7 minute read |
Home organization tips and tricks are everywhere these days, from the pantry to the playroom, but what about organizing your fridge? When everything is neatly organized, it’s far easier to see what you have on hand and what you need to pick up on the next trip to the grocery store. On top of that, good fridge organization can help you cut down on household food waste!
So, let’s talk about how to organize your fridge properly and how to store produce properly. Read on for five fridge organization ideas that will help you transform your refrigerator setup, reduce food waste, and put a smile on your face whenever you open those doors.
The first step towards stellar refrigerator organization is to take everything out of your fridge. It might be tempting to skip this step, but we promise it’ll make a world of difference.
Be sure to empty everything from your crisper drawers to the shelves on the inside of your fridge doors. This is also a great opportunity to toss expired condiments and other items.
Once you’ve emptied your fridge, wipe it down thoroughly. We recommend using a kitchen cleaner and a microfiber cloth to reduce paper towel usage.
Cleaning any food spills and removing debris from your fridge will give you the perfect clean slate to restock and organize all your foods that go in the fridge.
Is your fridge clean but a little smelly? We’ll take care of that, too.
Odors from food and produce can sometimes linger and affect the rest of the items in your fridge. A refrigerator air filter works even better than baking soda to capture and keep odors away, keeping your fridge and freezer smelling fresh.
Next up on our guide on how to organize your refrigerator: know which fridge shelves you should store your food on.
According to a recent article on The National News, the average per capita food waste in the UAE is 2.7 kilos per day. You can cut down on waste in your own household by understanding how and where certain foods should be kept.
Keeping your refrigerator organized will also help you reduce waste—when you can see what you have on hand, you’ll be more likely to use it and less likely to accidentally purchase extra while shopping.
Here is a quick explanation for what should go where in your fridge:
You might think of your fridge as one area that keeps everything equally cold. However, if you have a large family who frequently opens the refrigerator and interacts more with certain shelves, your fridge can have slight variances in temperature that can affect how well food keeps. This is why proper fridge organization is particularly important.
The top shelf of your fridge can be warmer than the lower shelves because they’re interacted with more often, for example, so this is a good spot to store:
Bottom shelves are go-to storage spot for raw foods and other perishable products that need to be kept quite cold. Uncooked meat and fish, along with dairy products like milk and yogurt, will keep the best down here.
Crisper drawers work by blocking out dry air while still removing excess moisture, creating the perfect level of humidity needed to preserve your produce. Citrus fruits, apples, broccoli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, cucumbers, and peppers are just a few examples of produce that will do best when kept in a crisper drawer.
The fridge door is typically the warmest area of a refrigerator if you’re in a larger household that tends to frequently open and close your fridge. Because of this, you’ll want to avoid storing perishable foods like dairy products here.
When it comes to refrigerator organization, the fridge door is best used for items with long shelf lives, such as condiments, pickles, salad dressings, syrups, and drinks.
Here’s a simple refrigerator organization idea for you: fridge containers! These versatile storage tools are a great way to keep specialty foods neatly stored and visible. Whether it’s a simple bin, an extra shelf, or something that spins, you’ll love how handy an extra container can be.
Simple refrigerator organizer bins are amazing for corralling and storing small snacks that tend to clutter up a fridge. Try one bin, and you’ll be hooked once you’ve seen how easy it is to organize juice boxes, cheese sticks, condiment packets, and more.
Loose cans are even worse offenders when it comes to refrigerator organization. Keep all your favorite sodas and sparkling waters stocked and easy to access with a can dispenser.
Another plus: this kind of container will help you avoid that “oh no!” moment when a runaway can rolls out and hits the floor.
Whether you like them scrambled, fried, or over easy, eggs are a fridge staple. That unsightly, unwieldy carton? Not so much. Keep your weekly dozen organized and within easy reach with an egg container instead.
A rotating tray makes it so much easier to get at the food items in the back of your fridge. No more shuffling things around to reach those leftovers or condiments!
Depending on the size of your household, you may need a larger or smaller fridge to achieve the perfect combination of storage space and energy usage. Larger households, for example, will benefit the most from big refrigerators of over 500L. These spacious styles enable you to store plenty of food while also keeping it organized and easy to peruse.
If you are looking for a new fridge for your kitchen, check out some of our most energy-efficient big size fridges below:
If these fridge organization ideas weren’t enough, we’ve got some additional tips for you to try that can keep your food storage and larger kitchen area clean and easy to browse. And when your friends ask how you did it, you’ll know exactly what to tell them.
Whether it’s a mental tally or a physical label, create an organization system so you know exactly where every type of food item goes.
Everything from flour to tonight’s leftovers should have a designated spot. This will help you and any others who use your kitchen know where to replace things after they’ve used them.
In addition to keeping your kitchen and fridge organized, a labeling system will help you cut down on food waste since you’ll know where everything is and be better prepared to use it before it goes bad.
Now that you know how to organize your fridge properly, let’s free up room elsewhere. Create some extra storage space for spices and other small bottles by hanging a rack on the back of the pantry door.
You can also do the same with smaller racks on the inside of cabinets and large drawers. Is it us, or did your kitchen just get bigger?
One last kitchen and fridge organization tip from us: set aside some time to declutter every few months. Anything that’s expired? It’s got to go. Anything you’ve run out of? Add it to the grocery list.
Following our tips, you’ll be shocked at how manageable this makes your food storage situation. Happy organizing!