SIX Tips for Organizing Your Refrigerator
When was the last time you took a good look in your refrigerator, lately?
Your mother-in-law’s Meatloaf Surprise started living up to its name two
weeks ago. Month-old leftovers are now candidates for your sons next science
project.
Don’t let your food decay behind the new stuff at the front! Follow these
tips to save you time, space, and wasted food:
1) Purge
Grab your kitchen bin, position it next to your refrigerator and purge it of
all spoiled food. Look for tin foil sculptures and anything that wasn’t
green BEFORE you bought it. Keep repeating to yourself, ‘When in doubt,
throw it out.’
2) Make it shine!
Use some elbow grease and give those shelves, drawers, and crisper a good
cleaning. White vinegar and Bi-carb is the best cleaner for the fridge. It’s
not easy to organize jars and containers if they’re sticking to the shelf...
Clean one shelf at a time, starting with the top one. All crumbs, liquid,
and unidentifiable objects that don’t make it into your paper towel will
land on the shelf below, which you will be cleaning next. Once you’ve
finished cleaning the bottom shelf/drawer, continue with the inside door
until you’re satisfied with the job.
3) Group Them
Group similar foods, together. For example, place drinks on one shelf, small
snacks in a drawer, and fruits/veggies/salad products in the crisper so you
are not constantly ‘hunting down’ the food you want/need at that moment.
This arrangement saves you time and makes retrieving food come mealtime a
less arduous task.
* Pay attention to the height of your jars and bottles. It is easier to spot
your food and drink if you put large/tall jars towards the back of the
refrigerator and smaller ones in the front. You’ll never see that container
of yogurt if it’s trapped behind a family-sized jar of spaghetti sauce.
That’s money (and spoiled yogurt) down the drain...
4) Give Them a home
Growing up, our refrigerator always had what I called ‘The Cheese Box.’
Instead of having that flat package of Swiss cheese teetering atop a jar or
the shredded mozzarella accidentally flattened by a side of beef, all the
cheeses would ‘live’ together in one plastic container. We always knew where
to find them and whether or not we were running low. This is a perfect
solution if you have small, like items floating around your fridge. If you
have young children, you can create a similar container for each child and
fill it with healthy snacks, punch boxes, or a loving note. This keeps
‘little fingers’ from rummaging the shelves and you can control what goes
into their ‘snack box.’
5) Give Them a quality home
Whether they hold groupings of food or greasy leftovers, your containers
should work for you and not against you. Consider spending a few cents more
for quality containers. Lids are less likely to get stuck or fly off. You
don’t want to spend your time cleaning the floor or removing stains from
your shirt because your container failed to do it’s job. Choose transparent
or translucent containers—they allow you to see exactly what’s inside—no
surprises!
6) Give Them the same home
Keep your refrigerator organized by making your best attempt to return food
and drink to the ‘home’ you’ve created for it. Haphazardly throwing your
groceries in the fridge may save you time when you come back from the store
but it will cost you precious minutes at meal planning and preparation time.
In order to keep it clean and uncluttered, purge your refrigerator as part
of your weekly routine. I recommend tackling this task on the night before
your garbage pick-up day. Regularly disposing of smelly substances, rotting
vegetables and other items that have overstayed their welcome will keep your
fridge in tip-top shape. With determination, patience, and the right tools
your refrigerator can become an organized and functional area of your home.
REMEMBER!! – A FULL FRIDGE AND FREEZER IS MORE EFFICIENT, SO WILL SAVE YOUR
ELECTRIC BILL’S TOO!!
