Organizing your refrigerator feels a lot like organizing your closet—if you can’t see it, you won’t know it’s there! I”ve made it my mission to conquer organizing parts of my house that have been lacking and get a head start on my spring cleaning.
Sharing all the things I learned and the tips that helped me along the way!
Read on to see my top tips for getting a clean, organized fridge on any budget.
1. Realize that every fridge has temperature differences, and that items you want to stay coldest (such as milk and other drinks) should be kept at the back of the fridge, never on the door.
2. Speaking of temperatures, sometimes an over-packed fridge can create hot spots when items are too crowded together. So spread things out to allow for good air circulation and prevent spoilage. Make sure to throw out old and expired food + and combine doubles (as long as they’re around the same expiration date!). If you run out of space, don’t be afraid to leave out items that don’t need cooled, like tomatoes, potatoes, etc.
3. Placement is key for your food, thanks to that handy thing called Gravity. Think about it…. So unless you want juices from your meat packages to drip down onto other items, it’s best to place meat on the bottom, or better yet, in a drawer.
4. When it comes to drink cans like soda, get a handy can dispenser, which keeps them from rolling around your fridge and makes it easy to grab one, then roll the others forward.
5. If you have a counter-depth fridge and find that it’s hard to see what’s toward the back, you can easily use a Lazy Susan to rotate things like drinks, snacks and more! So clever!
6. Those who like to meal prep might think it’s a good idea to chop everything up in advance—but you shouldn’t! Items left “whole” stay fresher longer than items that are cut up.If you do opt to meal prep for the week, make sure you use sealed containers and keep them all in one part of your fridge for convenience.
7. I organize most items by category in clear containers, so you can easily see what’s there.
8. In addition to clear containers, take advantage of adhesive labels, especially to date leftovers and pre-made food so you won’t have to question just how old something is.
9. If you’re a wine drinker, sometimes those tall bottles can be a burden to chill, but you can lay them flat with a handy wine bottle rack that helps organize and prevents wine from rolling around. Things always feel more organized when there is a dedicated space to put everything.
10. Sometimes even the cleanest, most organized refrigerator gets a bit of funky smell from time to time. I love using a small box of activated carbon or baking soda to deodorize my fridge and help it to remain fresh.
shop my go-to fridge organizers
I hope these tips help you get organized for the New Year and prepped to spring clean and organize your home!
xo,
Bee
