When it’s time to eat, the last thing you want to do is search high-and-low in your refrigerator for ingredients. Not only is it a pain when items come falling out onto the floor, but your refrigerator’s efficiency suffers. While there are certainly many ways to go about organizing your fridge, we’ve done the research and compiled a list of our favorite refrigerator makeover tips. Your life in the kitchen is about to get a whole lot easier!
10 Refrigerator Makeover Tips
1. Remove Old Food
Go through each section/drawer and toss out any expired food or food you’re not likely to finish.
2. Utilize Bins
Sort food by size and invest in some sliding bins to make your life much easier. You can group similar items together in separate bins. You can take it even a step further and label the bins, which could be quite helpful if you have children in your home.
3. Prevent Cross-Contamination
Here’s an organizational strategy that is actually used in professional kitchens: Use your upper shelves for leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods and your lower shelves for raw ingredients you’re using in cooked dishes. The idea behind this is that it prevents cross-contamination. (Source: kitchn.com)
4. Store Beverages Properly
Transferring gallon size juices or milk to carafes takes advantage of the vertical space typically available on the top shelf, saving you some space horizontally (Source: realsimple.com). Also on that note, keep your milk and other dairy products off of the door! The temperature can fluctuate in that portion of the fridge, causing them to potentially spoil faster.
5. Go Vertical
Utilize the vertical space in your refrigerator with magnetic plastic containers to store ready-to-eat foods at the top of your fridge.
6. Egg Cartons for Door Storage
Placing an egg carton along the bottom of a door shelf can make a handy condiment holder. No longer will you have to shake or bang them against the counter to bring your condiments to the top of the bottle. (This treasure comes from Alton Brown)
7.Keep Eggs Cold & Fresh
Eggs like to absorb odors, so putting your eggs in an airtight container can prevent this. Also, it’s best to store your eggs on a middle shelf, where your refrigerator is coldest. (Source: realsimple.com)
8. Add Shelf Liners
Sick of cleaning up after refrigerator spills? There’s an easy solution for that. Line your shelves with saran wrap or Press’n Seal and just replace it whenever there’s a spill or gets too dirty. (Source: amandathevirtuouswife.com)
9. Keep Track of Your Food
One of the best ways to avoid spoiled food is to keep an inventory of what’s in your fridge. For example, keep a list of food that’s expiring soon and/or leftovers on a dry erase board attached to the refrigerator. (Source: theseasidebohemian.wordpress.com)
10. Baking Soda Is a Must
With all of the extra shelf space you’ve created from all of these refrigerator makeover tips, you’ll have room to store a small, open box of baking soda in a back corner. This will help absorb odors and keep your fridge smelling fresh.
