OMGTHANK YOU!!!!!! I have got 2 massive freezers (1000Litres or 265 Gallons) I have always needed a hammer and scraper, I found your video and used a fan and it took me less than 30 mins per freezer!!!!! I now have two fully organised freezers which are now super organised and my ready made and cooked meals are in one and the meats veggies fruits and more are in the other one.
I use the drawers out of the cheap plastic organizer dressers. You often see them at Walmart. They fit right in my freezer and the depth is perfect so I can stand quart bags upright. It has made it so much easier to find and use things.
❤❤❤❤thank you so very much wounderful short cuts for s2 70 year-old handicap adults and our freezer. We are having our first steer coming bk next week so I definitely need to defrost and organize. God bless you 🙏🏼 ❤️ thank you.
I have a small chest freezer, that I love. It was inexpensive and works so well. But it is problematic for organization. I have tried everything, literally. I finally settled on colored, reusable grocery bags, usually made out of a non-tear, durable fabric. I have a schedule taped to the front, and everything is color coordinated. I.E., chicken - red; beef - yellow; pork - green, etc. The bags are easy to fill and move around, and they conform to the space available. I still have to move a few on occasion to get to what I want--why is it ALWAYS on the bottom--but it is easy! I can see at a glance where the bag I want is, and the strong bag handles make it easy to move them out and around. Works better than anything I have tried. I would LOVE to have a totally organized system, and I have seen some that have sliding drawers, etc. but it is just not in my budget. My system works a treat! Thank you for the videos. I always enjoy them.
Also, repackaging and vacuum sealing meats and breads (freeze the breads first so they don't squash when vac sealed), makes everything safe from freezer burn and last longer! Vac Sealing is the best thing since sliced bread!
Thanks Crystal, will definitely print the inventory list, it's something I've been trying to figure out for a while. I already have your book, I refer to it all the time. I'm so motivated now! Now just need to Tom Sawyer my husband 😂
I love you 🫶. I’m going to be defrosting my chest freezer soon and reorganising it and the tip about using banana boxes is pure gold so thanks 🙏 from South Australia 🇦🇺. Love Lyn
I'm so happy to have found your page! I know I'll get a lot of hate for this but of all of the home steaders I have tried to follow they were bible beaters with a ton of kids. It's nice to see a couple who is child free and home steaders!
Thanks for sharing. I'm more concerned about freezer temps when the power goes off - so a wifi unit is not for me but a battery unit with alarm. I also like an ice-cube indicator. Put an ice cube into a ziplock baggie and tape it someplace easy to see when you open the door. If the cube has thawed you know your food is suspect. I started doing this after I came home from vaca. I knew the power had been off a few days and had no idea if the freezer had thawed. The power also came back on while I was away so everything was frozen - but - did it thaw? I looked at the ice-cube indicate to see it was still in it's cube form so I knew my food was fine.
If you don't have boxes and/or have a smaller freezer, you can also use paper grocery bags. They can tear over time with the dampness. But they do tend to last quite a while. Especially if you double or triple them up. You can also use a sharpie to write on the outside of the bag. If they tear, no worries, just stick the torn bag into the recycle and replace with another free paper bag. I've also used a blow dryer to help speed up defrosting the freezer. Just stand there and blast it. Takes just a few minutes to really get going. Super fast. I also like to organize the freezer with older stuff on top. Makes it easy to systematically use up the older items first.
Mine needs to be defrosted, but more than that organized. What's in my freezer? Peaches? Chicken? No idea, there's an entire deer laying on top just loosey-goosey! Putting this on my to-do for the weekend :)
You mentioned the ice building up around the door area of the freezer compartment at 00:52. Yes, ice can build up there and prevent the door from seating properly. Another culprit for this is that ice builds up in the freezer door itself that will warp the door over time and damage the insulation from over compression. To avoid this what I do every time I defrost a chest freezer is take it outside with the door open and let the door drain out. Depending on how much ice is in there the process can take hours. Just expect it to take way longer than to remove the ice and water from the freezer compartment. It also makes a serious watery mess, so that’s why I take it outside. On a side note, cleaning out the compressor area is a great thing to do while defrosting. It will also extend the life of the appliance, and if the freezer is kept in an area like a garage where bugs get in spiders love to lay their eggs there among other things.
