It's time to invest in a label maker.
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One of the easiest and most essential places to get (and stay) tidy is your refrigerator. In fact, fridge organization is so important for myriad reasons. First and foremost, for food safety purposes. After all, a messy fridge is often chock-full of expired goods, which can contaminate anything it touches, fill the fridge with a gnarly stench, and more. Second, and equally as important, a neat refrigerator saves time, space, and even money. If you’re wondering about that last item, hear us out: If you’re prioritizing fridge organization, you’ll actually be able to see what you have without having to sift through jars, cartons, and storage containers. This way, you won’t accidentally replace something you already have that’s perfectly good.
To walk us through the best and most efficient ways to tackle this process, we tapped the co-founders of NEAT method, a luxury home organization service that operates in both the U.S. and Canada. Ahead, Marissa Hagmeyer, co-founder and COO, and Ashley Murphy, co-founder and CEO, share their expert tips and guides with House Beautiful. We were actually shocked at how easy their method is. In fact, it’s only six steps! So if you’re in the market to get your refrigerator in tip-top shape, you’ve come to the right place. Go ahead, get a head start on your spring cleaning with what is often the messiest space in the home: the kitchen. No one said the heart of the home was easy to maintain!
"Take everything out and sort as you go. This will allow you to easily visualize what you have," Hagmeyer advises. This is one of two time-consuming steps, but trust us; you can't get organized without removing everything—every last crumb—from the fridge. Plus, an empty fridge is much easier to clean than a full one, which leads us to step two.
While the fridge is empty, give it a thorough clean. "Give the interior of the fridge a good wipe down so you can start fresh, "Murphy says. Before you start, though, make sure you're planning on using the right concoction of cleaners. The CDC strongly urges against spraying the interior of your fridge with all-purpose cleaners because they're often formulated with chemicals that shouldn't come into contact with food. Instead, wipe down the warm, soap water. Next, clear off the soap with warm water and dry it with a microfiber cloth.
It’s hard to remember what you actually have in a full fridge, so before you put everything back, take a peek at the expiration dates on the packages. "Toss anything spoiled to avoid smells from accumulating," Murphy warns. "At this point, you can make a note of any staples that may need replacing, but likely these are items you aren’t eating frequently."
The second time-consuming step? Putting everything you took out back in. "When you place food back into the fridge, make sure you keep each category together. For instance, make use of door bins for bottles such as condiments and beverages," Hagmeyer suggests. "We suggest separating meat and cheese into small drawers and reserving large drawers for fresh produce. Don’t forget to leave a spot for leftovers!" she adds.
"Implement easy wipe organizers to contain foods like yogurt and jarred goods that are lined up loosely on a shelf. This offers boundaries and prevents foods from getting shuffled around," Murphy notes. Snagging containers you can use for leftovers before tossing it in the dishwasher is always a good idea.
Lastly, label your heart out, which will help you get and stay organized. "Use labels with broad terms (fruit, dairy...etc.) to the front of drawers and bins to ensure everyone in the household knows where things belong. It also keeps the system intact," Hagmeyer explains. "Keeping the terms general makes it easy for your system to grow with you as your needs change."
Organizing your fridge can be expensive or affordable, depending on what you're trying to do and what you're willing to snag to accomplish your goals. Here's the way to do it on a budget: First, start by taking everything of the fridge and toss everything that's already gone bad. Next, be honest with yourself: Are you buying food that you're not actually eating? If so, avoid adding it to your shopping list the next time you head to the store. We digress. Before you put everything back, come up with a system by designating different parts of the fridge for each type of food. For instance, put dairy in one section, bottles in the door compartment, and produce in the drawers.
If you have a spacious fridge with wide shelves, then yes, fridge bins are definitely worth it. Use the bins to store goods that are otherwise floating around, like yogurt, jars of minced ginger, or anything else that may be considered miscellaneous.
Marissa Hagmeyer and Ashley Murphy are the co-founders of NEAT Method, luxury home organizing company that boasts more than 95 major markets across the U.S. and Canada. Hagmeyer is the COO and Murphy the CEO. These two know what they're talking about when it comes to organization.
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