Healthy eating is a huge priority for me. Years ago, I made a promise to myself to keep nutritious options at my fingertips and to limit the amount of meals that I order out. How do you take a goal of consistently eating healthy and turn it into a lifestyle? Benjamin Franklin once said that “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Heeding this advice, I make the time to grocery shop and prepare my food/fridge (almost) every week. This sets me up for success, as my fridge is most often stocked up with fresh fruits and vegetables, prepped meals and nutritious snack options.

Aside from eating healthy, nutritious meals, an organized refrigerator is a godsend for every household. Perhaps your goal is to combat the frequency of the “What are we having for dinner?” question or the “There’s nothing to eat!” exclamation from your kids or your significant other. Or maybe you share this sacred space with others, and you need some advice on how to maximize your territory, so that all of your weekly groceries can harmonize alongside your roommates’.

Whatever your end goal is with organizing your refrigerator like a pro, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s break it down…

The first step to revamping your fridge is simple, and although it may seem daunting, you should start by taking everything out. You can use a large counter space or a dining room table (you might want to lay down a sheet, some towels, or a drop cloth in order to absorb any moisture from condensation). As you remove the contents, group them into categories: fruits, veggies, breads and tortillas, meats, cheeses, condiments, drinks, etc. This is setting you up to create “zones” when you start organizing these items back into their home. Start with just your fridge and then repeat the entire process with your freezer (we like to do fridge and freezer separately so that freezer items don’t defrost during the organization time).

fridge organization clean — Step 2: Clean & Purge.

If you’re not going to eat it, it’s gotta go.

Make sure you check all the expiration dates and toss anything that is expired or has gone bad. Wipe down any jars or containers that may feel sticky. Next, clean those shelves and drawers! Grab some all-purpose spray and really get in there, let’s take advantage of that totally empty space, while we can.

kitchen fridge organization — Step 3: Take Inventory.

Wait, we have four bottles of ketchup?!

While you have all of your cold food visible and categorized, I would recommend doing an inventory check. Did you notice that you had to toss full jars of condiments because they expired before you were able to consume them? Are there multiples of the same item because you accidentally purchased 2 or 3? Understanding your habits and maintaining a mental (or physical) inventory of what you have on hand can help you avoid wasting food in the future. It also saves space when you can avoid buying duplicates because one got lost in the back of the fridge or because it’s so packed that you simply can’t see what you already have. Personally, I take inventory and check for expired foods every time I restock my fridge. I would recommend this habit for maintaining fridge organization long term. After a few times, it becomes second nature!

Now for the fun part! It’s time to start putting your food back into the fridge. First, you will need to create zones for the categories that you sorted out earlier. Let’s talk about some zone strategies.

Consider shelf heights within the space, how tall you are, who you live with, if you have kids and what the most popular items are (AKA what gets eaten the most.) Maybe you or someone in your house eats yogurt every day? This item should be super accessible. If you are able to adjust the shelf heights and it seems beneficial for your setup, now would be a great time!
Zones on shelving work the best when you think of categories being stored in a front to back configuration rather than side by side. For example, it would be difficult to have all of your condiments at the back of the fridge and all of your drinks at the front of the fridge, blocking your visibility. Condiments should be stored in front of other condiments, drinks in front of other drinks, and so on.
Tall drinks, such as milk, juices, Brita filters and large jugs of kombucha should all live together on a tall shelf. If you buy individual soda or other drink cans, consider purchasing some stackable can dispenser containers, so that you can utilize the same vertical height for these smaller drink options. When you purchase a new milk or juice and there is still some left in the current jug, rotate the newer drinks to the back of the fridge, so that the opened ones get used up first.
Make sure you maximize your door space. Choose a category (based on your personal inventory) that fits into your door space. For example, condiments, butter or individual drinks are good options for door space. Keeping the contents of this door space consistent will help to keep you organized. Door space doesn’t stay as cold as shelf space, so keep this area for nonperishable condiments and drinks only (aka, no milk).
Maximize your drawer space. Large drawers are perfect for fruits and veggies. Smaller drawers are good for meats, tofu, cheeses, tortillas and fruits or veggies that have been cut and need to be finished (aka half of an avocado or lemon). If you don’t have small drawers, try adjusting shelves to create a short shelf area where you can slide in bins/trays. These can act as makeshift drawers, as they can be pulled out and full categories can live inside them.
Do you need to use bins to store like items? No, you don’t NEED bins BUT they are helpful for certain categories. For example, if you have several individual size yogurts, cheese sticks, snack packs or other small items, grouping them in a tall bin (that fits front to back on a shelf) will save space and keep these items contained/organized. The same can be said for condiments, cheeses, tortillas/breads, apple sauces, juice boxes and other items that may not stack well. Instead of reaching to the back of the fridge to dig for any of these items, you would be able to pull out the entire bin and grab what you need. If you have kids, consider making a kids snack bin.
When it comes to food storage containers, it is important to be strategic. Square and rectangular tupperware containers will maximize shelf space, stack well and not leave dead space between them, the way that circular containers do. Mason jars (or similar) are useful for storing smaller items, such as half of a lemon, some leftover soup, quinoa, etc.

