A Clutter-Free Freezer Starts With These 5 Steps

Organizing a freezer efficiently requires adapting methods to fit its specific layout, whether it's a top freezer door, bottom freezer drawer, French door freezer, or side-by-side freezer. The solution may not be obvious, but it's essential to use basic organizational methods tailored to the freezer’s space so it can accommodate all of the foods necessary. By thoughtfully arranging your freezer, you can maximize storage and minimize food waste. Once you implement these strategies, planning the next meal will be effortless.

1. Do a Deep Clean

As with any home organization project, the first step is to pull everything out, sort the items, and then declutter. The reason for this is that it’s silly to make or retain room for the things you no longer need or want. In the case of a freezer, you’ll mostly be dealing with expired or questionable perishables that are riddled with freezer burn, so it should be pretty straightforward.

Once you’re done decluttering and are only left with the items you’re keeping, I suggest storing them in a cooler or another available freezer, like one in the garage fridge, temporarily. Take advantage of the fact your freezer is empty and use this time to defrost it, clean it, and begin to plot your next steps.

2. Assess the Space You Have

Now that you can actually see the inside of your freezer, it’s time to plot how you want to organize it. Evaluate what kind of storage is actually available to you without the clutter of bags, bags, and ice cube trays blocking the way. How many shelves does it have? How many compartments are there? What parts, if any, are adjustable? It’s a smart idea to whip out the tape measure and take note of the height, width, and depth of each section while they’re still easily accessible.

If your freezer has always been overcrowded, it’s very possible that you weren’t using the space efficiently. It’s equally possible that you’ve been in the habit of stuffing too much in it. In this case, consider scaling back on buying frozen food, especially in bulk, or consider purchasing a chest freezer or upright freezer to store the overflow.

3. Assign Sections

This is where the real fun begins, because you get to be creative and make your daily life easier in the process. Go back to the things you pulled out of the freezer that you’re keeping and sort them into categories. Or, if you only had a few items left after you decluttered, make a list of the usual categories you keep on hand. Typical freezer categories include:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Desserts (i.e. ice cream, cookie dough)
• Meats and seafood
• Carbs (i.e. rice, bread, pizza dough)
• Pre-packaged meals
• Leftovers

It’s also not uncommon to place a few beer mugs or bottles of liquor in the freezer so they’re chilled when you want them. Or, you might want to include a small self-care section stocked with an ice roller, reusable gel eye masks, and your go-to gua sha. Remember, your freezer only needs to fit the needs of the people using it.

Once you have your categories set, assign a shelf or a compartment to each one based on where they fit the best. Frozen pizzas require a broad but shallow space whereas a tub of ice cream takes up less width but needs more height. Ideally, similar foods should be kept on the same shelf or in the same drawer but that might not be possible depending on your freezer. Don’t stress this step too much because the next one might make storing categories together easier to achieve.

4. Implement Organizational Tools

You might be able to get and keep your freezer organized by utilizing the parts, like compartments or sliding trays, that already exist in it. If that’s the case, you can skip this step. For everyone else, you’ll probably benefit from incorporating supplies depending on your freezer size. You won’t have the space to stack dozens of clear bins like you can when organizing the fridge. But adding one or two of the following products can go a long way to maximize storage.

You’ll want to check to ensure that your organizers are deemed fridge and freezer-safe, otherwise, they can run the risk of cracking or breaking. Products made of durable plastic or vinyl coated steel are generally reliable when stored at cold temperatures. And if you want a quick and easy way to mark leftovers and expiration dates, dissolvable food labels are also freezer-friendly.

For top freezers and side-by-side freezers: Use a divided rack for small, slim items such as bags of frozen veggies. A shelf riser works well for short items, so you can better utilize the height of a shelf.

For bottom freezers and French door freezers: Look for deep, narrow open bins that you can line up in the drawer and use to sort categories. Shallow sliding baskets can sit on the top pull-out drawer to contain small items.

For all freezer configurations: Use small open bins to corral categories together, and reach for reusable silicone bags for leftovers, since they take up less room than traditional food storage containers.

5. Perform Routine Maintenance

Repeating the process of decluttering and reorganizing on a regular basis is the secret to making your organization system last. Aim to go through the freezer at least once per month, tossing anything that’s gone bad since your last session. Tidy up items that have strayed from their categories and, finally, add organizers or reorganize your system as needed.