Having an organized refrigerator saves you time and money because you can easily see what you have. That helps with meal prep by avoiding buying duplicate items and makes creating a shopping list easier.

A beautifully organized refrigerator saves so much time in food prep!
A beautifully organized refrigerator saves so much time in food prep!

Don’t Overfill

First, take everything out. Throw away all that has expired. 

Leafy green lettuce.

Avoid filling your fridge too full that can lead to forgotten foods, blocked air vents, impeded air flow, and reduced energy efficiency. 

Clean

A clear spray bottle filled with cleaner.

An organized refrigerator is neat, tidy and clean! Thoroughly clean the shelves, drawers and walls with a solution of distilled vinegar and water.

To keep food smells at bay, keep a deodorizer in the fridge.

Shelf Liners

A refrigerator with colorful shelf liners filled with fruits and vegetables.

Line the shelves and drawers to help keep shelves and drawers clean and fruits and vegetables fresh longer.

Make a Plan For An Organized Refrigerator

A wooden table with a tablet of paper, pens and pencils.

Draw a picture of the inside of your refrigerator and divide it by category of the type of food you use most frequently. Some examples of categories include: dairy, meats, vegetables, condiments, sauces, drinks, snacks, leftovers. 

Put Items Where They Belong

Keep similar items together. Organize with a focus on safety. Meats should be at the bottom to avoid any accidental drips causing cross-contamination. Store leftovers, drinks, yogurt, cheese, and deli meats above that. The refrigerator door is great for milk, eggs and condiments. 

A refrigerator in a kitchen with the two top doors open showing colorful food inside.

Drawers

A refrigerator usually has at least one drawer designed at a specific humidity so the perfect place for fruits and vegetables.

You might designate other drawers for things like lunch meat, hotdogs, shredded cheeses or drinks.

Within Arm’s Reach

Bowls of healthy snacks sitting on a counter.

Keep snacks and drinks low enough for little ones to easily reach.

Maximize Vertical Space

A pretty jade green pedestal cake stand.
An organized refrigerator utilizes vertical space.

An organized refrigerator utilizes all available space. Use a cake stand for the top shelf to better utilize vertical space. You can place small items on top of and under the stand.

Research Products to Keep Items Fresh

Lettuce

Cheese

Butter

Herbs

Produce

Create Labels

The inside of a refrigerator door with the shelf labeled "condiments".
An organized refrigerator has different zones identified and clearly labeled.

Label the different zones for each category. This makes it easy for the entire family to know where things go when they are putting items in the fridge!

Clear Containers Are Key

The inside of a refrigerator with clear organization containers.
Clear containers help you see everything in an organized refrigerator.

Use clear containers and lazy susans to help keep items in their proper zone and also make it easy to see all inventory. Begin replacing the items according to what you have mapped out, making a list as you go.

Make A List and Check It Twice!

A wood table with a shopping list and pen sitting on it.
Having an organized refrigerator means knowing your inventory!

Post the list on the front of the refrigerator and mark items off as you use them. When you make your grocery list and prepare for meals, you will know exactly what you have! As you add new things, update the list. To attain an organized refrigerator, a list is a must!

The Smart Choice

A black refrigerator with two doors on the top and two drawers on the bottom.
Nothing says organized kitchen like a smart refrigerator.

We have many digital options today to help keep us organized. If you’re in the market for a new refrigerator, check out a smart refrigerator. It is connected to the cloud and, depending on the features built into the fridge, it lets you do such things as use your smartphone to see what’s inside; send and receive notes and calendar entries that will appear on the fridge’s screen; and even get alerts if the refrigerator’s door is left open.

Imagine yourself at the grocery store. You’ve forgotten your list. You can ask your refrigerator right from the store if you are out of eggs and milk!

Some models allow you to sync your family’s calendar and give you reminders.

Trial and Error

Be creative and open to trying a few different ways until you find just the right configuration for your family!

For more organizing inspiration, check out the 97 Best Organization Ideas.