Is your fridge a jumbled mess of condiments, leftovers, and mystery foods that have been in there so long you can’t identify them anymore?
Do you spend way too long searching for that yogurt or cheese you just know is hiding somewhere in the back?
Getting your fridge organized can seem like an overwhelming task, but with just a few simple hacks, you can transform that chaotic space into a beautifully organized oasis!
The right organizational tools and techniques can save you time, reduce food waste, and just generally give you a sense of peace when you open that fridge door.
Here are 13 of my favorite quick and easy fridge organization hacks to help you whip that fridge into shape.
They require minimal time, effort, and investment – but deliver maximum impact:
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Use Baskets to Corral Like Items
Let’s start with one of the simplest but most effective tricks – using baskets to group like items together.
Take condiments for example – does yours look like a scattered mess of soy sauce, salad dressings, jars of salsa, and who knows what else?
Grab a few inexpensive plastic baskets and start sorting!
Group all the condiments together in one or two baskets – this instantly declutters the shelf and makes everything so much easier to find.
Do the same with yogurt cups, cheese slices, or produce.
Baskets are great for corralling those small items that can quickly get disorganized.
Look for baskets in different sizes – some narrow ones for tight spaces and larger ones for bulkier items.
And don’t forget about height – taller baskets are great for organizing taller items like bottles of dressing.
Get creative with combining basket sizes and shapes to customize your storage.
With everything neatly sorted into baskets, your eyes won’t have to scan 20 different items to find the one you need.
Just glance at the basket labels and pull out exactly what you need.
This simple organizing essential helps create order in the chaos.
Use Shelving to Double Your Space
Fridges tend to have a lot of wasted vertical storage space.
All that air above the top shelf?
Why not put it to use!
Refrigerator shelving maximizes that underutilized space and effectively doubles the storage capacity of your fridge.
Look for adjustable shelving that allows you to customize the configurations to fit your fridge.
And opt for open-wire styles that promote air circulation – you don’t want to block the internal fans and compromise cooling.
Figure out which areas of your fridge could benefit most from extra shelving.
The inner door is prime real estate for adding shelves to hold jarred items, condiments, dressings, and other smaller items.
Shelves along the back wall are great for stocking bulk beverages or large party platters and bowls.
Getting upward with shelving creates new levels of organized storage in your fridge.
And being able to see everything at a glance minimizes the risk of items getting lost in the back and expiring – hello, reduced food waste!
Get Eggs in Order with Trays
Does your fridge door become a deadly game of egg roulette every time you open it?
A rolling egg that drops and cracks is a huge mess to clean up.
Avoid egg catastrophes by using egg trays to keep your eggs neatly in place.
Look for trays with indented slots to securely hold each egg – they’ll stay put no matter how many times you open and close the door.
Trays come in plastic, bamboo, silicone, and other materials to suit different styles.
I recommend seeking ones with covers to contain any mess if an egg does crack or leak.
Slide the egg tray onto a door shelf or place on the main fridge shelves.
Not only will this save your eggs, but it organizes them into one easy-to-find spot.
No more digging behind containers to find your dozen eggs.
Having a dedicated egg tray keeps this fridge staple organized and easily accessible.
And your egg sandwiches, omelets, and baking projects will stay on track instead of coming to a screeching halt due to a lack of usable eggs.
Get Sauced with Door Organizers
That refrigerator door holds a lot of potential for organization.
And those condiments and sauces crammed onto shelves are prime targets for getting into formation.
Enter: the door organizer.
These narrow wire or plastic racks either hook onto or slip right onto fridge door shelves to instantly divide up the space.
Use them to neatly stand up bottles, jars, and tubes in organized rows.
Say goodbye to the leaning tower of sauces!
Having everything upright makes each sauce, dressing, jam, etc clear to see.
And bringing order to the door helps streamline meal prep.
You’ll be able to grab exactly the salsa or soy sauce you need without having to rummage through a cluttered shelf.
Opt for adjustable door organizers that allow you to reconfigure the dividers to fit different item sizes.
A few along the door will get all those small goods in order.
Now your fridge door will look like a gourmet store aisle rather than a condiment warzone.
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Don’t Bottle It Up – Use Can Organizers
Between sodas, sparkling water, broths, and coconut milk – cans can really pile up.
Leaving them in unorganized stacks leads to wasted fridge space and unstable toppling towers.
The solution?
Can organizers!
These storage tools corral cans together neatly and upright.
Look for sturdy opaque plastic versions with adjustable dividers.
That allows you to customize the compartments to fit everything from skinny Red Bull cans to family-size soup cans.
Station can organizers along the back wall, inner shelves, and even the door to get your canned goods in tidy formation.
You’ll maximize space while keeping items visible and within reach.
Can organizers prevent chaos, and they’re a game changer for stocking up when cans are on sale.
Get a bunch and stack them to build a can pyramid of perfect organization.
Marie Kondo would be so proud.
Get Crafty with DIY Dividers
Out of organizers or looking for a thriftier option?
Whip up some fridge dividers with materials you likely already have at home.
Here are some crafty ideas to DIY your own organizers:
– Use empty cardboard boxes or food packages.
