Week #4 Organized Home Challenge
Organizing Refrigerator & Freezer

The challenge this week is organizing refrigerator and freezer food areas in your home.

These appliances are generally some of the most often and constantly used in your kitchen, and can easily get disorganized and out of control if you don't keep the organization you've set up in place.

Therefore, we're going to focus this week not only on getting things organized, but also on building some simple habits we can begin (or keep doing) to keep our freezers and refrigerators organized from now on.

Step 1: Equipment To Gather Before Beginning The Challenge

Before beginning the Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge I suggest gathering some basic equipment, including:

• Big trash bag for throwing away old or expired food
• Sink full of hot soapy water
• Empty dishwasher ready to receive newly emptied plastic food storage containers, and empty jars you want to save
• Permanent marker and food storage labels
• Cleaning supplies for cleaning up fridge and freezer
• Ice chest or cooler to hold any food that cannot temporarily sit out while you're working on the organization of your refrigerator or freezer

In addition, you can do the Organizing Refrigerator And Freezer Challenge whenever you want during the week, but it may be easiest to do it right before going on your next grocery run. That way you're fridge is already on the emptier side and hasn't yet been refilled for the week.

Step 2: Declutter The Front & Top Of Your Refrigerator

Most of this Organizing Refrigerator And Freezer Challenge deals with the food storage areas of these appliances, but before we begin with the main part it is worth taking a couple of minutes to declutter the outside of your refrigerator.

Make sure you put excess art from your kids away after a certain period of time.

In addition, you need to have a better system in place for all those papers from school. Place most of the dates on your family calendar and then toss the forms. Anything that needs to be saved should be somewhere else, such as in a file. The front of your refrigerator should not be used as a file cabinet.

Finally, you may need to winnow down your magnet collection, especially of multiple cheap magnets you received from the pizze place, or wherever. Winnow it down where you have a cute and usable collection, but it is not overpowering.

Having less clutter on the outside of your refrigerator will really complement the rest of your kitchen, especially now that you've got all that clear kitchen counter space for the first part of the kitchen organization challenge.

I've create a whole hall of fame for the front of your refrigerator here, showing the visual difference clearing off this area a bit can make if you need more inspiration.

Step 3: Declutter The Contents Of The Refrigerator (And Then Freezer) Of Old Or Expired Items

The Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge is about organizing refrigerator and freezer areas in your home. While I've written these steps to discuss both appliances at the same time, it most likely will work better for you to deal with the refrigerator completely first, and then circle around and do all the steps again, this time dealing with the freezer (or freezers) in your home.

In addition, when referring to your freezer I am referring to the small freezer attached to your refrigerator, along with any chest or upright freezers you also own.

Make sure to get rid of all the stuff in these appliances that is past its prime, you're never going to eat, or is just a plain disgusting science experiment now.

To do this part of the challenge you'll need to take everything out of your refrigerator (and then freezer), and evaluate each item to decide if you'll keep it or not. Don't forget about all those condiments on the door of the refrigerator. Really look at the dates on these jars and bottles, and think about how long they've been sitting in there (perhaps years, or even decades?) (And no, I'm not exagerating about decades -- when I was young my Mom, Dad and I cleared out our fridge once and found a several year old jar of opened pickles -- yuck!)

To help you with these decluttering tasks I've written articles on the site, about how to declutter food from your refrigerator and how to declutter your freezer.

In addition, I've created a couple of charts (with printable cheat sheets) here on the site to help you with this portion of the challenge, to give you estimates of how long certain common foods stay fresh and edible, when stored in the refrigerator or freezer.

Refrigerator Food Storage Guidelines {Cheat Sheet}

Freezer Storage Times {Cheat Sheet}

In addition, don't forget that we're continuing this week with the Eat From The Pantry & Freezer Challenge that we began last week.

