For many of us, our refrigerators have never been more full. With restaurants only starting to open up, we’re all still cooking more than ever and grocery shopping continues to be a once- or twice-a-week haul. If you find yourself forgetting about those scallions you bought last month or struggling to fit as many cans of seltzer in the crisper as possible, there is a solution: organizing your fridge. So we reached out to three experts — Sharon Lowenheim, a.k.a. the Organizing Goddess; Nonnahs Driskill of Get Organized Already; and Jen Robin of Life in Jeneral — for their recommendations on how to get all of those groceries (and towering takeout containers) in order. Here’s what they had to say.
Containers
If organizing your fridge feels like working on a puzzle, then it might help to get pieces that actually fit together. Lowenheim swears by this stackable line of containers from Rubbermaid. “They stack beautifully in the fridge, they are clear so that you can see the food contents, and they clean up well in the dishwasher,” she says. “In the cabinet, they store nested inside each other, and the lids fit below or above.” Even better, square and rectangular containers are much more space-efficient, according to Lowenheim. She adds that if you’re feeling extra determined, you should precut your produce as soon as you bring it home and put it in containers right away to save space.
Shelves
Cabinet shelves aren’t just for cabinets. If you need to create more space inside your fridge, investing in a shelving unit will go a long way. “Adding a cabinet shelf in the refrigerator will help make better use of your shelves by dividing your vertical space in two,” says Lowenheim. “You can keep items above and below the shelf.”
Drawers
There’s nothing worse than losing track of what’s in your fridge and rebuying an item you already have, or forgetting you bought something until it’s too late and it’s gone bad. “It’s very easy for items in the fridge to get lost in the back,” Lowenheim says. She recommends the Linus line of organizing products from iDesign. “Putting in a deep plastic bin allows you to easily pull out items and select what you need without having to move everything,” she says, while the soda can and wine organizers feature dedicated storage for all your favorite drinks.
If you want to get even more granular with your fridge organization, professional home organizer Jen Robin loves the divided fridge drawers, bins, and berry holders from big-name organizers the Home Edit. “Oftentimes your fridge only has the two smaller drawers on the bottom, and it’s not enough for produce,” says Robin. “These drawers maintain freshness and add structure in other parts of the fridge.” The design of the berry bins is particularly inspired: “They have a removable drainage tray on the bottom, which is great for rinsing and preserving,” Robin adds.
Lazy Susans
Another solution for keeping track of what’s in your fridge? Making it easier to see what’s inside without having to take everything out. “Jars of condiments take up a lot of room in the refrigerator,” Driskell of Get Organized Already says. “Once you’ve used all the room in the doors of your fridge, I recommend you use a 10-to-12-inch lazy Susan/turntable to store the other jars in the back corners of one or two shelves.”
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