If you have a freezer or a freezer part in the fridge, you have to defrost very regularly to avoid a thick layer of ice. I don’t have a fridge with two motors so when I turn off the fridge, the freezer part turns off too. No choice, I have to clean everything at the same time!
So I leave the fridge door and the freezer door wide open. As I have a 2nd fridge and a 2nd freezer, to put my food in, I’m not in a hurry so I leave it like that, switched off and doors open, for an hour or two before starting the cleaning. I prefer to start with the freezer part as the ice melts and produces water and it would be a shame to have wiped everything in the fridge part 🙂
In my country house, it has to be done quickly because my food is waiting in an insulated bag. So I defrost preferably in winter and put my bag outside. To speed up defrosting, after 30 minutes, I put a bowl (stainless steel) filled with boiling water and close the door. I leave it for 15 minutes and then I break up the ice blocks with my wooden spoon. It’s an anti-stress activity, I assure you!