This simple challenge, which you can read more about by clicking the link, will help you clear out your freezer and eat the food already purchased that's in your refrigerator, eliminate food waste, and to save some money on groceries by ensuring you eat the items you've already purchased.

It's a great way to declutter your food storage areas the old-fashioned way! (You can also check out the Freezer & Pantry Challenge Results Page to see how well it has worked for other participants!)

Step 4: Clean Your Refrigerator And Freezer Quickly While Everything Is Emptied From Them

The fourth step in the Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge is to clean the inside of these appliances up, quickly, while everything is already out of them. You should quickly clean up any spills, sticky messes and other dirt and odors.

I suggest using a paste of baking soda and water to clean your fridge and freezer, since it both cleans and remove odors. If you have any meat juice spills, you will need to use a disinfectant. In addition, you can wash drawers and shelves in the hot soapy water you've got in your sink.

Here are two safety items to note while doing this step. First, unplug your refrigerator before cleaning it, since it is, after all an electrical appliance. Second, if you've got glass shelves or drawers be careful of sudden temperature changes while you clean, such as plunging the cold glass item into hot water which could cause breakage.

For more detailed cleaning instructions you can check out my article on the sister site, Stain Removal 101, for cleaning refrigerator odors and messes.

In addition, if you don't have a freezer which automatically defrosts this may also be a good opportunity to defrost your freezer.

Step 5: Put Everything Back In Your Refrigerator And Freezer According To Zones

The next step in the Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge is where you actually begin organizing the items you've got left, and thinking about how to best use the space in these appliances.

Categorize the items you'll place in your refrigerator and freezer, and then try to organize and designate areas, or zones, to place the categorized items in.

You may want some of the items in your categories to stay loose, or you may decide to containerize them to keep them together within the refrigerator or freezer.

Organizing Refrigerator Shelves, Drawers, And The Door

Keep in mind for your refrigerator, you don't want it packed to the gills with items. Instead, there has to be enough free space for air to circulate freely, for it to cool efficiently and effectively.

In addition, you also need to keep food safety in mind when organizing your fridge so I've written an article with refrigerator food storage guidelines, and which also contains an infographic, explaining what types of items to place on each shelf and drawer, as well as the door, of this appliance.

Once you understand some of the basic rules for organizing the fridge, here are some of the possible categories or zones to consider for your refrigerator. Which ones you'll choose depend on how you use your fridge, how much and what types of things you cook, etc.

• Leftovers (typically a designated shelf or portion of a shelf)
• Place to thaw things from freezer or marinate food (typically place to hold in lipped pan or bowl)
• Milk and other beverages (typically on a designated shelf)
• Fresh produce (typically in the fruit or vegetable bins) (check out these fruit storage tips and vegetable storage tips for the best ways to store various produce on the counter or inside the fridge)
• Other dairy (typically on a designed shelf)
• Meats and cheeses (meats may go in their own drawer, and should be kept in the coldest part of the fridge, while lunch meats and cheeses may go in a lunch making zone container)
• Eggs (although the door of your refrigerator may have a space for them, it is best to keep eggs in their carton on a shelf, and not on the door because the door has more temperature fluctuations)
• Condiments (typically on the door of the fridge)
• Lunch making zone (holds refrigerated ingredients for making lunches for school or home)
• Snacks (typically in a container on a shelf for easy access by kids)

Consider designating certain shelves, or portions of shelves, drawers, or door shelves for certain items so you can find what you want quickly and easily, and replace it back too, when you're finished using it.

You may also consider labeling the shelves or the containers on the shelves with certain zones to make it easy for all family members to stick things in the correct places.

Please keep in mind while doing the Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge that where you place an item may be dictated, to a certain degree, by its size and shape, and where it will fit. To the extent possible try to group other like items around it, to keep like items together.

If you have adjustable shelves in your refrigerator, take the time to adjust them to fit the size of the various categories and zones you've created during the Organizing Refrigerator Challenge while doing this step.

