How to Keep Your Refrigerator Organized

Refrigerators are one of the hardest-working storage spaces in the house. They're opened dozens of times a day, used by everyone in the household and constantly changing as groceries come in and food gets used.

That's why I don't think a refrigerator needs to look perfectly arranged at all times. It needs to do something more important:

Help you see what you have, find what you need and use food before it goes to waste.

A refrigerator that's beautifully organized but difficult to maintain isn't really organized. It's just having a particularly good day.

Start by Taking Inventory

You don't necessarily need to empty the entire refrigerator onto the kitchen counter every time you organize it.

Work one shelf or section at a time. Remove what's there, wipe the shelf and check what you have before putting things back.

As you go:

• Discard spoiled food.
• Check expiration and use-by dates as appropriate.
• Combine duplicates when practical.
• Identify foods that need to be used soon.
• Wipe sticky bottles and containers before returning them.
• Look for items you've forgotten were there.
• This alone can create a surprising amount of space.
• Create Simple Food Zones

Instead of putting groceries wherever there's an opening, create a few general zones.

Your refrigerator might include areas for:

• Dairy
• Beverages
• Condiments
• Deli meats and cheeses
• Snacks
• Leftovers
• Produce

Meal ingredients

Keep the categories broad enough that everyone in the household can understand them.

You shouldn't need an instruction manual to put away yogurt.

Give Everyday Foods the Best Locations

Just as with a pantry, the easiest-to-reach refrigerator space should go to the foods you use most often.

Put everyday items where you can see and reach them without moving three other things first. Less frequently used products can go toward the back or onto higher or lower shelves, depending on your refrigerator configuration and appropriate food-storage requirements.

The basic organizing principle is simple:

Frequently used = easiest to reach.

Create an “Eat First” Area

This is one of my favorite refrigerator-organizing habits.

Designate a small clear bin or visible section for foods that should be eaten soon.

That might include:

Leftovers

Opened packages

Produce nearing the end of its useful life

Yogurt or dairy products approaching their dates

Half-used ingredients from a recipe

Label it EAT FIRST if that helps your household.

Before someone opens a new package or declares there's “nothing to eat,” this is the first place to look.

It can reduce food waste and solve the mystery of the container that's been living behind the orange juice since last Thursday.

Use Clear Bins Especially Ones That Improve Access

I'm a fan of clear refrigerator bins when they solve a real problem. They can group similar foods, keep small items from wandering around the refrigerator and make it easier to see what you have.

A handled bin can be especially useful for products stored toward the back because you can pull the entire category forward.

For deeper refrigerator shelves, I especially like roll-out bins because the contents come to you instead of requiring you to reach behind everything in front.

Mr. Organized Recommends YouCopia RollOut Fridge Caddy

I own, use and recommend the YouCopia RollOut Fridge Caddy. What I particularly like is that it rolls forward for easy access to the back of a deep refrigerator shelf and has adjustable sections, so you can configure the interior based on what you're storing.

Click here to view the YouCopia RollOut Fridge Caddy

Use a Beverage-Can Dispenser

If you keep a lot of canned beverages in the refrigerator, a beverage-can dispenser is one of my favorite ways to keep them contained and easy to access.

I like a two-tier version, but these organizers are also available in single-tier and three-tier configurations. Choose the size based on how many cans you normally keep refrigerated and how much shelf space you have available.

As always, measure first. A three-tier organizer isn't much of an upgrade if your refrigerator only has room for two.