Your refrigerator is a vital part of your home. However, if you are like many others, you probably need to clean your refrigerator. This is because if you don’t exercise care, it can become a home for old leftovers, expired spices and condiments, etc. All of these make it essential to organize your fridge.
When you need an item in a hurry, you don’t want to waste time searching for it. You want to head to your fridge with ease and find the right one fast. To keep things organized, a great option is to have a spot for everything.
Nonetheless, you still want to clean and organize your fridge about four times each year. And even though refrigerators are different, there are numerous universal tips that can help you keep them organized. We will be looking into some of the best options to help you do this below.
Things to Do Before You Begin
Before you start to organize your refrigerator, the first step is to clean it thoroughly. A clean fridge means a lower possibility of getting any form of illnesses and contamination from bad food items.
To do this follow the steps below:
Completely Empty the Fridge: Get out all the items in the fridge, so you have enough space to clean the dirt. Start by taking out the perishables and storing them in a cooler. Then clear out all other non-perishable items before moving on to the next step.
Clean All Surfaces: Use some disinfecting spray along with a towel or wipes to wipe all the surfaces on your refrigerator. Ensure you clean all the compartments in the fridge. Remove the drawers, soak them in some soapy hot water and wipe them down before placing them in once more.
When you are through with these, you can then begin organizing your fridge
Organizing your Fridge
Once you are through sanitizing and wiping your refrigerator, you can then begin organizing using the following tips:
Label foods that are about to expire
The upper part of your fridge is the highest point. This makes it easy to forget food items there even till they expire. To prevent this, try to label food items that are close to expiration, so you remember to eat them first. If you are not confident whether an item is still good, its best to chuck it.
Utilize a Lazy Susan
Another area where you can forget meals is the back of your fridge. This is because they are harder to reach, and you may not even remember they are there. Instead, try to place meals in areas that you can easily access. One of the best ways is to use a Lazy Susan. This item usually works for spice cabinets, but they can work on your fridge too. Place items like snacks, open jars, and other condiments on the lazy Susan and spin as you want to get any item.
Group Similar Items
Categorize similar items together using clear baskets. This will make certain that you can easily access them when you want. These baskets could consist of things like sandwich fixings, leftovers, sauces, etc.
Store Snacks using File Organizers
Using file boxes is a great way to store various kinds of snacks. With these boxes, you can store anything from pouch drinks, down to yogurts, and chopped vegetables. You can also label them to ease the organization.
Hang Bagged Items Using Curtain Ring Clips
A lot of refrigerates have bars or wire shelves at the corner of their shelves. If you have any back items, you can hang them from these corners of your shelves. Get some curtain ring clips, and hang your bags as required.
Use Drawer Dividers
Normally, drawer dividers function for clothing drawers, but you can use them for your fridge too. Buy the type you can adjust and organize it how you want. Ideally, you want to put all similar items together. For instance, things like onions, ginger, and garlic should be in one part, and others like snap peas and carrots in another.
Arrange Paper Towels at The Bottom
Your fridge drawers can be one of the most frustrating locations to clean. To ensure they remain clean for a longer time, place some paper towels on the lower part of the drawers. Then, load them with veggies and fruits. The paper towel will help collect bits of items that tend to fall off with time like onion peels. To make cleaning easy, make certain you replace the paper towels frequently.
Designate All Door Sections and Label them
Try to keep similar items in each door divider. Then, label the external part of the divider using a magnet or sticker. Some similar items include mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise, or sauces like soy sauce, hot sauce, and so on.
Store Condiments using an Egg Carton
Get an egg carton and place them at the bottom of any area where you store condiments in bottles. You can store items like bottled ketchup, mayo, mustard, or dressing upside down in the egg cartons. Doing this will ensure they stay organized and minimize waste because the liquid in the bottle will be close to the opening. This means you no longer have to tap or shake condiments when you want to use it.
Place Kids Drinks in A Lower Door Shelf
Kids can easily make a mess of your refrigerator when they want to get an item. To correct this, try to create an easy to access kid zone on the bottom shelf. Fill the bottom shelf with snacks and drinks for your kids. Teach them to grab a drink whenever they want and ensure it is full at all times.
Conclusion
As you can see, keeping your refrigerator organized does not have to be a difficult task. If you can learn to do this, cooking will become easier and faster. All you need to do is follow the tips above, sit back and relax as things fall into place.