In addition, make sure as you add your food back to your fridge that you follow these 5 food storage safety rules so not only is everything organized, but also safe for you to eat later.

Freezer Organization Tips And Ideas

While your refrigerator needs some air space for good air circulation, your freezer actually works better when it is full. However, you've still got to have everything organized in it, so you can find things.

Just like with your refrigerator, once you've decluttered it, you should categorize the items in your freezer too.

Here are some suggested categories to consider for your freezer organization project:

• Meats
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Baked goods
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Freezer meals

[Click for free printable]

As you place everything back in your freezer, fill out this freezer inventory form, listing what you're putting in there. It will help you keep track of the items you've got in your freezer at any given time, so you know what you've got to eat, and when you need to eat it by for it to taste its best.

I've given some additional instructions on how to use the form on the website page itself, so please take the time to read that when you go to print off the form.

The best way to keep your freezer organized is to containerize it, with uniform size containers that stack or sit close together (so typically square or rectangular in shape, not circular). Label these containers with the general category of item you're placing in it for easy identification later.

The most common storage containers for your freezer are freezer baskets. They can work well in both chest freezers, or upright freezers. If you've got an upright freezer, pull out drawers can also be very useful.

Be sure to choose containers that can withstand the cold of your freezer, so they don't crack or break on you too easily. You can read more about storage solutions I suggest for your freezer below.

Further, if you've got a chest freezer whatever baskets or containers you choose will have to stack on top of each other.

To then find what you are looking for later, I suggest you make a "map" of the baskets, and post it next to your freezer inventory, to remind yourself where the meat basket, or frozen vegetable basket is located in the stack to make it easier to find what you want without moving every single basket.

You can get more tips for organizing a chest freezer here.

Step 6: Consider These Refrigerator And Freezer Storage Solutions While Organizing These Appliances

You don't have to buy any fancy equipment or items for organizing refrigerator and freezer shelves and drawers, but some types of items can be useful, so consider these for now or in the future while doing your refrigerator and freezer organization project.

Suggested Refrigerator Storage Solutions

• Pull out drawers, trays or bins - these allow you to group certain items together, and also easily reach items in the back of the bin when you pull it out (see suggestions above)
• Refrigerator lazy susans or turntables
• Refrigerator caddy - a narrow bag that holds condiments on refrigerator door shelf, and allows you to pick up all the condiments for use at the table and then return them easily back to the shelf when done
• Food storage labels (see my suggestion below in step 7)
• Soda can dispenser (see my suggestion above)

Suggested Freezer Storage Solutions

• Freezer labels (see my suggestion below in step 7)
• Freezer grade plastic storage bags (get them at any grocery store)
• Freezer baskets (especially useful in a chest freezer)
• Food Saver vacuum sealer (click link for article with tips for using it for organization)
• Freezer alarm (lets you know if the temperature starts to get too warm in your freezer before there is spoilage from a power outage or freezer malfunction - these can save you lots of money and grief if you really stock up in your freezer, especially on expensive meats) (see suggested product to the right)

Step 7: Simple Habits To Maintain The Refrigerator And Freezer Organization You've Acheived

Finally, after you've gotten everything organized as part of the Organizing Refrigerator And Freezer Challenge you don't want that organization to slip away again. However, without some simple habits in place I can guarantee your refrigerator and freezer will turn into chaos again, quickly.

Fortunately, when I say simple habits, I really do mean simple ones, that don't take up much of your time at all. Here's a list of things I suggest you begin doing (if you're not already) to maintain your refrigerator and freezer organization.

Be Mindful Of Your Leftovers

Here's my article, which includes several reader tips, for ideas to get your family used to eating leftovers regularly.

In addition, if you won't actually eat the leftovers later, don't save them! To save money, just cook less so you don't have the leftovers to begin with if you or your family don't like them.

If you do intend to eat the leftovers though, make sure you incorporate them into your meal plan for the week, by instituting a leftovers night, or planning to eat them for lunch the following day.

