How to Organize Your Refrigerator
Learn how to organize your refrigerator with these tips & products. Save time & money plus you'll be amazed at how clean it will stay!
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How to Organize Your Refrigerator
This post is sponsored by The Container Store. All opinions are that of Our Southern Home.
The Container Store Projects
- Wrapping Paper Organizing
- Bathroom Organization
- Christmas Decor & China Storage
- Pantry Organizing
- Home Office Organizing
Small Berry Bin | THE Egg Bin | Small Fridge Bin | Large Divided Fridge Bin | Large Berry Bin | Wine Bin | Divided Fridge Drawer | Narrow Fridge Bin | Produce Bin | Divided Freezer Bins
Here is the refrigerator before the magic happened!
It was so disorganized.
I frequently clean it out, but it always goes back to its same ways.
Raise your hand if you really dislike cleaning your refrigerator out! I'm raising both hands and doing a jig.
Cleaning out your fridge can be so time-consuming and not a pleasant task.
I completely emptied the contents! This was the perfect time to check expiration dates and toss. I laid things out on the counters in zones.
This is my last project in my 6 months run as an ambassador with The Container Store. I have so enjoyed this partnership. It has really gotten me motivated to get our home organized.
You may not be too into getting things pretty in your fridge, but I'm here to tell you that it is life-changing.
Ok…..life-changing may be a bit over the top, but you get my drift.
The Benefits of Organizing your Fridge
- less waste
- easier to create a shopping list
- see what you have easily for meal prep
- save money
- easier to keep clean
- encourages healthier snacking
Our fridge and freezer is still a work in progress, but it's come a long way! Do you notice the difference?
Small Berry Bin | THE Egg Bin | Small Fridge Bin | Large Divided Fridge Bin | Large Berry Bin | Wine Bin | Divided Fridge Drawer | Narrow Fridge Bin | Produce Bin | Divided Freezer Bins
One thing that we have been doing for a couple of months now is to wash our fruits and veggies soon after we bring them home from the grocery.
I LOVE these two produce bins. They have a removable raised insert that allows for the circulation of your veggies. I use mine for greens and asparagus. The handy cut-out in the removable top allows for easy access for my lunchtime salads.
Corralling our fruits in containers like this large divided bin makes our bottom drawer so much more efficient. The section in the center is used for new products waiting to be washed and overstock of our greens.
TIP: Always remove your oranges and fruits from those mesh bags that they come in. Over time, they shed and come apart which creates more clean-up in your drawer.
I prep most of our veggies at one time. This makes cooking so much easier at night. We mainly eat protein and veggies for dinner so these get used up quickly.
This small berry bin has a removable inner basket with breathable cutouts for berries. I also use it for veggies. As soon as fresh berries come in season, I'll be using them for berries. My mom has amazing blueberry bushes and there are so many strawberry farms around here.
This is the large berry bin. We've been able to get some great strawberries lately!
This longer, narrow fridge bin can be used with or without the lid. They stack beautifully. It all depends on how you position your fridge shelves. I love the easy grab and go access.
They also work well for snacks like cheese sticks.
I love that every container stacks with each other. See the image above where they are on the counter. These Drawers are pretty cool. They are divided. I have two of these. One holds our individual guacamole cups and one holds individual packets of grilled chicken. This would be so great for kids. They'd also work efficiently for yogurt cups.
The key to fruit and veggie prep in advance is to lay them out on clean towels on the counter to air dry completely before placing them in containers for the fridge.
I like to use flatweave towels similar to these that won't have extra lint.
It's amazing how much longer your fruits and veggies will last when you take this little extra effort.
We eat pretty healthy and mainly shop the perimeter of the grocery store. You will see that we use a lot of fruits and veggies.
The stackable wine bins are fabulous! I think I'm going to add a third!
I've got plenty of space for 1 more!
Prior to the big reveal, our fridge was a collection of mismatched containers.
I can't tell you how many times, I've had to dig through the produce bin and all those thin plastic bags to come across soggy zucchini that is leaking into the drawer. Gross, right?
This is not fun to clean up.
We've wasted too much through the years.
My new system has had so many benefits for my family in the last couple of weeks that it has been in use.
As you can see, the freezer got a cleaning as well. My concentration was on the fridge, but I did add these two bins to the freezer to house items that got in the most disarray.
I love how they are divided and have handles on each end. They are great for bags of frozen veggies.
They'd also be great for boxed frozen dinners and individual frozen treats like popsicles.
I actually caught my daughter snacking right out of the fridge the other day. She was standing there right before her online class, munching on sliced red peppers and cut carrots. It made me smile.
She even made the comment that the fridge was great.
We are snacking so much healthier now because fruits and veggies are ready for eating.
The 15 compartment egg holder is fabulous! It's so much better than the one that comes with the fridge. It has a bottom section that the eggs sit in to keep them steady and upright. The handles make it convenient to bring to the counter for baking.
Cooking dinner is a breeze! All of the veggies that we use are ready to go with the exception of chopping potatoes, onion, avocados, and tomatoes.
We are also able to create our Instacart shopping list in minutes by seeing what we have in the clear containers.
The square and rectangular shapes really help to maximize space.
Having things in containers to create zones, keeps our fridge surfaces so clean.
I am still wanting to add a couple of other containers like these:
We eat a lot of fruits and veggies. If they are cut, I only use them in the open-top containers if I am going to be using them up in a day or 2.
Do your vegetables keep well with the holes in the containers?
Thanks, Kathy! Organizing can be fun!
Such a great idea! I will definitely be looking to do the same when I can find similar containers here in Australia. Love your site!