Refrigerator Organization: Zone Defense
is a Good Offense

Before we burst into refrigerator organization, make sure you read about how to clean a refrigerator properly. After all, what good is an organized fridge if it’s full of expired items on sticky shelves?

Once you’ve tossed the expired items (check your salad dressings twice) and wiped down your shelves, then it’s time to get hungry for some organization ideas made just for your fridge.

Get in the Zone.

Assess your drawers and shelves according to what will be going inside, or on, each of them.

• Humidity drawers: These are for your fruits and vegetables. Have two humidity drawers? Even better. Sort the produce that emits ethylene gas (most fruits) in a low humidity drawer; put the wilt-prone vegetables in a high-humidity one.
• Doors: Quick-to-expire items, like milk and eggs, should never be placed in the door, where temps can fluctuate too widely. The fridge door is great for jars, sodas, and condiments.
• Shelves: The middle of the fridge is typically the most consistent, so always store your highly perishables, like eggs, there. The coldest part of your fridge is typically the bottom shelf, and this is where your dairy products and raw meat should go.

Become a Groupie.

Make your refrigerator organization plan work long term by grouping like items together. You know it’s working when things are easy to find and even easier to put back.

• Place leftovers on the top shelf. Store in one-serving containers to allow food to cool more quickly and keep contamination at bay. Pint-sized mason jars are a great way to manage space and tomorrow’s lunch.
• Make a point to use your drawers as intended. Not only do they help keep food at the proper temperature and humidity, they are also permanently labeled, making it easier to sort and maintain refrigerator organization.
• Purposeful pairings. See if you can use the shelves in the fridge doors as corrals for like-items. Group salad dressings together, condiments together, and slow-to-expire drinks, like soda and pasteurized juices, together.
• Add bins. Bins are one of the best organization ideas to keep prepared snacks, whole fruits, additional condiments, and beverages within reach and sight.

Finally, create a refrigerator organization plan that reflects how you actually use it. Whether you are packing lunches, making salads, or eating nothing but leftovers, the best organization ideas are ones that you can keep implementing.