Having a designated area in your refrigerator for leftovers will also help you be mindful of what you've got. Once your family is trained to look in a certain spot, and only that spot for leftovers, then they'll quickly be able to spot what they want and eat it so it doesn't go to waste.

[Click for printable]

Further, try to place all leftovers in see through containers, so your family knows what it is, without having to open the container. In addition, you may want to consider using erasable labels (such as the ones shown on the right) on the leftovers containers, to label the date or contents to help people make an informed choice about what they want to eat.

Finally, another idea is to use a running list of leftovers that your family can read, such as posted on the front of the fridge. You can click the link above for a free printable list if you'd like to use this method.

Clear Out Leftovers And Old Food Weekly

Soon before you go to the grocery store each week, perhaps while making your grocery list for the week and planning your weekly menu, or the day before trash day, you should clean out your refrigerator of all old leftovers and other food that is past its prime and will no longer be eaten.

This allows you to take a quick mental inventory of what you've got in your fridge, so you can hopefully use it up soon (and incorporate it into your menu for the next week) or make room for the new food that will be coming soon after your grocery trip.

Follow The Last In Last Out Rule

Last week, in the Organize Pantry Challenge, I discussed the last in, last out rule. The same principle applies here. Use up the older milk before drinking the newer milk, or the older frozen vegetables before using the newer ones. This helps ensure you don't wait so long to eat something that it goes bad before you get to it.

When stocking your refrigerator and freezer make it easy for yourself to follow the rule by placing newer items in the back, or bottom of the freezer, with older items up front or on top so they're easy to grab when you need them.

Periodically Have An Eat Out Of Your Freezer And Pantry Week

You've got to eat what's in your freezer and pantry periodically, especially if you are a person that likes to buy in bulk or stock up when there are sales. Otherwise those bargains that just get thrown away when they expire or get too old aren't really a bargain, are they?

One of the things my family does periodically is try to make as many meals as possible from our pantry and freezer during a couple of day to week span, and not spend too much at the grocery that week. We tend to do this right before holidays, when we're going out of town, since it will be a short grocery shopping week anyway. We'll just pick up a couple fresh items, and mainly eat what we've already got at home.

It saves money (which we then generally spend on gas for the trip) and also uses up some stuff from our food stores to keep us from wasting it later.

It is also a good idea to have a week or so of eating out of your freezer and pantry right before you need to defrost your chest freezer, for instance, since this has to be done periodically anyway to keep it running at its optimum performance.

Update Your Freezer Inventory As You Use And Add Food

I've already discussed the freezer inventory above. This is a tool, when actually used consistently, that helps you make the best use out of your frozen food assets.

Consistently Label Everything That Goes Into Your Freezer

For both commercial and homemade frozen food you must develop the habit of labeling everything that goes into your freezer, so you can figure out what it is later, and whether it is something you actually want to eat, without having to open up the package and guess.

Here is a list of the information you should write on your freezer labels:

• Type of food
• Approximate servings of food in the container; and
• Date you placed it in the freezer

You can just use a permanent marker to write on many containers, or you can use some freezer labels (such as the ones shown on the right) for this task.

Listen To Taylor's Video Tips For This Week's Organized Home Challenge & Declutter 365 Missions

Do you want more in-depth tips and instructions for how to do this week's missions and challenge all about your refrigerator and freezer? If so, I've got recorded video tips from me, Taylor, from the video archives in the Declutter 365 Premium group, all about this week's challenge and missions.

These video tips are available on demand in the archives, once you're a member of the group.

In Week #4's video I discussed the following topics, among others:

• What is clutter? How to identify it in your home?
• Emotions related to holding onto clutter
• Tips for decluttering dishes, mugs and glasses
• How to declutter and organize your refrigerator and freezer
• Declutter 365 missions for week

I suggest watching the video archive for the week, perhaps while you're doing some decluttering or cleaning around your home, before starting the week's missions and Challenge, and then you'll be able to breeze through this week's worth of decluttering missions, as well as organize what's necessary for the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, based on the advice and instructions within those videos.

