My Friend Told Me to Put a Pool Noodle in My Freezer, and I Honestly Wish I’d Tried It Sooner

I was recently at a friend’s place when I went to grab some ice cream from her freezer. I opened the door and was shocked to see a summer staple in there along with several empty containers: a pool noodle. When I asked her about it, she laughed and said it was something she learned from her mom. She explained that it actually helps her freezer work more efficiently.

Because her freezer is usually half-empty it was working harder to circulate cold air through the open space, which was contributing to freezer burn (those grayish-brown leathery spots on food caused by air reaching its surface). Her freezer hack is simple: She places pool noodles and empty (but closed) containers in her freezer to take up dead space. As for the type of container it doesn’t really matter. It could be a glass food storage container with the lid on or a cardboard box that once housed frozen waffles. The point is to make sure your freezer is full. This keeps the cold air concentrated on the food and also lowers her energy bill. 

She explained that keeping your freezer mostly full makes it more energy-efficient by minimizing the amount of warm air that enters when you open the door. Plus, the frozen contents help to quickly re-cool the air. Appliance manufacturer Whirlpool echoed the recommendation: “Keep your freezer full, but not packed. Keeping your freezer around 75% to 80% full helps retain cold air. If the freezer is fully filled, food may block the internal air vents, making it harder to distribute cold air throughout the freezer.”

When I got home, I saw that my own freezer was nearly empty, so I decided to put my friend’s filler hack to the test. I had a pool noodle from Dollar Tree lying around, which I placed in my freezer along with a couple of empty containers to reach that 75% to 80% mark.

Admittedly, I felt a bit strange putting a pool noodle in my freezer, but I had nothing to lose. While arranging the pool noodle and containers, I also ended up organizing my freezer (something I rarely do). Before trying this hack some of my frozen meat and seafood would have freezer burn that I’d have to cut away, but a few weeks after I added the noodle I noticed that none of my frozen food had any freezer burn! Moreover, I was shocked to see that my electricity bill actually reduced by a few dollars.

If you’re looking for an easy way to get rid of freezer burn and make your freezer work more efficiently, try placing a pool noodle in it. Just remember not to overfill it, because you don’t want to block those air vents!

What do you think about this trick? Let us know in the comments below!

This post originally appeared on The Kitchn. See it there: My Friend Told Me to Put a Pool Noodle in My Freezer, and I Honestly Wish I'd Tried It Sooner