When we have organized spaces in our homes, we feel good about other aspects of our lives! We can forget about clutter and focus on other things that matter. Today, I’ll be talking about how to organize your refrigerator. A refrigerator is something almost everyone has in their home, it gets opened everyday, multiple times a day. Let’s take care of the sauces that work hard for us and feel good when we open the door!
I try to keep up with cleaning out and organizing our fridge every time I do a large grocery haul. It seems in only few days time, our fridge can start to pile up with leftovers and take out boxes and things start getting shoved in places we will never see. If you keep up with this task every few weeks, you won’t feel that the task is that daunting. This is our refrigerator in a disorganized state and it was driving me crazy!
When this happens, I have a simple method that takes about 10 minutes to complete.
- Remove all items from the shelves.
- Evaluate and throw out any old or expired items, take out boxes, etc.
- Wipe down the shelves and surfaces.
- Return items to the refrigerator in an organized way (see below).
For me, organization is all about containment. For whatever reason, when items feel contained, it means they have a place and that makes me happy! I like to use clear, acrylic organization bins so we can easily have items contained, but we can clearly see what we have.
All refrigerators are different sizes and configurations. We have a side by side fridge, so the bins work for us, might not be what works for you, but the concept is still the same. Clear bins are a one-time, inexpensive purchase that will help you feel like an organizing master!
Our kids are older so they can reach all shelves in our refrigerator, but if you have smaller children, but sure to place the snacks they choose at their level! We like to use a lazy susan on our top shelf to store items like syrup, applesauce, sour cream, yogurt, etc.
I like to keep (2) acrylic egg holders in our fridge so we always have enough room to store these. Eggs looks so much better in these holders versus the containers they come in at the store! I’m a visual person, so this pleases my eye!
When you learn how to organize your refrigerator on a consistent basis, you can also take inventory of the food you are buying (and also wasting). It’s always a good reminder to me to see what is being wasted so I don’t “overbuy” on the next grocery trip!
I have also found that when fruit and vegetables are washed and stored in a presentable way, they are more likely to get eaten! Wouldn’t you rather eat fruit out of this drawer than a drawer full of plastic containers and bags?! These storage containers are so awesome! We have three of the small size, and one of the larger size.
I hope this helps motivate you to organize your refrigerator on a consistent basis! Once you have the organizational tools and containers, you will want to keep your fridge looking accessible! And the best part is, you will realize it just doesn’t take that long! XO