Dealing with a refrigerator or freezer iced over

If frost is forming on the shelves or walls of your refrigerator or inside the freezer compartment, there may be many culprits to blame. Before having a technician work through causes and solutions, there are some steps you can take to avoid getting iced out and remedies you can do on your own to get thawed out.
Oftentimes, the temperature for the refrigerator has been set too low or too high and you can adjust the temp setting to correct the problem.
In other instances, dirty or dusty coils will throw the compressor into overdrive, making it work harder to maintain a freezing temperature in the freezer. This can result in over cooling. You can pull the refrigerator away from the wall and use a canister vacuum to eliminate the dust from the coils.
One of the simplest instructions we can give is to keep doors shut to prevent moist air from being drawn into the appliance. Close the door fully after proper use, check for overstuffed doors, faulty door seals, loose door hinges, and ensure your refrigerator is level so the doors stay closed.
More tips: if the refrigerator is close to the wall, keep some distance. This will give it some "breathing room" by allowing extra air to circulate. If you have hot dishes or fresh food being placed in the refrigerator, give them time to cool down before placing them straight in the fridge, as this alters the inside temperature and can lead to ice.
Another common cause of ice over is simply too many food items packed in the refrigerator and freezer. There needs to be enough room to allow air to properly circulate.
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