Have you ever opened your refrigerator looking for something but had to give up because it was such a mess you couldn’t find what you needed? This week during the 52 Weeks to a More Organized Home/Life series we are going to tackle Organizing Your Refrigerator. Not only will this keep your food fresh, but it will help make your meal times much easier.
Organizing Your Refrigerator
Clean It First: You can’t organize your refrigerator if it isn’t clean. First things first – clean it top to bottom. Remove everything, wipe down and sanitize all shelves and doors. This will make it easier to start off on the right foot. Include this as a regular part of your cleaning schedule. At least once every few weeks make a point of purging and wiping shelves down. Purge all leftovers each week, and condiments a least once a month as needed.
Designate Drawers: Designate drawers for things like produce and luncheon meats or cheeses. Stick to keeping only those items in those drawers to keep things safe at all times. In some refrigerators you will even find special climate control for these drawers to set them at lower or higher temperatures as needed.
You can shop for clear refrigerator bins here.
Keep Meats Safe For Thawing: One of the best rules for safety in your refrigerator is to safely thaw your meats. Thaw meats on plates or in containers that are well wrapped to prevent leaks as they thaw. I recommend keeping a specific area on the shelf just for meats and thawing meats.
Keep Eggs & Milk Inside Refrigerator: While the refrigerator door is often a convenient place for eggs and milk, it isn’t the safest. The door always ends up being warmer than the rest of the fridge, so storing inside on a shelf is the best choice.
Use The Door For Condiments & Drinks: Condiments fit nicely in the drawer, and temperature isn’t as important with most. As long as you are watching dates and purging expired items as you should they will be fine in the door. Soft drinks, water, juice and more can easily be stored in the door as well.
Organizing your refrigerator is easy when you apply simple principles. Put like things together for easy access, as well as safety. Think about what you use most often, and put those items within easy reach. An organized and clean refrigerator is the key to successful meal planning for your family.
As you know, keeping your refrigerator organizing is an ongoing project. It is easier to be organized if you haven’t made a grocery trip in awhile! I definitely need to figure out a good configuration for my refrigerator. Here’s my before photos:
{52 Weeks to a More Organized Home/Life}
If you have any of the hoarding tendencies we describe in this post, you may want to work on getting organized for the New Year. Getting organized and staying organized always seem to be on my list of New Year’s Resolutions. Would you like to join me in getting organized for 2015? Each week we will tackle one area of the home to help you get organized, reclaim your sanity, and save money since disorganization can lead to spending more or missing out on discounts.
Are you interested in actually getting organized for 2015? We have worked extensively on a series to help you get organized in 52 weeks. If you would like to receive these emails about how to get your home organized in 52 weeks, you can sign up to receive just ONE email per week. You can sign up at any time during the year without missing a beat.
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