There’s something special about a well-organized fridge. That feeling of confidence when you open the door that a soda can isn’t going to fall out and spray your kitchen and you is unmatched. How about those times you meander to the fridge for a snack and, seconds later, close the door with your hands empty — unsatisfying right? Then to go shopping the next day to later find out you had your favorite snack crammed in the back of the fridge the whole time- we have all been there.
Let’s put an end to mid-grocery calls to question if you already have bell peppers or not. In our guide on how to organize fridge bins, drawers, and containers, we’ll get to the bottom of the best ways to optimize your space and keep every yogurt cup and berry fresh.
Ideas for Organizing Your Fridge
When your fridge isn’t organized, your money slips out the door. When you’re searching for celery for your bolognaise sauce, your fridge door is being left open for longer than it needs to be. This results in wasted energy, which means you’ll end up paying more each month for bills. On top of your energy bills increasing, you’ll spend money on groceries that you don’t actually need. If cans are lost in the corners of your fridge, you’ll end up with more than you need resulting in spoiled foods later on.
So, let’s learn how to organize fridge drawers, foods, and produce below.
Fruits and Veggies: Near the Front
Crisp apples and juicy grapes make for a well-balanced snack. But if they’re dried up and old, hanging out in the back of your fridge, you’ll never enjoy them. Bring your fruits and vegetables to the front of your refrigerator. Organize your produce in one section of your fridge, so you always know where to grab a tomato when in a rush to prep dinner. You won’t question which fruits and veggies you have stocked by bringing them to the front.
Other refrigeration organization ideas for fruits and veggies are putting them in your fridge door. Instead of stacking your condiments in the door, place them in a lower bin and replace them with your fruits. By doing this, your produce will be on display, and you won’t forget about those tasty berries you just bought.
Leftovers: Middle Ground
We keep leftovers with the intention of eating them later on. But when they’re hidden underneath boxes of sodas, they quickly become old. Organize your fridge so that your leftovers are on the middle shelf. Since they’re typically stored in Tupperware containers, they’re flatter and easier to stack. And since the idea is to eat your leftovers throughout the week, the middle shelf is the easiest way to remember your white chicken chili.
Meat: On the Bottom
Steaks, seafood, and chicken all need to be stored and kept separate from other groceries. You can either invest in reusable or Ziplock bags to keep meat fresh. We suggest separating out chicken breasts so that they don’t become dried out over time. To organize your meats, we suggest placing them on your bottom shelf or in a separate drawer. Because juice can seep through cracks in the bags, you won’t want your meats above other produce.
Condiments: In the Drawers
Most people place their condiments in the door compartments. But we’re going to suggest you organize them in one of your lower drawers. On a daily basis, you won’t be searching for the perfect condiment to go with lunch. People typically know if they want ketchup or hot sauce before looking for it. Also, herbs and dressings have a longer shelf-life, so there’s no need to keep them directly in your line of sight.
Drinks: Up Top
Since drinks, like sodas, are in cans, there isn’t too much to worry about when it comes to cross-contamination. For an idea on how to organize fridge drinks, we suggest placing them on the lower or middle shelf. We’ll suggest how to organize your canned beverages below but keeping them within easy reach is ideal.
More Fridge Organization Ideas
If your fridge is already organized by foods and you still find yourself rummaging through drawers and shelves to find what you’re looking for, try out these organization tips below.
Once you have a system for where your bins need to go, implement labeling. You don’t need to be a Type-A person to take advantage of this strategy. And you don’t need to switch out the labels every time you go grocery shopping. Simply label a bin for ‘Fruits’ or ‘Snacks for Kids’, and you’re set to go.
Of course, you can take this as far as you want to. Feel free to color-code your bins, or maybe you do weekly meal plans. Easily mark which container goes with which day with labels. Another fun organization idea for your fridge is separating your labeled bins by family member names. Keep your daily lunches in your container to quickly grab on your way to work and do the same for your kids.
Bins and Storage
Repeat after me: Bins are your friends. When it comes to fridge organization ideas, having clear and different-sized containers will save you time looking behind cartons of eggs. Group “like” things with “like” things. What we mean is use one bin for fruits and another for vegetables, then separate out yogurts from cheese. Depending on how big your fridge is will depend on how much flexibility you have with incorporating bins. But there is always a way to optimize space with specialized containers!
