How to Clean and Organize Your Fridge and Freezer

Fridge Clean & Declutter

Before I go too deep into the organizing aspects, first, we need to clean and declutter the fridge.

I recommend doing this is by taking everything, yes everything, out of the fridge. Once you’ve done this it’s much easier to clean your fridge, as you don’t have to keep moving stuff around. Cleaning the drawers and door organizers in the sink is easiest. These are removable for most refrigerators. Use your normal dish detergent to clean these. If yours are not or you have a small kitchen sink, just use the same cleaner you use on the rest of the fridge.

Use a non-toxic, natural cleaner when you clean your fridge. If you have caked-on food or there are drippings from meats, then use a harsher chemical. For any areas that had raw meat drippings be sure to use an anti-bacterial cleaner or, at least, go in with one afterwards. Raw meats should be stored in separate containers. This way if they do leak, it only gets in the container not everywhere.

After you finish wiping down your fridge, be sure to check all expiration dates before you put it back. Expired food should either be thrown away or dump the contents down the sink and recycle the container. If you happen to compost, you can throw some of your expired foods into the compost. Do not put meat, fish, bones, dairy, baked goods, fatty goods, or grease in your compost though. The reason is that these foods do not easily decompose and may attract animals.

Look at what you have left. Are you able to group the items into broad categories, such as meats, dairy, fruits, condiments, etc.? If you don’t have many fruits and vegetables you can use the category ‘produce’ for both. Once you have your items grouped, use the two drawers (if your fridge has drawers) for the two largest categories. Yes, the drawers are meant for fruits and vegetables. However, if you’re like me and don’t have many, they can fit into one drawer.

A word of caution though, fruits and vegetables are not supposed to be stored together. This is because many fruits give off ethylene gas, which will cause the vegetables to ripen faster. I am aware of this, but I still put them together to save on space. I wanted to make sure that you were aware of this as well.

The main fruits that give off this gas are apples, pears, berries, and peaches. A lot of vegetables and some fruits can be stored in the pantry, so this may not even be an issue for you. If you want to know more information about this go to the article ‘Store Smarter! Top 10 Storage Tips for Fruits and Veggies’ by clicking HERE.

One main thing when organizing your fridge is to think, who is going to need to access this item.

It’s a good idea to have a bin for leftovers and your ‘use first’ items. This way everyone in the family knows what food items are going to expire soon and will eat those first…hopefully. It also helps to prevent items (mainly leftovers) from getting pushed to the back of the fridge. Most of us, at some point, have found items in the back of the fridge that are rather questionable, at best. Having a bin or door shelf dedicated to ‘use first’ items, can help to prevent this.

Your fridge has areas that are typically warmer and colder than others. The top shelf of your fridge and door shelves tend to be the warmest areas. Whereas the middle and bottom shelves get progressively colder. This is not a substantial difference and likely will not be an issue, it’s just something to keep in mind.

One main thing when organizing your fridge is who is going to need to access this item. For instance, if you have young kids, it makes more sense to put their snacks and drinks on the bottom shelves so they can reach them. Or if you don’t want them to be able to snack whenever they want, then put them on the top shelf. Remember, the shelves at eye level should hold the items that you access most often. Condiments typically go in the door shelves. You can also store the condiments that you use most often on a lazy susan on the top shelf.

Try things out to see what works best for you and your family. Unfortunately, organization is not a ‘one size fits all’ (or even a ‘one size fits most’) kind of ordeal. It’s more so just trial and error to find out what works best. For instance, I tried having the most used condiments on a lazy susan, but that didn’t work well for us. It may work great for you! Also, this post is to give you tips and ideas, it’s not to say this is how you have to organize your fridge or freezer.

Putting your raw meats into a separate container, such as a plastic bin is the best solution. However, if you don’t have a plastic bin to use just be sure to store your raw meats on the bottom shelf. This way if they do leak their juices, it doesn’t drip down the fridge. Do not store ‘ready-to-eat’ items on the bottom shelf with the raw meats.

You don’t have to buy any new containers or bins to organize your fridge. Use bins that you have around the house, as it’s easier to categorize your fridge if you do. One bit of advice, be sure to plan out exactly how many you need and the sizes that you need BEFORE you buy any. I have purchased so many different organizing containers over the years, which caused me to sell ridiculous amounts of containers for pennies at our yard sale. Some places to find inexpensive bins are Dollar Tree, TJMaxx, Amazon, Walmart, and Target.

The main bins that I have in my fridge are for Kool-Aid pouches, Lunchables, Meats, produce, and dairy. These are the items that I buy frequently and make sense for my family. I do have a clear plastic egg container too. After having tried The Home Edit style of organizing and that was the only thing that stuck around. I even labeled it ‘Eggs’ too. John jokes with me and says, “Thank God you labeled the eggs, otherwise I would have no idea what was in there.”

Label your bins, that way if someone else is putting away groceries they know where everything goes…in theory. Although, don’t feel like you have to label the bins or drawers if that’s not your thing. I just love labeling. I even have two Cricut machines…pointless…probably. Don’t feel like you need a Cricut machine to label your items. Just get a small label maker or even a sheet of blank labels and write in the categories yourself.

Freezer Clean & Declutter

Now that our fridge is organized onto the freezer…

The freezer tends to be easier to organize, because (unless you have a large ice chest in the basement or garage), it’s smaller. Whether you have a side-by-side fridge and freezer or a top-and-bottom model, you can still have it organized and functional.

As always the first step is to remove everything so you can thoroughly clean it. If you need to defrost your freezer, unplug the whole unit and leave the freezer door open. Depending on how much frost builds up in your freezer (older models tend to build up more), I recommend defrosting your freezer once every 6 to 12 months. Be sure to store your freezer foods in a cooler with ice or another freezer while defrosting it.

If you don’t need to defrost your freezer, use a small amount of warm water on a rag to wipe down the freezer. You only need a small amount of water for this. If you did defrost your freezer you can use a natural cleaner or soap and water to clean it. It’s easier to clean the freezer drawers in the sink if you can. Also, wipe down any other bins you have in your freezer.

Having a few plastic bins in your freezer to separate items into categories, makes it easier to find what you’re looking for. Some of the categories that I use are kids’ food items, frozen meats, breakfast foods, and desserts. I don’t label these bins with the category names, it’s just how I separate the food. Remember to ‘shop’ your home before you buy anything new. You might be surprised with what you already have.

Freezer foods tend to last longer than refrigerated items, still check the expiration dates before putting any items back into the freezer. If you’re like me you may have several food items that are not expired, but you know you’ll never eat them. Just throw them out. There’s no point in waiting until they have expired when you know you or your family members won’t eat them.

To wrap up, a well-organized refrigerator and freezer can save you time, money, and stress in the kitchen. By creating categories and using bins tailored to your needs, you’ll not only make it easier to find items but also reduce your food waste. Always prioritize what works best for you over trends or other people’s methods. Ultimately, the best organization method is the one that resonates with you, so take the time to experiment. Happy organizing!

Comment below with any organizing tips and tricks that you use. I would love to hear from you!