I have searched Pinterest boards and other social media type platforms for things like “tips to clean and organize a fridge” and I always end up staring at unrealistic ideas. Beautiful pictures, totally unrealistic to actually make happen. Instead of setting myself up for frustration, I stepped back and figured out what would be somewhat easy to maintain. In our house that does not include things like a “kid area” with healthy ready to go snacks for my kids to grab during the day. I have tried that. The “kid area” just ends up cluttered with other items because reality is when I find fridge real estate, I take it; regardless of what kind of item it is.
What I found are four pretty easy steps in order to help me from screaming each time I open the fridge. Though, full disclaimer, about once a month it absolutely does somehow get to that point where I no longer have any idea what exactly is in there. When that happens, I reset and make time to get it back into order using these steps:
- Take everything out
- Clean
- Use containers to organize
- Group things together, when possible
Let’s go through each step:
Taking everything out has three benefits. One, you will be able to easily rid any expired items, two you will remind yourself what you have in there and you can do a much more thorough clean if all items are removed. Third, it will help you to re-set where you store everything because you likely won’t end up with everything back exactly where it was.
Cleaning sounds obvious but I think we have all had seasons of our life where we don’t do this and you pay the price. Food is bound to leak, expire, and leave a smell in your fridge. Regularly cleaning the bins and shelving is a must. I typically just use hot water and wipe all surfaces down. A dust buster helps for crumbs in drawers too. For harder-to-get grime, I like to make a paste out of baking soda and water and allow to sit for a few minutes. It also helps maintain the cleanliness longer if you wipe down all containers before putting them back onto the freshly wiped down shelves. I use a melamine or Mr. Clean Eraser as well on the walls to help shine them up.
Using containers to organize has two benefits. It typically helps you to see what you have in there. I like clear containers as an easy visual. They can be space savers. The best thing I bought for my fridge was a lazy susan. It is a huge space saver and allows me to spin around to easily see what I have stored. Certain containers will also help to keep things fresher than the way they are packaged at the store. Watch the video for a few of my favorites.
Grouping things together helps so you can easily figure out how many salad dressings you actually have. I do the best I can and then end up using whatever space I have. By no means do I insist on groupings but I absolutely do this as I am able to.
Like most things, you have to make an effort to keep it all organized. Use these steps when you are able to and don’t fool yourself into thinking there won’t be days where you just cram things inside hoping the doors will close all the way. It’s all about balance and realistic expectations!
Watch this video for how I go through the steps and a few more tips!
