How to organise your fridge to keep food fresh longer

Fresh produce - tips on how to organise your fridge.

Learning how to organise your fridge has many benefits. Not only does it help you find ingredients quickly, but it also reduces food waste, keeps groceries fresher for longer, and makes meal planning easy.

In this post you’ll discover the main benefits of organising your fridge, what to do before you start to organise it, how to actually organise it, and how to maintain your organised fridge for the long term.

We’ll cover fridge storage ideas, how to organise food in categories, how to utilise fridge zones, and more fridge organisation tips to help you get started.

Grab your FREE toolkit with a meal planner and other printables to help you declutter and create a more organised home here.

Table of Contents

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The benefits of organising your fridge

Taking the time to organise your fridge has the following benefits:

Saves money on groceries by not buying duplicate items
Reduces food waste as you use ingredients before they spoil
Keeps food fresher for longer
Makes meal planning easier
Frees up space for new groceries
Keeps your kitchen organised
Makes it easy for your family to put food away

Before you organise your fridge

Before you organise your fridge, take a few minutes to do these tasks so your organisation efforts last.

Empty your fridge completely
Throw away expired or spoiled food
Wipe down shelves, drawers, and door compartments
Check expiry dates and use food that’s close to expiring
Measure your shelves if you plan to buy food storage containers

RELATED POST: Simple freezer organisation tips

How to organise your fridge

Here are some ways to organise your fridge to help you create a fridge that will stay organised for the long term.

Use containers that keep food fresh

One of the easiest fridge storage ideas is to use containers that are designed to extend the life of your food.

When choosing containers, look for ones that have airflow vents or filters and are:

Clear
Stackable
Easy to clean
BPA free
Designed specifically for fridge use

Here are some of my favourite fridge storage ideas that keep food fresh.

Fruit storage containers with a handle for extra convenience
Glass containers these are easy to clean
Clear stackable containers with a draining tray to prevent contents getting soggy
Containers with airtight lids which are also oven, microwave, and freezer safe

Before buying any containers, measure the area you want to place the containers in to make sure it will fit.

An extra tip is to place container labels on your food storage containers listing the contents and the date it was put in the fridge, so you can use the food before it spoils.

Organise food into categories

One of my most used fridge organisation tips is grouping similar food items together in the following categories:

Breakfast foods
Lunch ingredients
Dinner ingredients
Snacks
Dairy
Drinks
Condiments

Grouping similar items together makes it much easier to find what you need, and prevents food from getting forgotten about at the back of the fridge.

Choose the right size containers

Whenever possible transfer smaller amounts of food into appropriately sized containers.

For example, if you’ve used half a block of cheese, move the cheese from the original container it was in when it was a full block, into a container that can fit the smaller amount of cheese you have left.

This simple change creates extra room in your fridge, and makes your fridge feel less cluttered.

Apron, rolling pin, fresh produce - tips on how to organise your fridge.

Cut food before storing it

Cutting food into smaller pieces is great for meal prepping activities, and can make your fridge tidier.

For example:

Cut watermelon into slices
Chop broccoli into florets
Wash grapes before storing them
Slice celery and carrots into snack-sized portions

Utilise fridge zones

One of the best ways to learn how to organise your fridge is organising it by zones.

For example:

Drinks zone

Store milk, juice, and water bottles where there’s enough vertical space.

Condiment zone

Keep sauces, dressings, and condiments together in a condiment container.

Ready to eat zone

Store breakfast foods, lunch items, yoghurt, and prepared snacks together for easy access.

Dinner zone

Keep raw meat, leftovers, and ingredients for upcoming meals together, which also helps to make batch cooking easier.

Fruit and vegetable zone

Use your fridge’s crisper drawers for produce, and store fruit in produce containers that maintain airflow.

Snack zone

Create a kids’ snack station zone for school lunchbox items, or grab-and-go snacks so it’s easy for your kids to access these foods when they want them.

Store food in the right area

Another way to organise food in your fridge is by using your fridge’s temperature zones, which helps food stay fresher for longer, for example:

Top shelves – to store leftovers and ready to eat foods
Middle shelves – place dairy products and everyday items here
Bottom shelf – best for raw meat and fish
Crisper drawers – perfect for fruit and vegetables
Door shelves – condiments, sauces and drinks are best stored here

Not all fridges have the same temperature zones, so consulting your fridge user manual can help you determine what temperature each of your fridge’s zones are.

How to keep your fridge organised

Once you’ve organised your fridge, a quick weekly reset can help you keep it organised.

Each week:

Throw away expired food
Wipe shelves
Move older food to the front
Check what needs using within the next couple of days
Add new groceries to the correct zones

How to organise your fridge – a recap

Thinking about how to organise your fridge doesn’t have to be complicated.

By using a few simple fridge organisation tips, you can reduce food waste, save money on groceries, and make meal planning a breeze.

To organise your fridge:

Use containers that keep food fresh
Group similar items together
Choose containers that fit the contents
Cut fruit and vegetables before storing them
Utilise fridge zones
Store food by temperature
Complete weekly resets

These fridge storage ideas and fridge organisation tips will help you organise your fridge in no time.

Ready to get more organised?

If you enjoyed these tips, don’t forget to download your FREE toolkit full of printables to make decluttering and home organisation easier. Get your FREE toolkit here.

Do you have any fridge organisation tips that work for your family?

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