Throw Boxes Away
If you just bought a 12-pack of LaCroix or your kids love their juice, don’t keep them in their bulky cardboard boxes. Throw them away! Packages take up a lot of valuable space and serve you in no way. Use carafes and Tupperware to contain your items. If you’re worried about your cans slipping and sliding all over your fridge, then our next organization tip is for you.
Soda Can Organizers
Popular marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart distribute containers that store and organize your various cans. By lying them sideways and on top of each other, you’ll have more space for delicious leftovers. If you aren’t keen on using stackable can storage, you can still place your drinks in a bin to access easily.
Reusable Bags
Reusable bags aren’t just healthy for the environment; they also help your storage space. For example, large trays of chicken and steak can take up a lot of room in a fridge, and you probably aren’t stacking other foods on top of them (and if you are, we suggest you don’t). So, instead of losing precious space, reorganize your meat into reusable bags. By doing this, you can ensure they stay fresh for longer, and you can stack them upright or next to each other, which in turn takes up less room.
Organizing by Fridge Type
Whether your fridge features elegant French doors or has a spacious side-by-side design, there are optimal ways to coordinate each type.
Side by Side Refrigerator Ideas
A side by side refrigerator has enough space for you to organize your food into multiple different sections.
- Top Shelf: Utilize the top shelf for milk, creams, and soda drinks. Instead of spreading these items throughout each shelf, bring them to one level. Most will place these items in the door bins, but we’ll save those for later.
- Middle Shelves: The middle shelves can be used for leftovers, yogurts, and dips like salsa or hummus. Since sauces and dips are usually taller in size, you can adjust the level of your shelves to match the heights of your items. The middle shelves are perfect for leftovers since they’ll be at eye level.
- Bottom Shelf and Bottom Drawers: The bottom shelf should be kept open for meat and canned food. Occasionally, meat will drip or leak juice, and you don’t want that to seep onto other foods. Also, if something does spill, it’s easier to clean up one shelf than all of them. If you like to refrigerate cans of tomatoes or beans, they’re safe next to your raw meat because they’re enclosed.
The bottom bins are a great place to store condiments and other items that aren’t used as frequently. Or, if you enjoy a deli sandwich, most crisper drawers come with a feature to keep deli meat fresher for longer.
- Door Bins: We like to keep the door bins for fresh fruits and vegetables and the occasional condiments. If you can store your produce in the door bins, you will see them more frequently and don’t run the risk of these items spoiling because they’ve been forgotten.
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How to Organize Your French Door Fridge
French door refrigerators give you a lot of space to spread out your food, but with a lot of space, you can easily forget where you put what.
Purge Your Fridge
Once a month, we suggest you clean out your fridge. With French door refrigerators, like we said, it can be very easy to lose a pepper in the back and not know where that funky smell is coming from. A bi-weekly or monthly purge will ensure you don’t leave those hidden fruits in the back for too long.
Adjust Your Shelving
Before stocking your fridge, adjust your shelves accordingly. If you want canned drinks and milk to fit up top, easily shift your shelves down. Spend some time playing with your fridge space to make sure you’re optimizing every inch.
Designate Regions
Another French door refrigeration organization tip is to create zones for your foods. For example, make the left side of your fridge only for fresh foods, while the right side is protected for boxed lunches or leftovers. Or you can have the top of your refrigerator the canned zone and the bottom for ready-to-eat snacks. Whatever your process is, creating designated zones for different types of food will make searching through your fridge easier.
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Other Refrigerator Types
Top freezer fridges and Bottom freezer refrigerators have similar spacing but opposite designs. When you’re learning how to organize refrigerator space, the main idea is to create a system that you can consistently stick to. If creating labels isn’t something that makes your lifestyle easier, but creates more frustration, nix it. Or if you love to have specific spots for every item, do that!
There are no hard and fast rules for organizing your fridge space. As long as it works for you, you’re cutting down on time spent searching through your fridge, and fewer grocery items are spoiling, then you’re on the right path.
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