Foolproof Method for Organizing Your Refrigerator

The refrigerator is one of your most-used appliances, so it’s no surprise that it’s often the first place in your kitchen to become unorganized! But when your fridge is in a disarray, you’re more likely to waste food. To help you create a clutter-free fridge, we’ve outlined our fool-proof method for getting (and staying!) organized.

Steps to Take Before Organizing Your Refrigerator

We know you’re anxious to get started, but there are critical steps that can’t be skipped before you begin organizing your refrigerator. To set the tone we recommend cleaning and disinfecting the inside of your fridge. Follow these steps to create a clean, blank slate to work with:

• Empty everything out of the fridge – This includes everything from condiments to your gallon of milk. You want the shelves, drawers, and doors to be free of any items to make it easier for you to clean them. Depending on how long you plan this organization project to take, you may want to place any foods or beverages you’re worried about spoiling in a cooler with ice.
• Check the expiration dates – Now is your chance to rid your fridge of that bottle of barbecue sauce you got as a gift but only used once. You need to free up some valuable real estate in your fridge. Do so by checking the expiration date on all your condiments and sauces and get rid of anything that is past its prime.
• Disinfect all shelves, drawers, and doors – When was the last time you gave your refrigerator a good wipe down? Now that the shelves are clear, use a cleaner and disinfecting spray to sanitize the interior of your refrigerator to reduce the chance of food-borne illnesses and bacteria growth. If you need a deeper clean, remove the drawers and soak them in the sink with soap and hot water.
• Reassemble the refrigerator – Once the inside of your fridge has been cleaned and sanitized, you need to reassemble as shelves or drawers that were removed. Consider adding a deodorizer that will help prevent unpleasant odors from cropping up.

Once you’ve taken these initial steps, it’s time to get down to organizing your refrigerator.

6 Tips for an Organized Refrigerator

Now that you have a clean slate to work with, it’s time to make a game plan to tackle your refrigerator organization. Here are six kitchen reorganization tips to help maintain a clutter-free fridge.

1) Use Clear Bins for Additional Storage

Most refrigerators have two or three drawers and the rest is shelf space. This can make it difficult to properly store items ? leaving you sifting through everything on the shelves to find the one thing you’re looking for. Instead of playing Where’s Waldo in your fridge, use removable plastic bins to help sort and organize your food. They also help prevent your refrigerator from getting dirty by containing any leaks or mess to the bin.

2) Increase Accessibility with a Lazy Susan

As you add more and more food or beverages to your refrigerator, everything seems to get jumbled on the shelves. This makes it increasingly difficult for you to find the one item you need to make dinner. Instead of losing items in your refrigerator and having them go to waste, add a lazy Susan to your shelf to help make sauces, condiments, and snacks more accessible and less likely to be forgotten.

3) Hang Baskets on the Walls or Shelves of Your Fridge

If you have a household with little ones running around, you probably have a lot of healthy snacks in your refrigerator like cheese sticks, apple sauce, or individual hummus cups. Instead of placing these smaller-sized treats on the shelves alongside larger grocery items, you can adhere little baskets to the walls or shelves of your fridge ? maximizing the storage space!

4) Sort Foods with Drawer Dividers

Although drawer dividers are more commonly used to organize clothes, they can also be used in the kitchen! Adding them to your refrigerator drawers makes it easy for you to keep your vegetables and produce in the same drawer without becoming too cluttered.

5) Avoid Letting Leftovers Go Bad

With an unorganized and cluttered kitchen, it can be easy to forget about your leftovers. Even if you remember that they’re in there waiting for you, you may not remember when you put them in there in the first place. Are they still alright to eat? To make the most of your leftovers, keep a pen and masking tape nearby the fridge so you can label any leftovers with the date. This makes it easy for you to determine if something will be a great lunch or needs to be tossed.

6) Clean Out Your Refrigerator Weekly

As you plan your meals for the week, you’re likely opening up your refrigerator and checking what ingredients you already have. During this process, take an extra few minutes to toss any foods or leftovers that are nearing their expiration date. Making this part of your weekly routine will save you time in the long run, helping you avoid needing to do a complete overhaul of your fridge every so often.

Refrigerator Organization Frequently Asked Questions

Will prepping produce help keep my fridge organized?

Many people say they reach for unhealthy snacks because of the time and prep work needed to get a healthy snack together. Instead, you can prep your produce as soon as you get home from the grocery store. If you buy berries, wash them and store them in a plastic organizer in your refrigerator for easy access. The same goes for melon, cucumbers, celery, and other produce. Neatly fill up the plastic bins within your newly organized refrigerator to make eating healthy a bit easier. This will also help save you space within the fridge by removing produce from any cartons you may have purchased them in.

What foods should not be stored in the refrigerator?

While a refrigerator is a great place to store most food, there are some foods that are fine to place in your pantry instead. If your fridge is a little cramped for space, consider leaving the following items from your grocery list out:

• Bananas, avocados, and any unripened fruit can be left out on your kitchen counter
• Oils, bread, potatoes, onions, and whole heads of garlic can be kept in your pantry
• Tomatoes, melons, and berries can be left at room temperature, but if they need to last for an extended period, keep them in the fridge

However, if you have space in your refrigerator, feel free to keep any of these foods in it.

How do I keep the shelves in my refrigerator clean?

Apart from a quick weekly clean of your fridge, you may want to consider adding liners to your shelves if you’re constantly dealing with spills or messes. If something leaks in your fridge, you can simply remove the plastic lining from the shelf, give it a rinse with soap and hot water, and return it back to the fridge.

How do I keep my fridge smelling fresh?

Along with using airtight containers to store any prepped foods and leftovers, you can add baking soda to your refrigerator. Because baking soda has odor-killing qualities that allow it to absorb unpleasant smells, it will help prevent your refrigerator from becoming smelly as food gets old. Make sure you’re using fresh baking soda and pour it into a bowl or cup. Place this cup within your refrigerator for a few hours so it can absorb the unpleasant odor. Upon removal of the baking soda, you should notice that it smells much fresher than before. Do this as often as needed. If the smell continues to linger, you may need to do a deep clean and disinfect the entire interior of your fridge.