The Best Tips to Organize Your Freezer

Have you been wondering how to organize your freezer? Maybe when you look in the freezer, it’s a hot mess and you’re not even sure where to start. The good news is that you’re one step ahead of the game because you know that your freezer needs to be organized. It’s just a matter of HOW to organize it so that it stays that way and you save yourself some work down the road. see-through containers with vegetables and plastic bags full of vegetables in a freezer and text reads "How to Organize Your Freezer"

How to Organize Your Freezer

Here is a step by step guide to organizing your freezer in a way that is easier to have it stay that way. We’re also sharing some great little tips along the way.

Take Everything Out of Your Freezer

The first step to organizing your freezer is to take everything out of it. If all the frozen food is still in the freezer, it’s going to be impossible to see everything that’s in there. Because you are just taking it out for a short period of time, you don’t have to worry about the food going back. Just remember, the first step is to take everything out of the freezer.

Do a Quick Wipe Down of Your Freezer

It gets dirtier than you think in there! Do a quick wipe down. You may be surprised as to how much grime can grow in a fridge, even though the temperature is freezing. I’d suggest wiping down all the grime so that you don’t have to look at it the next time you open the freezer.

One tip here is to use a warm (almost hot) cloth when doing the wiping or the wet cloth will just stick to the freezer.

Defrost Your Freezer if it Needs it

This step is optional. Whether or not it is necessary will depend on what type of freezer you have and how much ice buildup is in your freezer. If you’re going to be following this step, your food will be sitting out for longer, so I suggest you place it in a cooler with ice or if you live somewhere that is below freezing outside, you can place the food is a box outside.

There are a few methods of defrosting depending on the type of freezer you have. Read about the methods and how to defrost your freezer here.

Throw Out the Bad Stuff

While you are in your freezer, knee-deep, this is the time to throw out the bad stuff. You can throw out old meat that has been in your freezer for longer than you can remember. This is also a great time to rid your freezer of anything that is freezer burnt. (Read about how to prevent freezer burn so that this doesn’t happen to you next time.)

If you haven’t eaten it in two years, you are most likely not going to eat it anytime soon. Feel free to toss out anything that you don’t think is edible.

Stock Up on Organizational Tools

If you want to go a step further in your freezer organization, then you may want to invest in some organizational items. Purchasing the right items can take your freezer organization just a little further.

Plastic bins – these are such an inexpensive way to organize your freezer. You can get plastic bins from the Dollar Store. Use these to store small items such as canned juice concentrate, individual steaks, small packs of fruits or veggies,
Magazine holders – Magazine holders are an excellent way to store items flat in the freezer.

Label the Items in Your Freezer

How many times do you just throw some food in the freezer without a label? Stop doing that because then you have no idea WHAT the item is or when you put it in there. When you label an item you are making your life a whole lot easier! You don’t need a fancy labeler to organize the items in your freezer, a permanent marker works just fine!

Freeze Things Flat

A big mistake a lot of us make, when we are trying to organize our freezers is freezing items as they are. If you are freezing soups, casseroles, fruit, or vegetables, it’s wise to freeze them flat. Make sure you label them items and then stack them up! Just because you freeze it flat, doesn’t mean it will taste differently.

Freeze Smaller Portions

When it comes to your freezer, you may be unmotivated to get anything out of your freezer and deal with it. However, if you freeze smaller portions, you are able to get to the items a lot easier. Freezing small portions makes more sense if you want to unthaw smaller portions at a time. Of course, this doesn’t work for everyone. However, it’s not a bad idea to keep in mind.

Know What’s In Your Freezer

You may think it’s weird to take inventory of what’s in your freezer, I think it’s smart. Whatever works best for you, take inventory and know what’s in your freezer. You may have 4 bags of chicken and 4 bags of corn. If you write that down, you’ll know what’s in your freezer. From there, you can plan meals and know what’s in there without causing more work for yourself.

You can use this Freezer Meal Inventory sheet to help you keep track. Then you’ll know at a glance what you have left. I suggest that you print it off and put it in a plastic sheet protector before hanging it. That way, you can update it using a dry erase marker.

These 9 tips for organizing your freezer are going to help you to get organized and stay organized. You don’t want to pass up any of these steps because I feel like it’s going to make your life easier. I do think that organizing a freezer is a bigger job than most people are willing to do. However, if you take the time and just do it, you will save yourself a lot of time and money down the road.

Good luck!

You might also find these articles helpful:

How to Prevent Freezer Burn

The Quick Start Guide to Freezer MealsFreezer Meal Hacks to Save You Time and Money10 Clever Freezer Meal Hacks that will save you time and money