The Best Freezer Organizing Hacks on the Internet
When it gets hot outside, we tend to turn to our freezers for relief (read: ice cream!). But if it’s been months since you’ve had a look in there, it’s likely that the compartment is just full of random bags, boxes, and whatnots that are a pain to sort through. If you’re frustrated, just chill out — and try these ingenious hacks for getting any kind of freezer under control.
1. Use binder clips to hang frozen veggies.
Keeping frozen fruits and veggies on hand is a great way to get your daily servings without having to worry about wasting money on fresh produce that goes bad before you can eat it. But those half-opened bags are slippery and impossible to stack! This clever trick from A Side of Fab uses binder clips to seal them and hang them from shelves, so they’re easier to find.
Read all about it: Binder Clips for Freezer Organization at A Side of Fab
2. Reuse milk containers.
While we’re complaining about those floppy frozen food bags, here’s another solution, this time from Jen at A Thousand Words: Pour small frozen veggies into small cleaned-out milk jugs so they’re easier to stack and store — and a cinch to pour out, too!
See how she does it: Freezer Storage Tip from A Thousand Words
3. Use all the bins.
A lot of what you store (frozen burritos, Popsicles, the aforementioned bags of veggies, more Popsicles) doesn’t sit nicely. Bins can help wrangle those items and keep you organized — especially when you group food items together by type like this setup by Samantha at Simply Organized. You can even use shoe boxes if you happen to have some on hand.
See the before and afters: Organized Freezer Drawers at Simply Organized
4. Label everything.
Whether you share your fridge with family, an S.O., or a couple of roommates, adding labels to your freezer bins makes it easy for anyone in the house to find what they need — without standing there with the door open, letting the cold air out. Plus, it makes it easier to see what you’re running out of when it’s time to go to the store. Thea from Time With Thea even used decorative washi tape to make her bins look a little more special.
Bonus tip: In addition to labeling the bins, label the actual item, identifying the contents and the date you put them in there.
See it on Pinterest: Upright Freezer Organizing from Time with Thea.
5. Freeze things flat.
Got leftover soup? Put it in a freezer bag, seal, and place the bag flat in the freezer until its contents are frozen. Then stack the bags or line them up in a bin. This makes it super easy to flip through the bags until you find the one you need.
See the whole post: The Best Way to Organize Your Freezer
6. Ditch as many boxes as you can.
Boxes are bulky and take up valuable space. Whenever possible, take the contents out of the box and stash them in a bin, as suggested above. If there are cooking directions on the box that you need, cut it out and tape it the package.
Read the rest of the post: The 5 Best Tips for Organizing a Tiny Freezer
7. Remove the shelves.
This freezer belongs to Kitchn contributor Sarah Rae Smith and it’s so small, it actually didn’t even come with a shelf, but it got us thinking: She’s really onto something with all those neatly piled stacks. If you have a small freezer-on-top situation, consider pulling out the shelving and seeing what happens!
Read more on her methods: How I Keep My Tiny Apartment Freezer Neat and Organized
8. Keep an inventory.
An inventory of everything in your fridge might be impossible to keep (so many things coming and going!). However, an inventory of the freezer is another story. There are tons of free downloadable inventory sheets online. (We love this one by Get Buttoned Up.) Just write down what you have in there — including how many you have — and cross off the quantities as you use things. It will be very helpful when it comes time to grocery shop.
Download the PDF: Free Printable Pantry & Freezer Inventory List at Get Buttoned Up
What else do you do to keep your freezer organized?