15 Minute Organizing – Your Fridge and Freezer

15-Minute Organizing – Your Fridge and Freezer

It’s that time of year when people start to think about how overindulgent they have been. So many parties, so little time! Does your fridge look like it’s been overrun? Maybe it’s your freezer that you can’t identify what’s inside. It’s time for a quick organizing project to get these two spaces back into shape. There are some great ideas on Pinterest. Also, read my tips below for a quick 15-minute organizing project.

Fridge and Freezer

Cleaning out what you have inside the fridge and freezer is the first step – Declutter – Declutter – Declutter. You’ll have to do this quickly, so set aside enough time, with no distractions. As you take everything out check expiration dates and have the trash can nearby. Put everything you keep into a category – like items together! It’s also a good idea to wipe all the containers and the inside of the appliance down so you can start fresh.

Does your fridge look like it's been overrun? Maybe it's your freezer that you can't identify what's inside. It's time for a quick organizing project to get these two spaces back into shape. Share on X

Now for keeping it organized.

Keeping your frig or freezer organized requires containers to house all the categories of items you want to store inside. I love to use these containers in a fridge. They are a great size to contain items like yogurt cups, fruit, salad dressing bottles, or other condiments. I really like the handles for easy use as well. You can label them too. Even better: they are inexpensive and you can purchase similar bins just about anywhere.

If you are looking for some ideas to better organize your freezer, read 5 Enviable Well-Organized Freezers from the Kitchn. Faith suggests “filing” frozen meals in zip-lock bags (and labeling them) to save space. Wow! I love it. You can get so many meals in your freezer using this method. Remember to use a Sharpie to label the plastic bags to identify what’s inside and when you put them in the freezer.

And what about remembering what’s inside your freezer? This inventory whiteboard will help you remember what’s inside and hope to spark you to use your inventory for a meal. You could also use a dry-erase marker to make a list on the outside of the freezer door.

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

9 Comments

  1. en.huari on January 23, 2017 at 1:33 am

    Wow I wish I could keep my refrigerator like that! I have a nice fridge but I can definitely tell you it is not like as organized as this one is. I love your way to organize and clean your freezer and Now, I will try to keep my freezer as clean as you have.

    • Janet Schiesl on January 23, 2017 at 7:02 am

      Thanks. Keeping my frig and freezer organized reduces waste and helps me plan meals and shopping lists.

  2. Linda Samuels on October 10, 2022 at 9:30 am

    Recently, I went through my fridge and pantry ‘hunting’ for expired food. Even though I had done it not that long ago, it turned out that there were many expired items. Out they went!

    I haven’t done a freezer review in a while and your post nudged me to take a look. I’ll do it soon. Thanks for the cue.

    • Janet Schiesl on October 12, 2022 at 11:40 am

      It’s a lot like laundry and dishes where you can’t just do it once and be done, isn’t it? Hope the freezer hunt lightens things up for you.

  3. Seana Turner on October 10, 2022 at 10:55 am

    Every time my daughter and her husband come for a visit they end up decluttering the condiments in my refrigerator. I don’t use many condiments. I buy them for others when they are around, and then they just sit there. It’s become a joke in my household.

    Cleaning the fridge and freezer not only feels good, but it is healthy and pretty unemotional. Like Linda, I think I could do a bit in my freezer before I start assembling for the holidays.

  4. Diane Quintana on October 10, 2022 at 11:24 am

    This is a great reminder to clean out the refrigerator and freezer before the holidays begin in earnest. I like to bake lots of different cookies and freeze them in advance of the holidays. Now is a good time to start.

    • Janet Schiesl on October 12, 2022 at 11:45 am

      Great thinking ahead to the holidays. Yes, now is the time to start so it won’t be stressful.

  5. Sabrina Quairoli on October 10, 2022 at 12:10 pm

    October is a great time to declutter the fridge and freezer. I recently found a freezer organizer that helps keep your meats vertical. It works great, and I can see all my meat in my freezer drawer. No need to dig around the drawer any longer. Yay!

    • Janet Schiesl on October 12, 2022 at 11:46 am

      That sounds like a very handy product. I like the idea of the meats being vertical for easier access.

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