While having a neat, well-organized fridge can be a feast for the eyes, it’s practical advantages save you time, money, and energy. What are some refrigerator organization tips that are easy to implement? Using clear, labeled bins on each shelf enables you to locate foods quickly and easily. Try these 10 tips to organize refrigerator doors, drawers, and shelves, bringing some order to daily life as well as your fridge.
Refrigerator Organization Tips That Make Life Easier
An organized fridge saves time and money by enabling you to see every item, avoiding costly food waste. It also ensures greater accessibility, saving time and energy that’s otherwise spent searching with the refrigerator constantly running. Here’s how to use our favorite refrigerator organization tips, making the most of its storage space and your time in the kitchen.
Organize Refrigerator Doors
Since the doors are the warmest part of the refrigerator, the best practices for refrigerated foods designate them for less-perishable items. Condiments, juices, sauces, and dressings are best stored on door shelves.
These refrigerator organization hacks make the best use of refrigerator door shelves:
- Group like items together: Door shelves can hold multiple small containers, making them a catchall for every bottle, jar or can. Designate one door shelf for condiments, another for dressings or juices and so on. Keeping multiple items of the same type together makes them easier to find when needed.
- Store condiments in egg cartons: Condiment containers have a way of tipping over or getting stuck on door shelves. To keep each secure in its own space, place a halved egg carton on a door shelf and place a condiment in each section.
- Designate a lower shelf for kids drinks and snacks: Keeping small juice boxes, containers and pouches on a low shelf enables little ones to reach them with ease, preventing spills.
Designate and Divide Drawers
While refrigerator drawers are meant to house specific items at optimum temperatures, produce can still get lost in these cavernous spaces. Most refrigerator organization tips suggest designating each drawer for a specific type of food and dividing each into sections. The improved visibility cuts down on food waste and makes better use of the large space.
Here’s how to organize your refrigerator drawers:
- Separate drawers with dividers: Inexpensive plastic dividers are adjustable, enabling you to separate and store similar items together in the same place. As meats are best stored in the deli drawer at the bottom of the fridge, dividers also halep guard against leaks and cross contamination.
- Use drawer liners: Liners keep the drawer’s interior clean and mold-free. A liner specially made for this purpose or a simple paper towel do the trick equally well.
- Adjust humidity controls properly: Many fruits emit ethylene gas as they ripen, which can hasten rotting in other foods. Keep one drawer on a high humidity setting to keep leafy greens fresh and separate. Set a second drawer on a less humid setting to allow ethylene gas from fruits to vent.
Bring Order to Refrigerator Shelves
The shelves encompass the largest area in the refrigerator and there are a plethora of easy refrigerator organization ideas to best utilize them. Reserve the upper shelves for leftovers, eggs, and packaged dairy, as these items aren’t prone to leaking on shelves below. Designating the lower shelves for packaged raw meats, drinks, and ready-to-use ingredients will offer easy access and prevent leaking on other foods.
Try these refrigerator organization tips to bring order to shelving:
- Find smaller items easily with a lazy susan: This handy organizer holds open jars, condiments and small containers and spins with ease so they can be easily found.
- Utilize wall space with hanging baskets: Most of these small plastic baskets are suction cup-mounted so they can be easily placed and removed. They’re ideal for storing kids snacks and individual packages that can otherwise get lost on shelves.
- Use labeled bins: Storing ingredients and popular items in clear, plastic stackable bins makes them more visible and easily accessible. Be sure to label each bin and group items accordingly. Using covered bins enable you to stack others on top of them, doubling your storage space in between shelves.
- Try soda can organizers: These plastic bins maximize space by storing 8-10 beverage cans horizontally. When one is removed, another slides to the front for easy accessibility.
Even the most well-organized fridge can fall victim to malfunctions that require repair. When you need a professional assessment, call Capital City Appliance Service for the very best refrigerator repair Columbus!
