Organize the Refrigerator

Cleaning and organizing the refrigerator is probably not at the top of your to do list. What happens in the refrigerator, stays in the refrigerator, right? But honestly, how many times have you bought things you completely forgot about until you find them molded? How many times do you have to move 10 things around to dig out that coffee creamer? And my favorite… how many times do you find your husband standing there, with both doors open, asking you where something is? So this may not solve that last one, but it’s time to organize the refrigerator once and for all!

Step 1- get inspired

Start off by taking a “before” pic. Who doesn’t like to see the progress you’ve made? Plus this is just a nice reminder of why you’re doing this in the first place. Then go get inspired. Check out Pinterest and try to find your dream refrigerator. But be realistic. Find pictures with similiar groceries that your refrigerator has. Containers of juice boxes and after school snacks are not helpful if you don’t have any kids at home.

Step 2- Empty it out

This is not my favorite part. Take EVERYTHING out and put it on your counter. Place everything in categories (pickles with pickles, dressings with dressings). Throw away anything that has expired! Get a cooler if taking everything out makes you uncomfortable.

Step 3- Clean it out

Once all the food is out, it’s time to clean! Use your favorite cleaning product and remove shelves and drawers as needed. I love my Lysol Kitchen spray, but warm water and soap will work just as well. Now DRY it out completely to avoid any mold.

Step 4- Design the layout

This can be a daunting step. First you need to take inventory of what food you normally have in your refrigerator. Then you need to measure the depth and height of shelves in your refrigerator (they are all a little bit different). Now you combine the two by deciding what kind of containers will work best for your food. If you aren’t overwhelmed enough, click on this infographic for guidelines on food safety. It really does matter what goes into the door versus the main compartment. This is also the time to decide if you need a section for leftovers or easy grab and go snacks.

Step 5- add your items into containers

This is the fun part! After you figure out what goes in the doors and the drawers, corral the rest into containers (of course by category). Don’t be afraid to add a lazy susan in the big compartment. This will avoid the digging for things in the back. You can use any containers you want, but I highly recommend see through containers. Unlike the pantry, the goal in the refrigerator is to SEE everything! I have also become a huge fan of the fresh keepers for fruit and vegetables.

Step 6- Label, Label

Labeling is the answer to keeping your system in place. Now everyone in the family knows where things go. Making grocery lists becomes easier, because you finally can see what you have! Just like containers, there are a million choices of labels out there but here is a link to some of my favorite.

Step 7- Admire your work!

This is no easy task, so if you make it to step 7, give yourself a pat on the back! With the bins and labels in place, this really should be a system that sticks! I would love to hear your success stories and see pictures!

For more organizing ideas check out my other blogs!

Organize the refrigerator