress. But eventually, the ice started to give way.
There’s something oddly satisfying about finally getting those chunks of ice out. After working around the edges of the freezer and letting the buildup loosen, we were able to start clearing it away. Piece by piece, the frozen-over compartment started looking like an actual freezer again. We collected the loose ice, wiped away the water, and gave everything a final clean. And just like that, we could see the inside of our freezer again. Imagine that.
With the freezer cleared out, it was time to put everything back where it belonged. All the food, drinks, jars, and other fridge essentials slowly made their way off the counter and back onto the shelves. The freezer got restocked, everything was organized again, and our little kitchen was finally back to normal. One last look at the clean freezer, and we closed the fridge door. Another vanlife chore crossed off the list.
Not every day of vanlife involves a beautiful hike, a new destination, or an incredible view. Sometimes it’s just us, standing in our tiny kitchen, trying to get a ridiculous amount of ice out of our freezer. It’s one of those little pieces of everyday life on the road that doesn’t always make it into the photos. But it’s part of the experience, too. And now that the freezer is clean, we can get back to the important things. Like figuring out what we’re going to eat for dinner.
