Hello friends! Our Winter Home Organization Challenge is going strong, and this week I’m excited to share tons of easy ideas to help you organize your refrigerator and freezer!
Have you ever found food in the back of the refrigerator, with so much mold, it looks like a science experiment?
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Do you have food in your freezer that’s been there so many years, you don’t even remember buying it??
If you answered yes to either of those questions, you might want to implement my easy ideas to organize your refrigerator and freezer!
Use the 6/P Strategy
The 6/P strategy is your ticket to organizing any space in your home! It works for an entire room, but today we’ll modify it to organize the fridge and freezer! Follow these six easy steps that start with the letter “P.”
Prepare
Grab a trash bag, and make sure your kitchen counters and table are clear.
Purge
Remove everything from your refrigerator (after you finish the refrigerator, repeat the process with your freezer) and put it in one of the following categories:
- Trash -get rid of all expired items and food your family will not consume. Discard in the trash bag.
- Replace- put all items that will be replaced into the refrigerator on the counter and/or table. Put like items together and see what type of categories emerge.
Polish
Now that the refrigerator is empty, it’s time to clean using a top-down approach. Do the following:
- Remove shelves and drawers and clean with soap and water.
- Wipe down inside the walls, and doors, of the fridge.
- Replace shelves and drawers. If you are going to use shelf liners, put them in now.
Personalize
Make the following decisions:
- Determine what categories of food you have sitting on your counter and/or table. These will be specific to your family! Typical categories are condiments, fruits, veggies, meats, dairy products, etc.
- Decide how you will group like items together inside the refrigerator (freezer).
- Consider using bins to keep items corralled. For example, keep all of your salad dressings in one bin. When you have salad, simply remove that bin and place it on the counter! In the freezer, you could keep all frozen fruit in one bin.
Place
Now it’s time to place everything back into the refrigerator (freezer) in an organized manner.
Put Back
This step is so important! If you want the refrigerator and freezer to stay organized, you have to put items back inside, in their designated spot! If you or your family members can’t remember where things go, use labels on the drawers and bins!
Bonus -Get our free printables to help you organize any space in your home. Just click here and sign up for our email list!
An organizers dream refrigerator
When we moved into this house there was no refrigerator.
We went shopping, and I quickly fell in love with one particular model!
Oh my, it’s an organizing fanatics’ dream come true!
It has amazing shelves in the doors that function like bins, and lift out! Such genius!!!
The water pitcher automatically refills itself, and you can infuse your water with fruit!
Could life get any easier?? Can you say sold??
There was only one problem…
it had mixed reviews because of problems with the ice machine!
What, are you kidding me?
How can I purchase a fridge with so many people complaining about the ice maker?
My heart was saying I had to have it, but my head was telling me to go with another brand!
Well friends, this time my heart won out! “Surely our icemaker won’t break”, I told myself!!
Unfortunately, one day the ice maker just stopped making ice. It was the day I had been dreading, the day all those other consumers warned me about!!
But all was not lost, we still had a few weeks left on our warranty! Now I have a new icemaker!
I just love my fridge and those amazing lift-out bins!!
Are you ready to see all my ideas to organize your refrigerator and freezer? Let’s start now!
How I organize my Refrigerator
I removed everything and cleaned the inside of the fridge. I am always amazed at how dirty it gets inside! Now let me show you how I place everything back inside!
group similar items together
I keep all of my dairy products, oops I mean non-dairy products, together on the same shelf. The smaller items Iive in a clear bin.
place frequently used items in front
Another great feature of this fridge is the food showcase door. It provides quick access to everyday items and minimizes the loss of cool air. In the top bin I keep butter, the middle bin contains condiments, and the bottom bin holds salad dressings.
I can grab the condiment bin, sit it on the counter before dinner, and put it back when we’re finished eating! If you don’t have this feature, place items you use daily, in bins, toward the front of your shelves for easy access.
store meats seperately
Keep meat, poultry, and fish in their own drawer. Keep them wrapped so they don’t leak in your refrigerator.
store fruits and vegetables seperately
I store most of my vegetables in the right drawer of the fridge. The onion container keeps cut onions from smelling up the other items in the drawer!
I store my fruit in clear bins. If I run out of room in my veggie drawer, I put sealed bags of veggies in a compartment behind the apples.
LEAVE ROOM FOR LEFTOVERS
Above is my refrigerator at the beginning of the week, after my grocery shopping! As you can see, I always leave room for leftovers.
store leftovers in clear stackable containers
If you put leftovers into a container and you can’t see what it is, it might get pushed to the back and turn into that science experiment I mentioned earlier! It’s best to use clear glass containers, so you don’t forget what’s inside!
Tip: If your family can’t remember where to put things back, label your bins/drawers.
How I organized my Freezer
I must confess, I have never organized this freezer! It’s like a big hole and I have been dumping stuff on top of each other! It’s been driving me crazy, but I just keep procrastinating!
Well, no more!
I’m taking control of the freezer!
the before pictures
As you can see in the pic above, I had to dig through the pile of frozen items to find what I needed! So frustrating!
The bottom drawer was not quite as bad!
I removed everything, cleaned the drawers, and measured them, to determine what size bins I can use.
the after pictures
No more piles of food stacked on top of each other! I love this because I can see every item that is in the freezer!
new storage baskets
I purchased three black plastic baskets from Dollar Tree to make sections with.
the top drawer
On the left side, I have frozen fruit and cheese.
In the middle section, I have bags that have been opened and need to be used first.
On the right side, I have popsicles and refreeze icepacks.
the bottom drawer
The bottom drawer is divided into two sections. The left side has unopened frozen items and the right side has meat, fish, and poultry. I can’t believe I have open space in this drawer!
It feels so good to finally have this space organized!! I can’t believe I procrastinated on doing it for so long! Don’t you do the same thing!!
Did you like my ideas to organize your refrigerator and freezer??
Are you feeling inspired to try them at your house?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Blessings, Donna and Rich
more Organizing inspiration
- Simple Ways to Organize Kitchen Drawers
- Helpful Kitchen Cabinet Organization Solutions
- How to Organize Your Kitchen Using Zones
- Organize Your Kitchen Pantry
- How to Organize the Pantry
- Organize Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers
get the look
I do not have these exact products, but I added links to items that are similar to mine, for your convenience! Happy Organizing!
- Refrigerator Organizer Bins
- Freezer Baskets
- Plastic Organizer Bins, Large
- Clear Plastic Bins For Fridge
- Plastic Egg Storage Container for Refrigerator
- Clear Home Fridge Organizer & Storage
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
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