Your refrigerator is one of the most important pieces of kitchen equipment you have, but it’s also one of the most neglected. So let’s organize your fridge! Remember that we use the SHOO method of organizing.
A clean, organized fridge is the key to making sure that you’re eating healthy and saving money at the same time. Here are some tips for cleaning out your fridge before organizing:
- Remove all items from shelves and drawers. Put them in a box or bag (or even on the floor) so that they’re out of sight while you work on cleaning them off with soap and water or vinegar as needed. This will help keep things from getting messy while you clean!
- Use disposable gloves if necessary–the last thing you want is raw chicken juices getting onto your hands!
Step One: SORT – Clean Out Your Fridge
First, you’ll want to get rid of any expired food. This will help you make room for new items and give your fridge a fresh start. Next, clean out all the shelves and drawers. Wipe down the walls and door with warm water; then wipe them dry with a clean towel or paper towel (make sure not to leave any water stains).
Step Two: HEAVE – Decide What to Keep
The next step is to decide what you want to keep in your fridge. If there are any items that need refrigeration, make sure they’re separated from the rest of the food so they don’t spoil anything else. For example, if you have a carton of eggs and some milk that need refrigeration, put them on one shelf while keeping other non-perishable items like fruit and vegetables on another shelf.
When deciding what goes into each category (i.e., dairy), consider:
- How often do I use this item? If it’s something that doesn’t get used frequently (like sour cream), then it makes sense for me to keep those things in my pantry instead of taking up space in my fridge where I could store something else more frequently used (like cheese).
- Is this item perishable or nonperishable? Perishables are foods with an expiration date; nonperishables won’t go bad if left out at room temperature for too long without being refrigerated first–they’ll just lose some flavor over time!
Step Three: Organize Your Food
- Organize your food by temperature zone. The first step to organizing your fridge is to place all items into temperature zones. This will help you determine which foods should be kept at different temperatures and how long they last. For example, milk should be kept at the coolest part of your refrigerator (usually in the door), while cheese and butter can be stored on a shelf near other dairy products.
- Label everything with an expiration date and write down how long certain foods last before they go bad so that you know when it’s time to throw them out!
Step Four: OPTIMIZE – Maximize Your Space
- Maximize vertical space.
- Use drawer dividers and shelf organizers.
Step Five: Keep it Fresh
- Store produce in the crisper drawer. The crisper drawer is designed to keep your fruits and vegetables fresh for longer, so you should store them there.
- Place meat and fish in sealed containers. If you don’t have a separate freezer, it’s best to store meat, poultry, and fish in airtight containers that will keep them from drying out over time (a good example would be Tupperware). This way you can just pull out what you need whenever you want it without having to worry about defrosting everything else first!
Step Six: Maintain Your Fridge
- Check expiration dates regularly.
- Throw out food that has gone bad.
- Clean your fridge regularly (at least once a month).
Now that you know the benefits of an organized fridge, it’s time to get started! You may be wondering where to start. The first step is to take everything out of your refrigerator and put it on the countertop or table. Next, sort through all of your food items by type (fruit, vegetables, meat/cheese). Then put each item back in its respective section–for example: place all fruits together in one area and vegetables in another area. This will help ensure that they stay fresh longer while also making them easier to find when you need them later on down the road.
Once everything has been sorted into their respective sections and placed back inside the fridge door(s), make sure there are no gaps between shelves or drawers where air can flow freely through; this allows moisture from condensation buildup which leads toward mold growth over time! Also remember not too overcrowding these areas either because this causes heat buildup which leads toward bacteria growth as well! Finally when putting things away make sure nothing sticks out past any edges so nothing gets damaged during cleaning days either!