I need to do our freezers and for some reason I thought they would need to be off for days for a defrost! Now I'm excited to get our freezers done. We have 3 uprights and 1 chest. Should the uprights be done the same as the chest freezers?
Why dont use anything with heat like warm water or hair dryer? When searching fastest ways to defrost i saw people using pots of boiling water (just put the pots on a towel) then close the lid to cause the ice to melt quickly. I also thought about using my heat gun (not too close) because i may even be able to do that without removing the food and letting all the cold air out. Im just trying to find info if this could damage the freezer where im aiming the heat gun.
I think your book is worth owning! I don't like to have a lot of books on hand and I generally check them out from the library first to see if I like them. Yours is one of them+ Freezers.....I don't think there is a perfect one. Upright, chest. I look at your chest and think, I don't want to have to pull out boxes to get to.....I have an upright, and it still seems unorganized and a little annoying to get into, even though I try to organize it. You make great and informative videos. I like how you voice over, if that is what you call+
I want to defrost my chest freezer. There is a closed box full of canning jars with I-don't-know-what-it-is frozen to the side and bottom of the freezer. I'm sure I don't want what's inside, other than the jars themselves. How do I get this out of the freezer?
OMGTHANK YOU!!!!!! I have got 2 massive freezers (1000Litres or 265 Gallons) I have always needed a hammer and scraper, I found your video and used a fan and it took me less than 30 mins per freezer!!!!!
I now have two fully organised freezers which are now super organised and my ready made and cooked meals are in one and the meats veggies fruits and more are in the other one.
Love to hear this!! 🥰
I use the drawers out of the cheap plastic organizer dressers. You often see them at Walmart. They fit right in my freezer and the depth is perfect so I can stand quart bags upright. It has made it so much easier to find and use things.
Printing the freezer list immediately! Thank you, Crystal! You’re my favorite homesteader.
Aww thanks! 🥰🥰
I love the banana box idea. Great video and so timely. Our freezer is 14 months old and it needs to be defrosted
Thanks! They are such perfect boxes for this! 😊😅
❤❤❤❤thank you so very much wounderful short cuts for s2 70 year-old handicap adults and our freezer. We are having our first steer coming bk next week so I definitely need to defrost and organize. God bless you 🙏🏼 ❤️ thank you.
I have a small chest freezer, that I love. It was inexpensive and works so well. But it is problematic for organization. I have tried everything, literally. I finally settled on colored, reusable grocery bags, usually made out of a non-tear, durable fabric. I have a schedule taped to the front, and everything is color coordinated. I.E., chicken - red; beef - yellow; pork - green, etc. The bags are easy to fill and move around, and they conform to the space available. I still have to move a few on occasion to get to what I want--why is it ALWAYS on the bottom--but it is easy! I can see at a glance where the bag I want is, and the strong bag handles make it easy to move them out and around. Works better than anything I have tried. I would LOVE to have a totally organized system, and I have seen some that have sliding drawers, etc. but it is just not in my budget. My system works a treat! Thank you for the videos. I always enjoy them.
Also, repackaging and vacuum sealing meats and breads (freeze the breads first so they don't squash when vac sealed), makes everything safe from freezer burn and last longer! Vac Sealing is the best thing since sliced bread!
Thanks Crystal, will definitely print the inventory list, it's something I've been trying to figure out for a while. I already have your book, I refer to it all the time. I'm so motivated now! Now just need to Tom Sawyer my husband 😂
Haha! And thanks so much! 🥰
I love you 🫶. I’m going to be defrosting my chest freezer soon and reorganising it and the tip about using banana boxes is pure gold so thanks 🙏 from South Australia 🇦🇺. Love Lyn
This is gonna be so helpful when I clean out our chest freezer soon. Thanks for sharing the free checklists and printable directions. So appreciated!
I'm so happy to have found your page! I know I'll get a lot of hate for this but of all of the home steaders I have tried to follow they were bible beaters with a ton of kids. It's nice to see a couple who is child free and home steaders!
💗💗
Boxes and Sensors are genius!
Thanks for sharing. I'm more concerned about freezer temps when the power goes off - so a wifi unit is not for me but a battery unit with alarm. I also like an ice-cube indicator. Put an ice cube into a ziplock baggie and tape it someplace easy to see when you open the door. If the cube has thawed you know your food is suspect. I started doing this after I came home from vaca. I knew the power had been off a few days and had no idea if the freezer had thawed. The power also came back on while I was away so everything was frozen - but - did it thaw? I looked at the ice-cube indicate to see it was still in it's cube form so I knew my food was fine.