Cut and fold into divider partitions to organize shelf spaces.
Get creative with angled cuts, folds, and tabs to make custom shapes.
– Grab empty plastic food containers, cut with scissors to resize, and use as mini shelves or risers.
Their walls neatly divide up space.
– Make dividers from plastic takeout lids by gluing or tying several together, then slide onto shelves to separate items.
– Cut panels from rigid plastic sheets or acrylic to create customized organizers.
They’re easy to wipe clean too.
– Fashion aluminum foil or parchment paper into divider sheets.
Fold into shapes and slide into place for quick separation.
Part of the fun is getting inventive to repurpose household materials into custom organizers.
And these dividers allow you to reconfigure as needed – especially handy for shared fridges.
DIY your way to refrigerator organization.
Get Stacked with Fridge Bins
When you’ve got a lot of little items and loose ingredients, it’s time to bring in the bins!
These clear stacked containers are ideal for organizing fridge chaos into tidy towers.
Look for bins in a range of sizes – from tiny condiment bins to family-sized produce bins.
And seek out versions with ventilation holes to allow air circulation and prevent moisture build up.
Use bins to group similar ingredients or food items together.
For example, store fruits and veggies in categorized bins – greens in one, berries in another, etc.
This makes meal prep much easier when you can grab the exact component you need.
Bins are also great for organizing yogurt cups, juice boxes, to-go containers, and other small items that can quickly clutter shelves.
Stacked bins corral all these loose goods into an organized system to maximize your fridge real estate.
And don’t forget about vertically stacking bins to make use of all that overhead space.
Build your ingredient towers!
Having everything visible at a glance helps reduce mystery fridge items and food waste.
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Organize Food by Category with Signs
Here’s an organizing trick that requires minimal effort but makes your fridge functionality so much smoother.
Use mini signs, stickers or magnets to label shelves, bins and baskets by food category.
For example, identify the produce drawer, snack shelf, yogurt bin, etc.
This designates homes for certain items.
It guides other household members on where foods belong for consistent organization.
Plus, when you’re cooking, you’ll know exactly where to find the ingredients you need in a flash.
Searcing for cheese and eggs?
Check the signs pointing to the dairy shelf.
Making a smoothie?
Head right to the produce drawer.
Signage helps make your fridge zones clear, avoiding that catch-all junk drawer effect.
The more method you give to the fridge madness, the more of a well-oiled machine it becomes.
Customize signs to suit your family’s needs and eating style.
And tweak them as your fridge items change.
Signage brings clarity and order simply and efficiently.
Use Magnetic Backing to Hold Items in Place
Ever go to grab a bottle from that precariously crowded fridge door and end up with three other items tumbling out too?
Those slippery containers can lead to a messy avalanche when they’re stacked loosely.
The solution – give them some grip!
Adhere magnetic backing to containers, bottles and jars.
This enables them to adhere to the metal fridge surface and hold everything firmly in place.
Seek out self-stick magnetic strips that easily stick to containers.
Or use magnetic labels, which offer the bonus of labeling contents too.
Secure dressings, sauces and marinades on the door along with berries, veggies and any other frequently grabbed items.
This hack keeps them in place no matter how many times the door gets opened and closed.
You can find rolls of magnetic backing to cut and apply anywhere – use them along the back wall and even the bottom shelves.
Your fridge goods will stay neatly parked in their spots.
Store Smart with Fridge-Friendly Food Containers
Having the right food containers for fridge storage is a game changer when it comes to organization.
Look for ones designed specifically to maximize fridge space.
Seek tall, narrow containers that make use of all that vertical room on shelves.
They take up minimal space while fitting plenty of food.
Shallow and wide containers are ideal for large fridge door shelves, allowing you to neatly stack more on each one.
Look for clear ones to see contents easily.
Look for modular containers that stack and connect together.
They often have interchangeable sizes that customize to your needs.
Avoid giant unwieldy containers that hog all the space on one shelf.
Varied sizes and shapes maximize room for all your foods.
And opt for glass, stainless steel or BPA-free plastic to safely store foods while retaining freshness.
Having containers suited for fridge storage helps keep order.
Purge Regularly
Here’s an easy maintenance habit that makes a consistently organized fridge possible: purge regularly.
Set a reminder to do a fridge purge every week or two.
Comb through all shelves, bins, drawers, etc.
and pull out any expired, spoiled or unidentifiable foods to discard.
This prevents forgotten foods from turning into science experiments.
While purging, take note of disorganized problem spots and restrategize the storage.
Repurpose containers, adjust shelves, and update signage as needed.
A few minutes of purging keeps things fresh and orderly.
You’ll encounter less “surprise” foods, reduce waste, and optimize space.
Making it a consistent habit prevents chaos creep and keeps that crisper drawer…well…crisp!
Small tweaks like baskets, bins and trays make a huge impact.
And habits like labeling and purging will maintain that organization long-term.
With some dedication to these simple strategies, you can wave goodbye to fridge chaos for good.
I want your fridge to be just as functional and beautiful as the rest of your home.
Use these tips to create a chilled-out area you’re excited to open instead of dreading.
