The refrigerator is one of those areas in the house that likes to...fell into chaos. Simply put your shopping away quickly without a system, put the leftover dinner in the can randomly on the shelf and next time you won't be able to find what you're looking for, you won't be able to get to some of the products because they've been delivered or you've forgotten them them completely until they spoil. It's maddening! Are you fed up with this mess and would like to finally organize your fridge? We would like to help you with a few tips and tricks!
Get organized in the fridge – the preparation
Before you can even organize your fridge, you need to prepare it. To do this, do the following:
Everything out!
Of course, you can't create cleanliness and order in the refrigerator if all the products are still inside and you're just moving them around. Therefore, start with the refrigerator the same way you doin every other cupboardwould begin – you clear everything out! This is the only way you can then easily re-sort and, above all:
Clean the fridge!
This is the next important step. The refrigerator should be thoroughly cleaned regularly anyway and of course this works best when it is completely empty. Rinse the glass inserts and eggshell, wipe down all compartments and walls, and pay attention to the corners. To do this, use your usual cleaner or a solution of vinegar essence and water if younatural cleaning productsprefer. It is important that it is an antibacterial agent. Now you have the best basis for organizing your fridge. And this is how you achieve it:
Now you come to the actual tidying up and sortingand ordering. This is how quickly and easily you can organize your fridge:
Sort out the existing products
Look through all the products you took out of the fridge earlier. Even if some people don't want to admit it, there are always products like barbecue sauces or opened tomato paste that have been sitting in the fridge for a while and have been forgotten. You can dispose of all such products and of course all other spoiled ones. However, keep in mind that an expired best-before date does not mean that the food can actually no longer be eaten (exceptions are those with the indication “use by”). By the way, you can find out how long unrefrigerated food lastsread here.
You should also clean sauces and other products in screw-top jars and bottles that you will still be storing. This refers to the dried residue that you simply wipe off the bottle necks and lids. Also think about the inside. This is important not only to keep things tidy in the fridge, but also to maintain basic hygiene.
Arrange the refrigerator correctly
Now group all the products that you kept so that you can create the right order in the refrigerator. As you probably know, every food group hastheir place in the refrigerator: Fruit and vegetables are logically stored in the vegetable compartment, and meat, sausages and other perishable foods are stored right above because that is the coldest place in the refrigerator. All other dairy products go in the middle and at the top, where it is warmest, food that has already been prepared and opened and opened food can be stored. Cheese can also go there.
And what about the compartments in the door? The area in the door is always exposed to small temperature fluctuations when it is opened and closed. For this reason, you should store products there that don't mind this. This is usually where the eggs, drinks and sauces are found. The butter can also be stored there. The temperature there is usually 8 degrees, but this can of course vary depending on the individually selected settings.
You can now divide your products into these groups on the kitchen table or in another convenient place in order to get an overview and make it easier to organize the refrigerator.
Should everything be put back in the fridge?
Before you organize the fridge to make it tidier, here are a few more tips:
- Products that you probably have several of (e.g. butter, cream, sausage, cheese) should be placed in the refrigerator in the correct order. This means that those that are about to expire sooner should be placed further forward so that you can use them up sooner. Always keep this fridge organization system in place when you buy new food and put it in the fridge.
- Many products that you put in the fridge out of habit actually have no place there or do not need to be stored there. Tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, avocado, cucumbers and onions, for example, last a long time outside. Tomatoes also emit gases that cause other vegetables to spoil more quickly. Berries and citrus fruits lose their aroma due to the cold, while with eggs you even lose vitamins. Eggs can easily be stored outside the refrigerator for three weeks. But then they also have to be cooled.
Get organized in the fridge – hacks
We have just explained to you the right refrigerator organization systems. Are there any other practical tricks you can use to keep your fridge tidy?
- Even though open products are always at the front, do you always forget to eat them first? Use boxes to keep your fridge organized! For example, label them “Eat this first” and put open or quickly perishable foods in there.
- Do you want to store the sauces in the refrigerator door upside down so you can use them faster, but you always end up falling over when opening and closing the door? Put them in an egg box!
- There's still an open yogurt, but you don't remember how long it's been open? No more forgetting, because you can mark any product with simple labels. Or you can simply use a Sharpie to write down the date on the packaging. But you should always do this if you want to keep the fridge tidy.
- You have now created a system and there is finally order in the refrigerator. But that's no use if everyone in the house doesn't join in. To ensure that everyone sticks to the system, it can be helpful to label the compartments and drawers with sticky notes or labels. So everyone knows where the dairy products, sausage and sauces belong.
- No matter how much you plan, it always happens that products come along that were not planned. Therefore, try to leave an empty space in the fridge where you can store spontaneous purchases or leftover food without falling into chaos again because all the other products also have to be rearranged.
Was there a power outage? That's how long it isFood can be stored in the refrigerator.
