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- Purge. You can’t possibly attempt to have room for everything that your family uses on a regular basis without a proper clean-out every 3 months. If you are like me, you hang on to items for far too long and exceed expiration dates because you may feel guilty about throwing things away. Besides the obvious of throwing away wilted or rotten produce, most jars and containers do have an expiration date. If they have been in your refrigerator longer than 6 months, it’s time to purge.
- Scrub the Shelves. I like to use Clorox wipes to sanitize and easily pick up crumbs and messes. Adding new grocery items to a dirty shelf can defeat your purpose and most refrigerator shelves are made of plastic – easy to wipe down.
- Think about how you use your refrigerator. The same as you would lay out ingredients for a recipe, think about what makes sense together. Most jars and jellies and condiments come in the same size and shape container, but you wouldn’t necessarily pair them together to make a meal. I like to organize my refrigerator how I cook. The items I use on a regular basis should be right next to each other on the shelf. This also prevents small items from getting shoved in the back.
- Containers. There are so many places to obtain containers of all shapes, sizes and labels. Plastic vs. glass, wood vs. metal lids, square or round you can find them almost anywhere. Once you have a plan on how you will organize, now you need the right containers to keep those items together and accessible. Although they do take up space in your refrigerator, they offer the convenience and cleanliness to keep your refrigerator staying organized and clean.
- Rotation. Be mindful of expiration dates and items that are getting low. Don’t be afraid to throw out a product that wasn’t meant to sit on a shelf for long. Going to the grocery store or even having your groceries delivered can keep your stock of food in rotation and keeping fresh.