When was the last time you cleaned out and organized your fridge? Ok then, how about your freezer? Answer honestly. Learning how to organize your fridge might be a task you’d rather ignore and move to the bottom of your to-do list.
As much as you may like to keep a clean, tidy, and organized home, there are some spaces that tend to be forgotten.
The fridge is one of those places.
It’s likely that the fridge just doesn’t make it into your weekly cleaning or organizing routine. That’s okay – you’re not alone.
Chances are, you’ve needed to deep clean this appliance every once in a while and were put off by the amount of filth that’s gathered.
Out of sight, out of mind, right?
It makes you wonder whether the fridge is a place to store your food or if it’s the place where food morphs into an unrecognizable blob, in an indistinguishable color, only to be forgotten. It’s amazing how many things can get lost in a relatively small space.
Luckily, organizing your fridge is not the chilling task and mess your moms faced, thanks to modern-day efficiency.
In a New York minute, this quick and simple guide will show you how to organize your fridge. Discover how to maintain a clean and organized fridge that keeps your food fresh, as it’s supposed to.
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5 Easy Steps to Clean Your Fridge
The first step to fridge organization is to clean it out. As you know, you can’t organize a space without throwing out the unwanted clutter. Share on X
The same goes for your refrigerator.
So, here are 5 easy steps to follow to clean out your fridge in under an hour.
- Remove all the food – you’ll need to plan ahead for this step and have a cool bag with frozen cooler blocks ready. Store food that needs to remain cold, such as dairy and meat, in this bag while you clean. Throw out anything that has expired.
- Wash the drawers and surfaces – remove the fruit and vegetable drawers as well as all the shelves, so that you can wash them. Wash them in warm water with dishwashing liquid and use a toothpick to remove food particles out of the crevices.
- Wipe the interior – while the drawers and shelves are drying naturally, wipe down the interior of the fridge. Use cold water for this and make sure to focus on the grooves on the side. You can also use a q-tip to clean out smaller spaces.
- Clean the outside – don’t forget to spend some time cleaning the outside of the fridge while you’re busy. Grime tends to build up around the handle and door edges, so wipe these down as well.
- Replace everything – replace the shelves and drawers and then close the fridge door to allow it to cool down. Once the temperature falls to 40°F or below you can replace all the food.
How to Organize Your Fridge with Containers & Labels
Once you’ve cleaned and repacked your fridge, you’ll want it to stay that way for a while. What’s a while in your home? More than 3 days?
To keep things clean and organized longer, you need to know how to organize your fridge the easy way. And for that, you need containers, organizers, and markers purchased ahead of time.
Use clear glass or plastic containers or bins that are clearly labeled to keep order in your fridge. This will make it easier to store like items together and create specific zones for certain food types.
Use a chalk marker, dry erase marker, or freezer marker instead of label stickers, which tend to peel off if they get wet and can become stained with food. These markers write well on plastic or glass and can easily be wiped off with water.
A Lazy Susan is ideal for storing jars of food (and condiments) that tend to get lost in the back of the refrigerator. As the caddy spins, everything is easier to see.
Organizers and labels are an essential part of keeping your fridge clean and organized for longer.
10 Refrigerator/Freezer Hacks
- Go through the refrigerator at least every two weeks. Wipe shelves and toss what you don’t need (an old jar of sauce, the leftover ingredient for a recipe you tried long ago). This way, not only will you find what you’re looking for, but you’ll notice when you’re running low on something.
- Arrange foods by category.
- Keep condiments on the door.
- Keep leftovers in one section (date the items as you put them in) to ensure that you find them and use them before they become a curious mixture of mishmash.
- Store leftovers in airtight containers to increase shelf life.
- Keep fruits and vegetables in their own section or in the separate crisper drawers at the bottom of the fridge.
- Keep eggs in the original carton to maintain freshness.
- Store foods that are perishable and susceptible to growing bacteria such as meat, milk, dairy, eggs on the coldest shelf; which is generally in the back of the fridge.
- Organize the freezer in categories as well. You can separate by serving size (single serving, family meals, etc.) as well as by content such as soups and side dishes.
- Keep a list of what you have stored in the freezer. This will shorten your shopping trips if you know what you have and it will expand your meals if you know what extras you’ve frozen. Don’t forget to date and label.
3 Quick Start Meal Suggestions
Streamline your cooking and time in the kitchen:
- Develop 5 meals you can fix in less than 30 minutes. Then stock your fridge and cabinets with those ingredients so that you always have them on hand. One workingmotherof three limits her weekday cooking to no more than three ingredients recipes.
- Dovetail tasks. If you’re making vegetables as a side dish on Monday, cut up extra for Tuesday’s stir-fry.
- Cook two (or more) meals at one time. On Sunday evening, fix a roast or a big turkey breast that you can use as the main ingredient for meals for the rest of the week.
Summary
Are your fridge and freezer a chaotic mess, even after your intimate 2020 Thanksgiving feast? Then follow these quick tips on how to organize your fridge in a NEW York Minute.
Go through your fridge twice a month. Wipe down the shelves and toss what’s expired.
Use organizers, containers, and make sure to label them as well. I’ve never met a Lazy Susan I didn’t like. It works wonders in the fridge.
Sort and group food by use and category and place them in the labeled containers, bins, or Lazy Susan.
Streamline your cooking and create meals that are easy and stretch.
Are you motivated to clean and organize your fridge this week?
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