It really is like having me, Taylor, available, 24-7, as your decluttering and organizing coach, for every area of your home!

Plus, once you're a member of Declutter 365 Premium you get access to not only this video, but all the videos for the 52 weeks of the year, for 5 years (that's over 260 videos available in the archives!)

Get This Pantry & Food Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering your pantry and other food storage areas, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space.

Get your 1 page pantry and food decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Tell Me How The Organizing Refrigerator And Freezer Challenge Is Going For You

I would love to know how this week's Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge is going. You can tell me your progress or give me more ideas for how you've organized this area of your home below in the comments.

I also love before and after pictures of refrigerator and freezer organization, and would love to see some of yours. Submit your pictures (up to four per submission) and get featured in the Creative Storage Solutions Hall of Fame. You've worked hard to get organized, so now here's your chance to show off!

I've already had several people take this challenge, and send me in their before and after pictures. You can check out what others have already get accomplished, to get some more inspiration and ideas.

• Hall of Fame {Part 1} {about refrigerator}
• Hall of Fame {Part 2} {about refrigerator}
• Hall of Fame {Part 3} {about freezer}

Sneak Peek For Next Week's Challenge

We're working on our homes slowly, one area at a time, so don't get too distracted from the Organizing Refrigerator and Freezer Challenge this week. However, I want you to know that although this challenge finishes off some of the big areas of kitchen organization in our homes we're not quite done here in the kitchen quite yet. Since we eat every single day there's still a couple of areas I want us to work on while we're already working here in this room.

That means next week we'll deal with organizing recipes and cookbooks, and then we'll jump into even more areas of the kitchen, like recycling and trash, and then organizing coupons, and finally meal planning and grocery shopping. Whew, we've got a lot of areas to cover in the kitchen don't we? But it's not a problem because we're going slowly, one week at a time!

Make Sure You Make The Most Of These 52 Organizing Challenges

Get your copy of the printable one page 52 Week Organized Home Challenge schedule for the year here, so you can see all the challenges we're working on.

Further, if you'd like to join a community of others who are all commmitted to these organizing challenges and corresponding decluttering missions, and want more interaction with me, Taylor, video archives of Taylor providing more tips for each of these challenges and missions, as well as live monthly group coaching sessions focusing on the skills and habits necessary to maintain your home from now on, I'd urge you to join the private and exclusive Declutter 365 Premium Facebook group (you can learn more about it at the link).

In addition, have you gotten your Declutter 365 Products yet, to make sure you can get even more assistance with decluttering and organizing your home this year? There are both free products (like the Declutter 365 calendar, a $20 value), as well as add-ons, such as daily text messages, planner stickers, and a Premium Facebook group, as well as a pack of printabe decluttering checklists.

Cook Great Meals In Less Time With An Instant Pot: Free Course To Learn How

Do you have an Instant Pot hiding in your cabinet? Want to learn how to use it? Sign up for Instant Pot School! It's free, and it will help you put that time-saver to work!

Learn more about this free course, and why I'm recommending it in my article all about Instant Pot School.

Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that if you purchase a product through them I receive a small commission which helps me provide this information to you for free, plus support my family. My integrity and your satisfaction are very important to me so I only recommend products I would purchase myself, and that I believe would benefit you. To learn more please see my disclosure statement.

Get Decluttering & Organizing Tips Newsletter

Join the Home Storage Solutions 101 newsletter, and get as your free gift the 2024 Declutter 365 Calendar (a $20 value) from me, Taylor, your decluttering and organizing guide.

When you work through the Declutter 365 missions, and accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenges, you'll be able to declutter your home one mission at a time, organize what's left, and learn the skills, habits and routines to maintain your space from now on.

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