The Best Way To Load Food In Your Freezer After Cleaning It

You don't need to wait until the freezer section of your refrigerator has started to smell a little off or your food has succumbed to freezer burn to clean it out or reorganize it. Fortunately, you can clean your freezer without defrosting it first. Once you have done the hard work of scrubbing with hot water and baking soda, keep things pristine by loading the freezer properly.

Airflow is vital when it comes to maintaining the conditions of your freezer for its own sake and for the food within. To ensure foods are safely frozen and keep them from getting frostbitten, be sure to leave some space between frozen items and place them at a slight distance from the freezer walls. Wire bins and other containers that are not fully enclosed can help with organization while allowing air to circulate throughout your freezer.

As long as you don't experience any power outages at home, you probably only need to deep clean your freezer once a year. To prevent scenarios in which spoiled and spilled foods could force you to clean your refrigerator any more than that, you may want to invest in a few easy, affordable pieces of kitchen equipment.

Knowing that you need to keep frozen items spaced out carefully in your freezer to enable airflow, buy some reusable, stackable, airtight containers that will fit nicely on your shelves and in your bins while leaving space on all sides. Silicone sealable bags and glass containers are an ideal option for keeping your food safe to eat and can be used indefinitely, which saves you money in the long run and ensures that you are never unprepared for leftovers. To make sure you eat those leftovers in a timely manner, get some painter's tape and a marker, then stick a piece of the tape to your container and write the current date whenever you place food in the freezer.

Once you've done everything to care for your freezer and carefully curated stash of frozen foods, there's another piece of your refrigerator that needs tending to: the gasket.  Whenever you do your yearly freezer cleaning, make sure to also clean this rubber rim that helps to keep the door sealed. You can do the gasket with soap and water, using a toothbrush or cloth to get into the crevices. Keep an eye out for any rips in the rubber or other issues that may prevent the door from closing properly. If your refrigerator door doesn't fully close, your food can expire quickly. This also wastes energy, which is bad for your wallet and for the environment.

After the gasket, you'll want to quickly clean your refrigerator's exterior, with particular attention given to the grill found at the bottom front of most fridges. Use a duster to wipe away any fur, hair, or dust bunnies that have accumulated there and in the areas underneath and behind the fridge.