Before even thinking about how to organize your refrigerator, you need to take everything out of it. You need to ‘restart’ the way you use the fridge so you can have a fresh organization.

While you are taking everything out, you can check the expiration date of each item and toss the ones that you will no longer eat or use. Once the fridge is empty, wipe the interior (and exterior, if necessary) with a clean damp cloth. You can also use soapy water to clean the entire fridge.

Categorize your stuff

The easiest way to organize a fridge is to place your stuff in categorial order. Group the fruits in one spot inside the fridge, vegetables in another, beverages in another, condiments in another, and so on. It provides you the convenience to check whether you need to stock up or not.

If you have some daily go-to items, always place them at your eye level, so you can grab them easily whenever you want.

Always use containers

Of course, you can’t really have a well-organized fridge without using any food storage containers inside. They work really well in grouping some items and storing your leftovers.

Whether it’s plastic containers or reused take-out boxes, you can freely use anything that suits you best. They help you to get a neat and tidy organized look.

Don’t use store-bought packaging

Of course, most of you don’t really take your snacks out of their own packaging and just put them in your refrigerator. However, it’s not actually a good idea, especially when they come in bulky packaging that will clutter your fridge in an instant.

Get rid of those juice boxes, potato chips, yogurt, and other food which are usually packaged in bulky packaging. Move them into more convenient storage like a clear jar or sleek pitcher. They don’t only keep everything neat but also allow you to access them easily.

Use general labels

Labeling is a good way to improve your organization system in your refrigerator, but some of you may make it way more complicated than it has to be. It’s a wiser idea to use general labels than the ones which are too specific. For instance, don’t label your jars or containers with ‘Apple’ but write ‘Fruits’ instead so you can store any type of fruit there without casually changing the label.

Consider adding drawers

If your fridge doesn’t really come with enough drawers (or none at all), consider adding some portable drawers. They are usually made of acrylic and you can stack them conveniently as you wish.

Personalize the shelves

Some refrigerators allow you to adjust the shelves inside, and if you have one, you are so lucky. This is a very beneficial feature to get an organized look.

Set one shelf to the proper spot if you have tall pitchers or jars that you place inside your fridge. You can put the items in the same size on one shelf when you can adjust your shelves.

Utilize the door as much as you can

The shelves on the fridge’s door need to be utilized as much as you can. They provide storage stations without taking the space in the main area.

However, there are some items that you can’t really store there because the door doesn’t get the most temperature inside. The area is good to keep sauces, jams, dressing, spreads, and condiments instead of any kind of milk.

Get your groceries ready

Every time you’re back home from your regular grocery shopping, refrain from directly storing those fruits and vegetables in your fridge. Always store them in food storage containers so you can easily grab the items whenever you need them and, of course, make your fridge look so neat and tidy. Don’t forget to thoroughly wash the items before storing them in the containers.

Properly store the eggs

To get the job done? An egg holder is definitely the best answer. It’s, in fact, a must-have type of storage that will make your refrigerator look cleaner and allow you to check the number of eggs that you have on a weekly basis. Remove the eggs from their container so you can have a harmonious look and keep track of when you need to restock them.

Keep the herbs in the water

Fresh herbs can stay fresh if you store them in the water. You can use a glass jar that is filled with water to prolong the freshness of your fresh herbs and brighten up the look inside the fridge. Change the water in the jar if it starts to smell, so it doesn’t ruin the vibe.

Add some dividers

For a fridge that comes with a big single drawer, it’s a good idea to add some dividers to it. Yes, you can really store tons of items in your drawer, but you can’t conveniently access them without any dividers around.

The dividers will help to keep your items separated based on the categories, so you don’t have to dig deep.

Use Lazy Susan for condiments

If you want to add a more distinctive touch to your fridge, you can add a Lazy Susan to improve to storage station inside. Lazy Susan is good to handle sauce and condiments if you don’t have spacious door storage.

Add ‘eat-first’ storage

One way that you can consider to minimize food waste is to add ‘eat-first’ storage where everyone in the home can see which one they need to eat. Place a basket or bin inside your fridge with a label to place some time-sensitive items.