Don't they make frost free chest freezers
If you don't have boxes and/or have a smaller freezer, you can also use paper grocery bags. They can tear over time with the dampness. But they do tend to last quite a while. Especially if you double or triple them up. You can also use a sharpie to write on the outside of the bag. If they tear, no worries, just stick the torn bag into the recycle and replace with another free paper bag.
I've also used a blow dryer to help speed up defrosting the freezer. Just stand there and blast it. Takes just a few minutes to really get going. Super fast.
I also like to organize the freezer with older stuff on top. Makes it easy to systematically use up the older items first.
You should never ever thaw a freezer with any type of heat! It can damage the walls.
Mine needs to be defrosted, but more than that organized. What's in my freezer? Peaches? Chicken? No idea, there's an entire deer laying on top just loosey-goosey! Putting this on my to-do for the weekend :)
😂😂
Very helpful!!❤
Great idea! Most definitely I will be using your method. Thank you
You mentioned the ice building up around the door area of the freezer compartment at 00:52. Yes, ice can build up there and prevent the door from seating properly. Another culprit for this is that ice builds up in the freezer door itself that will warp the door over time and damage the insulation from over compression.
To avoid this what I do every time I defrost a chest freezer is take it outside with the door open and let the door drain out. Depending on how much ice is in there the process can take hours. Just expect it to take way longer than to remove the ice and water from the freezer compartment. It also makes a serious watery mess, so that’s why I take it outside.
On a side note, cleaning out the compressor area is a great thing to do while defrosting. It will also extend the life of the appliance, and if the freezer is kept in an area like a garage where bugs get in spiders love to lay their eggs there among other things.
Thanks for the great ideas! 😊
More organization vids ❤
Thank you so much 😊
Have you seen the plastic veg crates for the freezer......not sure if that's workable for you, I've utilized for growing fruits and veg
Good stuff love it.
I need to do our freezers and for some reason I thought they would need to be off for days for a defrost! Now I'm excited to get our freezers done. We have 3 uprights and 1 chest. Should the uprights be done the same as the chest freezers?
Yes- unless the uprights are self defrosting… then they likely don’t even need it.
Why dont use anything with heat like warm water or hair dryer? When searching fastest ways to defrost i saw people using pots of boiling water (just put the pots on a towel) then close the lid to cause the ice to melt quickly. I also thought about using my heat gun (not too close) because i may even be able to do that without removing the food and letting all the cold air out. Im just trying to find info if this could damage the freezer where im aiming the heat gun.
It is never recommended to use heat. Going from very cold to hot can warp, crack, or otherwise damage the freezer walls.
@@wholefedhomestead Thanks
I think your book is worth owning! I don't like to have a lot of books on hand and I generally check them out from the library first to see if I like them. Yours is one of them+ Freezers.....I don't think there is a perfect one. Upright, chest. I look at your chest and think, I don't want to have to pull out boxes to get to.....I have an upright, and it still seems unorganized and a little annoying to get into, even though I try to organize it. You make great and informative videos. I like how you voice over, if that is what you call+
Appreciate that, thank you! 💗
What size freezer is this
I think it's around 22 cubic feet
EXCELLENT
Doesn't the ice make the cardboard week. I could see me lifting out the box and the bottom falling out
Nope- but we are careful to use sturdy boxes. Some boxes we’ve had in use for 5+ years!
I want to defrost my chest freezer. There is a closed box full of canning jars with I-don't-know-what-it-is frozen to the side and bottom of the freezer. I'm sure I don't want what's inside, other than the jars themselves. How do I get this out of the freezer?
You probably need to let the freezer warm and thaw for a bit longer to let the box release naturally (sounds like maybe some of the jars broke?).
🖤
Yep...mine needs defrosted...
Why not use hot pan of water to sit in there to melt ice?
Using any heat can severely damage your freezer
@@wholefedhomestead
How so? Heat shock warping it, or something else?
Never mind. I found another comment saying that’s exactly it.
I love the banana box idea. Great video and so timely. Our freezer is 14 months old and it needs to be defrosted