Nobody likes a messy refrigerator. And good fridge organization can save a lot of time when you need to grab something specific.
But deciding where to start can be daunting. And while fridge organization doesn’t have to be difficult, the longer you wait to get started, the more overcrowded and disorganized your fridge may become.
So, here are some of our favorite fridge organization tips.
An Organized Fridge Starts With a Clean Fridge
Before you begin organizing the contents of your fridge, it’s important to clean it first. This means going through the refrigerator and discarding anything expired or that you know you won’t use. When you’re done, your fridge should look emptier than before you started.
This is also the perfect time to wipe down shelves and drawers, too. Cleaning first will make the fridge organization process much easier and feel less overwhelming.
Set Your Shelf Heights Based on Your Needs
You can remove the shelves from most fridges and adjust their heights, too. To maximize the usable space in your fridge, arrange your shelves so the items you have actually fit.
For example, if you have several 2-liter and gallon drink containers, make sure that you have enough shelf space with sufficient height for these. You’ll be amazed at just how much the right shelf configuration helps with fridge organization.
Use Your Vegetable Crisper & Other Drawers
Fridges have vegetable crisper drawers for a reason; they keep your vegetables fresh for longer. Still, many people haphazardly put their vegetables in any empty fridge space they can find. If this is you, a key fridge organization step is to move your vegetables to the vegetable crisper. Not only will this keep vegetables fresh, but you’ll also be clearing valuable shelf space.
Many fridges also have additional drawers, with two above the vegetable crisper being common. If you have these drawers, you can designate one as your meat drawer, if you eat meat.
You may also have a variety of cheeses in your fridge. And whether sliced or shredded, a drawer is a perfect place to keep your cheese.
Keep Older & Most Frequently Used Items in Front
First In, First Out (FIFO) is a familiar concept to anyone who has worked in the food service industry. This strategy means you put the oldest food in the front, and the newest food in the back. This will help you cut back on waste by ensuring you’re eating the oldest food first.
In addition to your oldest items, it’s useful for fridge organization if you keep the foods you use most often toward the front as well. This will reduce time digging around for your favorite jar of dill pickles by keeping it within immediate sight and reach.
As an added bonus, keeping the food you use most often in the front of the fridge reduces how much you have to shift items around to reach the back of the fridge, which will help keep your organization in place.
Use a Can Organizer for Your Beverage Cans
Soda and beer cans are common items found in fridges. But these 12-ounce cans can take up a lot of space. Plus, if you have different types of canned beverages you may want to avoid mixing them for good fridge organization.
You can solve this with iDesign Fridge Binz Soda Holder. These can dispensers keep your cans together and easy to access when you need to quench your thirst. The holder is flat on top, which means you can easily stack other items on top. And if you have multiple types of cans, such as soda and beer, use multiple dispensers to keep them separate and organized.
Ditch the Inconvenient Egg Cartons
If you use a lot of eggs, it’s not uncommon to end up with two or even three different cartons of eggs in the fridge. Because you can’t see inside egg cartons without opening them, you may find yourself at the grocery store not knowing if you have 10 eggs or just two at home, so you buy more and the cartons pile up.
You can greatly improve your fridge organization by putting your eggs in the iDesign Crisp Egg Bin. The bins can hold 18 eggs and, because they’re clear, you’ll know exactly how many eggs you have on hand each time you open the fridge. Furthermore, you can stack additional items on top of your Egg Bin, which is not something you want to do with standard cardboard or styrofoam egg cartons.
Fridge Organization Works if You Focus on Your Most Common Items
Whether you’re a cheese aficionado, a constant canned beverage drinker, or you go through a lot of eggs, the main consideration with any fridge organization project is to make decisions based on the items you keep most frequently.
Grouping like items together and putting them in designated drawers is key, as is appropriate shelf height. Using plastic bins for foods that are in non-durable containers or that are oddly shaped can also help keep your fridge straightened and organized.
