Fridge & Freezer Organization 1o1
I think I can speak for all of us when I say that opening up an organized fridge just brings upon an instant sense of peace. Although, keeping your fridge and freezer organized isn't just about making things look nice - it's about making your life a little bit easier! When everything has its place, you can find what you need quickly, cut down on food waste, and keep your groceries fresher for longer. Plus, a tidy fridge and freezer just feels good!
In this guide, I’m sharing simple and practical tips to help you turn your fridge and freezer into efficient spaces that work for your family - let’s get organized!
Fridge + Freezer Organization Tips
Avoid overloading with bins
While storage bins can be useful for grouping similar items, it's important to remember that open space is actually useful when it comes to organizing your fridge! Make sure you leave enough space for leftovers and larger items that may not fit neatly into bins.
Discard packaging
Similar to organizing a pantry, removing items from bulky packaging can save space and reduce visual clutter. Decanting items such as cheese sticks, guacamole or hummus cups, and eggs not only optimizes space but also makes it easier to see what you have at a glance.
Label
Labeling shelves and drawers can transform your fridge organization! Clearly mark sections for popular categories such as dairy, produce, protein, snacks, and condiments. This simple step will not only help your family members find items quickly, but also encourages them to return items to their designated spots.
First in, first out
Adopting the first in, first out method ensures that older items are used first, reducing food waste and ensuring you’re always stocked with fresh items. Place newer items behind older ones to prevent items from expiring unused.
Door categories
Organizing the fridge door into specific categories makes it so much easier to find what you’re looking for! Here are the basic categories that work for most households:
Spreads: Jams, peanut butter, aiolis, and other spreads.
Dinner: Sauces, broth, and ready-to-use items like salsa and pesto.
Condiments: Mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and other frequently used condiments.
Dressings: Salad dressings, vinaigrettes, and sauces used for salads or dipping.
Dairy: Milk, coffee creamer, butter, and any other dairy products.
Sweets: Whipped cream, caramel sauce, maple syrup, and other sweet treats.
In the freezer, categorize foods into groups such as protein, vegetables, fruits/smoothie supplies, prepared meals, and desserts. And as always, feel free to tweak any of these categories to fit your families needs!
Regular maintenance
Schedule regular checks of your fridge and freezer to keep it organized! Go through your fridge once a month or so to discard expired items and rearrange as needed. This will prevent overcrowding and overbuying!
While you’re going through your fridge, take a few minutes to clean out any crumbs and wipe down the shelves. This handheld vacuum makes it so easy to get into those tricky crevices!
Drink Fridge Essentials
Did anyone else grow up having a drink fridge in their garage? Maybe you still do! Over at The Orderly Space warehouse, we've got our own fridge full of drinks, and when it comes to keeping it organized, there's one goal: avoid the dreaded domino effect of tumbling cans!
Here are a few of our top picks for keeping your drink fridge organized:
One fridge product we swear by is this automatic drink dispenser to keep all of those water bottles and sodas contained. You can even adjust the width of each row to fit different can and bottle sizes!
These can organizers not only dispense your drinks easily, but they also include a lid, allowing you to stack items on top of the bin, or stack the bins themselves.
For those who enjoy a chilled glass of wine at the ready, this bottle organizer is is perfect for keeping your wine bottles neat and the labels visible.
Chest Freezer Organization
Utilize vertical storage
Store items upright whenever possible to make the most of available space. This method also makes it easier to see and access items without digging through layers of food.
Create zones
Bin lovers, rejoice! If you store food in Ziplock bags or have items that can’t be stored vertically on their own, these divided freezer bins allow you to see everything you have! These bins are great for storing frozen meals, decanted ice cream bars or popsicles, bags of fruit and veggies, etc. This method also allows you to create food zones, keep like with like, and label the bins accordingly.
Keep an inventory list
Even if you organize it well, it’s easy for things to get lost in a chest freezer. Create a list of everything you have on hand, organize it by category, and write down how many of each item you have. Then you can take a magnet and stick it to the side of your freezer to refer to whenever you need to grab something. Anytime you take anything out (or add anything), be sure to mark it on the list!
Here are a few categories to include in your inventory list:
Protein (you can break this down further if you keep a lot of meat in your freezer)
Prepared Foods
Vegetables
Fruits
Sweets
The kitchen is by far the most used space in any home - take some time to go through it, implement these tips, and enjoy the benefits of an organized fridge and freezer in your daily routine. Happy organizing!
