How to clean exploded soda in the freezer without defrosting
The frozen, sticky soda seals itself directly to the freezer walls and takes ages to scrape off. The main challenge is removing the mess without turning off the entire appliance to defrost, which risks spoiling the milk and other shared food.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to clean exploded soda in the freezer without defrosting
- 1Wiping the walls down with hot soapy water or warm wet towels.Did this help you?
- 2Placing a bowl of boiling water inside the freezer to steam and loosen the frozen soda.Did this help you?
- 3Scraping the walls with a plastic windshield scraper or a butter knife dipped in hot water.Did this help you?
- 4Turning the freezer dial to the warmest setting to slightly thaw the mess before cleaning.Did this help you?
- 5Moving the food into a cooler with ice packs temporarily so it doesn't spoil during cleanupDid this help you?
- 6Using hot water or a warm damp cloth to melt and soften the frozen messDid this help you?
- 7Unplugging the appliance while cleaning to prevent heavy condensation from building upDid this help you?
- 8Removing the door and shelves entirely to wash them in the sink with warm soapy waterDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I have now found that the can has exploded all over the freezer. It's sealed itself to the walls of the freezer, and I don't want to have the fridge door open for ages while I'm trying to clean it.”source ↗
“I was a bit panicked as it's a shared fridge and I didn't want to be a problem flatmate”source ↗
“Looking for any tips on how to clean up this mess without spoiling any of the food.”source ↗
“I had a can of monster do this 😭 I put it in to chill before my lunch and forgot about it.”source ↗
“Had this happen to me last summer (it sucks!).”source ↗
“I just had a Jarrito's Tamarind soda in a glass bottle explode.”source ↗
“I was trying to avoid defrosting as I think I would have to turn off the whole fridge and I didn't want to leave the milk out while it defrosted”source ↗
“Been there. It woke me up at 5 am, I almost had a heart attack.”source ↗
“Been there, done that. Two pepsi can explode inside the freezer and damaged the inside area of door a little bit one day.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 5Do I actually need to clean my refrigerator coils?
- 4How to clean stained and discolored refrigerator handles
- 6How do you clean stuck crumbs near toaster heating elements?
- 7How to clean mold and swampy smells off a garbage disposal rubber flap
- 21How to clean the white buildup off a dishwasher filter
- 8How to clean mouse nests out of appliance burners