Best Ideas for Organizing a Refrigerator

How to organize a refrigerator

Here is a general strategy followed in professional kitchens based on the temperature the foods need to be for food safety:

Upper shelves

Leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat items like yogurt, cottage cheese, and so forth. This area of the refrigerator is slightly warmer than the lower areas, so keep that in mind as you decide what should go here.

Lower shelves

This is the area you want to store raw ingredients that you will use for cooking, like eggs, meat, poultry.

Door

Condiments only in the door, say the food safety pros. Why not cheese or deli items? Because this is the warmest area in the refrigerator.

Drawers

Typically, refrigerator drawers are designed to hold produce at specific humidities. But if you want to store both fruits and vegetables in one drawer, with meat in the other, make sure you clean the meat drawer at least once a week.

If you need both drawers for produce, placing meat above the drawers could result in cross-contamination. A great solution is to improvise your own additional “drawer” for meat by using a clear plastic bin that will catch any drips and keep the meat safely away from everything else.

Best refrigerator organizers

The well organized refrigerator makes good use of all the available space in a way that its contents are readily visible.

Consider these highly useful items that can help move your refrigerator from chaos to calm in no time at all.

Magnetic bottle hanger

This Magnetic Bottle Holder uses very strong magnets to hang bottles from the ceiling of a well organized refrigerator—making good use of that empty space.

Greek yogurt slider

This space-saving Sliding Greek Yogurt Refrigerator Organizer gets all those yogurt containers corraled in one place, which keeps them visible and super handy. No hardware or tools required to add this to the side, ceiling, or under-shelf because it is peel-and-stick. Comes in a 2-pack to keep 8 yogurt containers always at the ready.

Plastic bag organizer

Don’t let zipper bags mess up your fridge anymore! Hanging them in a file-type arrangement with this Ziploc Bag Organizer keeps their contents visible and corraled in place. Never lose a refrigerator bag again!

Beverage can organizer

This beverage can organizer holds up to eight standard-sized beverage cans and is ideal for storing soda, sparkling water, seltzer, juice, tea, beer, and more in the refrigerator.

The raised front edge and sides prevent cans from rolling or falling out, while the removable lid allows items to be stored on top of the organizer to maximize storage space.

Stackable storage containers

The Stackable Fridge Bins are made of durable high-quality shatterproof BPA free chlorine-free plastic. Easy care. Wash with mild soapy water. Not dishwasher safe, however. What a great way to keep the organized refrigerator contents neat, tidy, and highly visible.

Food storage containers

This 42-piece Rubbermaid Food Storage Containers set features Easy Find Lids that snap onto container bases. And the lids are the same sizes, so you can always find one when you need it. Your cabinets and fridge will stay organized. Super deal on this generous set. 

Non-skid turntables

This set of two Lazy Susan Turntables are perfect in both the refrigerator and cabinets. This set includes 9″ and 12″ turntable with non-skid liners ane rimmed edges. Never worry about your items falling off.

Refrigerator shelf mats

These Washable Refrigerator Mats can be cut to fit the organized refrigerator shelves and drawers. Makes cleaning the refrigerator so much easier when you can just lift out the mats to easily clean them. Waterproof, mildew proof, dustproof, oilproof, non-skid, and super colorful. Each pack contains 3 pink, 3 green, and 3 blue mats.

Up Next:

25 Items Under $25 to Help Organize Your Life

27 Things Never to Put in the Refrigerator

Stop Throwing Rotten Produce in the Garbage (How to Make Fruits and Vegetables Last Longer)

Everyday Cheapskate participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon affiliated sites.

Caught yourself reading all the way 'til the end? Why not share with a friend.