It’s true that the kitchen is the hub of every home. That’s why it’s so important to make efficient use of that space. The fridge, in particular, carries a lot of weight in regards to precious space in the kitchen.
Fridge space is valuable, and if you have a few (or more) members of the family who don’t know how to keep the fridge organized you’re not alone.
You may find that by the time everyone adds their food to the icebox, all of a sudden there isn’t any space left.
Instead of buying another fridge, because – come on – not everyone can afford that, apply some cool tricks and techniques to double your space.
The five tips below will help you figure out how to maximize every square inch of your fridge.
Stay tuned until the end of the article because we may have a bonus tip or two!
So let’s get going. Learning how to make use of your fridge space is excellent news if you don’t have any space to spare!
1. Stackable containers
It’s easy to run out of room in the fridge, and that’s why accessories that store vertically are lifesavers.
Stackable containers are a godsend because they’re just that — stackable.
Stack them high (or as high as they will go on a shelf), and you instantly have a lot more space available.
Use them to store veggies, chicken, dessert, and whatever else you want.
You could even organize them by color and size! The sky’s the limit.
2. Create an “eat now” section
We all know how easy it is to waste food.
Prevent rotting and expired food by creating an “eat now” section in your fridge.
Put the items that are going to expire that day, or in the next couple of days, in this area. Doing so is a great reminder to make sure food gets eaten before it expires.
Every time you open up the fridge, those items will be there staring you in the face.
Using this technique will also help you save on space and money. The expired food won’t get buried, and you’ll have more space for tasty new groceries.
Sound like a win-win to us!
3. Toss unnecessary packaging
We hinted at this earlier when we mentioned stackable containers. To make more space in your fridge, you’ll need to remove some, if not all items, from their original packaging.
Larger plastic containers that have smaller food items inside them are a complete waste of space. Cardboard boxes can also devour room.
Plus, containers that don’t stack make it more challenging to keep things organized.
If you don’t have stackable containers, consider swapping them out (see #1) to make better use your fridge’s storage capacity.
Consolidate like food items into the same plastic containers, but only if their expiration date is on the same day or a few days apart.
Take items out of oversized packaging and store them in smaller bags or stackable containers instead.
There are other storage accessories you can use to organize your food such as undershelf baskets, side door containers, and more.
4. Loft bottles with magnets
Who says you can’t have fun organizing your fridge?
One awesome way to rearrange is by lofting your bottles with powerful magnets.
If you have bottles with metal tops, a powerful magnet will hold them.
Put the magnets under the top of the shelf, and you have instant bottle storage.
Plus, you have to admit it’s pretty cool seeing your bottles “float” like that.
5. Binder clips
The next time you use a clip on a bag of frozen fruit, for example, clip it closed around a slat or one of the metal rods that make up the shelf. This can also work on the rails of the inside refrigerator door.
If seeing what you have in baggies or the freezer has been challenging for you in the past, this hack will help with that.
Rack up open bags, and you’ll know what you have and what you need to stock up on again soon.
Bonus tips
Hey, are you interested in some bonus tips? We found even more helpful tips that we thought we’d pass them along!
Label everything
We don’t know about you, but we think food labels are amazing!
Labels help you know what you have in the fridge, when the food will expire, and in some cases what you’re storing.
You can use erasable labels, sticky notes, or even masking tape.
Write down the name of the dish (if needed), and when it will either expire or the date you made or bought it.
It’s essential to write down keywords such as nuts, seafood or gluten if anyone in your family has a food allergy.
Go through the condiments
It’s easy to lose sight of how many condiments you have hiding in the fridge.
Take a closer look at your fridge door, and if you’ve got way more than just the basics, it’s time to go through everything.
Take out the items you haven’t opened. If the condiments don’t have to be refrigerated until after they’re opened (such as vinegar, ketchup, or soy sauce), you can take them out.
However, be mindful of their expiration date so that you don’t junk up another area in your kitchen.
Store duplicates elsewhere
As we just mentioned, duplicates can take up a lot of space in the fridge.
You don’t need to store more than one of the same unopened item if it doesn’t have to be refrigerated. Find another place for it.
You probably have some expired items as well that you should toss.
The best way to do this is to take the bottles and jars out and line them up on the counter.
You may be shocked to discover how many duplicates you have.
Use the food that’ll expire first and remember to make a note of use by dates so you’ll know when to toss unused items.
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To prevent this from happening it’s vital to implement the tricks we mentioned in this article.
The idea is to stay in charge of the mess and not the other way around.
If you still find that things are becoming disorganized and you don’t have enough space in your fridge, go back to square one.
Practice makes perfect. Use these organization techniques on a regular basis and, you should always have enough fridge space.
Then you can pat yourself on the shoulder for a job well done!
Author Bio:
Julie Contos is the Director of Marketing for J Malden Center. She has 20+ years of experience creating and executing top notch marketing campaigns for multi-family, commercial, and retail real estate developments. Her capabilities include a deep bench strength in brand development, brand management, multi-channel media plans, digital marketing, social media, communications, and public relations in the real estate industry. Her professional achievements include recognition by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) as the Marketing Manager of the Year in the 2015 Multifamily Pillars of the Industry Awards.