If you are the type of household to food prep or frequently have leftovers, leave a space in your fridge designated for this purpose. Tupperware containers can go stacked in this area, with food that is ready to grab and eat.

“Understanding your habits can help you avoid wasting food in the future.”

During your zone scouting process, let’s make sure we consider some important food storage tips. Not all food likes to be stored in the same way.

Meats should always be on the lower shelf or in a meat drawer, depending on your set up. This is to prevent any potential leaking of meat juices, which could end up dripping on other foods. It may also be wise to store raw meat in a flat tray or on a plate. The lowest shelf is also usually the coldest.
Do not store fruits and veggies together. Fruits that give off high levels of ethylene (a ripening agent) can prematurely spoil surrounding vegetables.
Store refrigerated veggies in their own drawer (if your fridge has a crisper drawer, yay for you!). Heads of lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus, etc do better when they are stored as is. For veggies such as carrots, celery, radishes and similar, you can choose to prep these for consumption before storing. Carrots and celery can be washed, chopped and stored in water. This keeps them fresh longer and also creates an easy-to-grab snack. Radish greens tend to get mushy, so these are better chopped off and radishes can be washed and stored in a jar or container.
Potatoes and onions should be stored out of the fridge, in a cool/dark place, but not together! The onion gasses will cause the potatoes to spoil faster.
Fruits, similar to veggies, have different storage techniques. Non-cherry stone fruits, avocados, apples, mangoes, melons, tomatoes, etc will continue to ripen on the countertop. More sensitive fruits like berries, grapes, bell peppers (yes, they’re a fruit because they have seeds!) and citrus will deteriorate and should be stored in the fridge. Melons are another good example of a food that can be prepped ahead of time. Chop up your melons and store them in containers (you’ll thank yourself when you have a quick snack later!).
If you find any of your fruits or veggies are about to go bad, you can freeze them for use in smoothies. This works well for bananas, avocados, spinach, mangoes, berries and more!

Now that you’ve put in the hard work and your fridge is looking like a dream, all you have to do is keep up the good habits. Here are some tips for maintaining your newly organized refrigerator:

Inventory – stay on top of your inventory. Pay attention to what you already have to avoid buying duplicates. Keep up with your expiration dates and try not to let food go bad without eating it. If you have fruits of veggies that are about to go bad, try freezing them for use in smoothies.
Labeling – this may not be necessary for every household. It can be particularly helpful if you have roommates or if your family has a hard time putting things back in the correct place. Label the zones that were created in order to encourage other members of your household to maintain these zones.
Tidy – it’s normal for things to get pushed around and for things to get put away in the wrong place. Once your fridge has been organized into zones, a weekly tidy (or simply a tidy when you are looking for your next meal/snack) can work wonders. A few minutes to rearrange here and there will help prevent your organization from being fully undone.

Well, friends, that’s it! I hope that you have found this guide helpful and that it helps you achieve your fridge goals. I hope that your newly organized fridge puts a smile on your face every time you open that door.

If you organize your fridge or freezer, let us know! Take a before and after picture of your fridge overhaul and tag us on Instagram with #makebetterfridgespace.

Change Your Life By Organizing Your Fridge

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