Confession time, the most disorganised (read: disgusting) area of my home up until recently was my fridge! I would just place items in there wherever they would fit and often wouldn’t discover them until they had well passed their expiry date. I finally decided enough was enough and did some fridge organisation!
A well-organised fridge doesn’t just look good, it can help reduce food waste and just makes life easier by saving you time and stress. Here are my top tips to organise your fridge!
Related article: How to style and organise your pantry
Related article: Take notes: 7 great ways to style your kitchen
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1. Use drawers to maximise the depth of your fridge
If you’ve been look at ‘fridge inspo’, most likely you would have noticed many people using plastic drawers to keep condiments and smaller items together — and there’s a good reason for it!
Having organised my fridge many times in the past and finding it never stayed neat for long, I realised I needed to invest in a few storage solutions. Drawers are ideal for smaller food items as they allow you to easily access what you need without rearranging things to reach what’s behind. It also means those items will go back in the same spot, helping to keep your fridge organised.
I bought a range of plastic drawers, similar to this fridge set from Catch and several individual trays from Big W that I use to organise smaller like items together.
2. Introducing Swag bags
OK, I’m pretty excited about this next tip! If you find your fruit and veggies don’t last as long as you’d like in the fridge, you’ve got to try these new Swag bags. Invented by an Australian woman, they are made of a unique 3-layer design that protects your fruit and veggies from drying out or wilting before you have time to use them.
I’ve been using ours for a few weeks now and have noticed a big improvement — especially for spinach, kale and other greens. To use them, you simply dampen them and place your fruit and veggies inside, creating the ideal environment for them to stay fresher for longer.
3. Utilise door space
Most fridge designs have great storage space on the inside of your doors, yet it can often be the most under-utilised!
If you’re storing expired sauces or bottles, or otherwise filling this space with items you rarely use, start by doing a declutter. Then fill the doors by grouping like items together i.e. all of your cooking sauces together, all of your health products together etc so you can easily find what you need.
4. Invest in storage containers
Keep leftovers fresher for longer by using airtight, plastic or glass containers. These are perfect for letting you easily see what’s inside (rather than wrapping food in alfoil), are stackable, and zero-waste so ditch the cling wrap and pick up a few reusable storage containers instead!
I also have a dedicated storage container for deli meats. Rather than leaving them in plastic bags, I place them into this airtight container and have noticed an improvement on how long they stay fresh.
Tip: you can also recycle items such as glass jars from pasta sauces or nut butters to store foods.
5. Perhaps a drink dispenser?
This next tip won’t be for everyone but if you have the space for it, you may think of picking up a stylish drink dispenser like I did. I’ve filled mine with chilled green tea as I’m finding it harder to drink plain water these days and want to avoid fizzy drinks.
Next to it you’ll notice a tray of beers. That’s actually a can tray that came as part of the fridge set I bought (here’s a similar set here) but as we don’t drink soft drinks, I used it to hold beers instead. This has been a great solution as they were previously taking up all of my door space.
6. Get your hands on an egg tray
Have you really organised your fridge until you’ve picked up an egg tray? Sure, these might just look pretty but they will make you feel as though you’ve nailed your fridge organisation! Mine came as part of the fridge set but some stores sell them individually as well.
7. Finish with labels
This step is optional but I don’t just think labels look good, they help to give everything a dedicated place so your fridge is more likely to stay organised for longer — and they help other family members who may be a little less OCD than you work out where everything belongs. I used the same vinyl labels as I did in my pantry which I bought from Tipone (font 2 for anyone who wants the same).
Have you tried composting?
As well as organising your fridge to help reduce food waste, you may like to try composting to minimise what ends up in landfill while also creating beautiful enriched soil your garden will love. We cover everything you need to know about composting in our beginners guide here. I started my own compost over the holidays and am questioning why I didn’t start it sooner!
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Disclaimer: this post was first published in March 2020. It contains some affiliate links. This means, if you purchase an item we may receive a commission on that sale of the products at no extra cost to you.
