Sure, the idea behind a freezer is to keep things frozen inside. But sometimes, us urban dwellers with our half-size refrigerator units can't bear to give up any of that precious Ben & Jerry's space up to globbing clumps of ice. Here's a tip to a quick de-ice: Use a water balloon.

Imagine cleaning up after a party and dumping the previously wine-cooling bucket of ice in the sink. You run the water to help the ice melt down faster, don't you?

Well that same principle—that a small stream of running water helps ice to melt faster—can help you quickly de-ice your freezer for a big move or just a thorough cleaning.

Fill a party balloon up with water, try to resist throwing it at your housemates and put it in the freezer. Then with a small pin, poke a hole in the neck of the balloon. There's less surface tension at the neck, so the balloon shouldn't pop and instead give you a small-but-steady stream of water to melt the ice beneath it.

But before you let a leaking balloon go to work in your freezer, make sure you've set up a drain for all that water and ice. Use duct tape to attach a garbage bag along the width of the freezer, then cut a small hole in the bottom and have it funnel into a bucket or cooler.

Via Lifehacker

(Water Balloon image: Flickr user massdistraction under license from Creative Commons. Freezer image: Theodor on Instructables)