What is the most used item in your kitchen? The fridge, without a doubt!
The fridge is a space that can influence the way your kitchen looks. And that’s not all. If we think about it, it can actually make or break your diet. If all the items are randomly placed in the fridge and you don’t see them, you might believe that there’s nothing good for you to eat, so you might be tempted to go to the pantry and get a bag of chips.
Because the kitchen is the heart of the house and your fridge is the main star of the show, it can quickly become a mess, especially if your family members keep coming in and out of the kitchen.
But enough with that! With just a bit of effort, patience, and time, you can easily step up your organization game and turn your fridge into the cleanest and most organized item in your kitchen!
…Do you have any secret hacks that help you keep your fridge organized and clean? Here are our 11 best tips and tricks!
1. Use fridge magnet cups
Who likes to spend a lot of time doing the dishes? We sure don’t! If you have kids living in your house, you probably have more cups to wash than you can actually keep up with. You can get some fridge magnet cups that you can put on the fridge between uses, so you won’t have to use a different cup every time you and other family members want to drink some water.
2. Use fridge coasters
Fridge coasters are a great item to have in your kitchen and they will save you the trouble of cleaning any mess on your shelves. Not only will they save you a lot of time from washing the fridge, but they also look really good.
…Have you ever tried fridge coasters?
3. Glass containers
See what’s in your refrigerator or in your freezer by simply putting your food into glass containers. You can use a container for veggies, one for fruits, and one for meats, so you can have quick access to everything you want.
Besides that, glass containers are great for the environment, work really well for meal prep, and it will prevent food waste. So no more digging into the bottom of your fridge to see what food you forgot about that is still there!
4. Use an egg carton
Are you looking for a way to organize all the bottles of condiments in your fridge? It’s actually really simple. Just don’t throw away the egg carton, place it on any of the door shelves, and use it as a holder for your condiment bottles.
Arrange them upside down so that all of them can fit. Now you won’t have to look for your ketchup, mustard, or other barbecue essentials, because all of them are in the same place. And the best part about this is that you no longer have to shake, shake, shake to get all the sauce to the top of the bottle!
5. Triage box
Wonder how to make sure that all the food in the fridge is consumed before it has the chance to go bad? Get a triage box and place it near the front of the fridge, so that everyone in the house knows that these are the foods they should be eating first.
Think of all the leftovers, juices, sauces, or yogurts that are soon-to-be-expired. This is an easy way to organize your refrigerator, while also preventing food waste.
….TIP: Store them at eye-level, so it’s easier to see and grab!
6. Weekly quick cleaning
Toss out everything that’s bad or old and do a quick clean-up before you go to the grocery store. This simple trick will help you see if there’s something that needs to be thrown out or if there’s still something good in the fridge.
In addition to that, it will help you have a clear picture of what you should buy next. And if these things still don’t motivate you to start tossing out every week, here’s something else: it will help you cut down the time spent during the deep cleaning.
7. Vacuum
No, this is not a joke! You can definitely use your vacuum cleaner to keep your fridge looking clean and shiny. As you already know, little bits of food are extremely annoying, especially when they get stuck in drawers and it takes you a lot of time to remove all of them.
But you don’t need to waste a lot of time with them when you can simply get your vacuum cleaner and suck up the dried debris with the brush attachment. On that same note, also clean the coils, which are those squiggly lines on the bottom front or back. By doing this, your fridge will run more effectively and it will also use a lot less energy.
8. Wipe, wipe, wipe
We’re sure that you find it annoying when there’s a sticky bottle or container in your fridge and suddenly all the drawers turn tacky and dirty. To avoid that, wipe down all the sticky jars, containers, or bottles before you put them in the refrigerator so that everything looks clean and fresh.
9. Organize your food items by type or purpose
…If you love to meal prep, you’ll absolutely adore this!
You can get things more organized by using some labeled baskets to keep similar food items in the same places, such as cheeses, fish, condiments, vegetables, meats, etc.
If you want to make things easier for the time you start prepping your meals for the week, you can store all the ingredients you need for a dish in a single basket. Then simply take them out and start cooking. This will help you constantly know what kinds of foods you have in your fridge and it will be easier for you to save money and stay on track.
10. Remove the bags
You might put your fresh produce in plastic grocery bags while you’re at the store, but make sure you unbag them the minute you come home. That will keep them fresh for a longer period of time, so you don’t have to rush and eat everything as soon as possible.
Besides that, keeping them in plastic bags will make it a lot harder for you to know exactly what kinds of products you have and what you need to buy the next time you go food shopping. You can leave your fruits and vegetables directly on the crisper drawer or you can put them in organizing baskets or in an open mesh.
11. Use binder clips
Who said that you can only use binder clips when you’re at the office? Get some binder clips for your kitchen and use them for the items that come in a plastic package, such as cheeses and cereals. You’ll keep the food fresh and you’ll also prevent spills in your fridge.
…What do you think about these easy tips and tricks on how to have a clean and organized fridge? Do you have any secrets on this topic? If yes, let us know about them by leaving a comment in the section down below!
…If you liked reading about our kitchen tips and tricks, we have plenty more just like it! Check this one out as well: 7 Colossal Cleaning Mistakes That Are Making Your Home Dirtier!