Easy ways to organise your fridge

Fridges easily get disorganised and messy with daily use, often resulting in strange mystery boxes and unnecessary food waste. Here are some easy tips to help you improve organisation and free up useful space in your fridge.

A French door fridge/freezer with both doors open showing foods in containers, boxes, jars, resealable bags and carafes.

A person wiping inside a fridge with a green RINNIG dish-cloth, plus a serving bowl and a tea towel on a kitchen trolley.

A tidy fridge in six easy steps

It’s best to start with a thorough cleaning. It makes organising everything more rewarding and you’ll be more pleased with the end result.

• Empty the fridge and wipe all surfaces clean

• Plan the placement of everything

• Group similar contents in handy storage boxes

• Clear containers make it easy to see what’s inside

• Zip-lock bags keep your food fresh for longer

• Some foods don’t belong in the fridge

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Handy box organisation

A smart organising tip is sorting items that need roughly the same temperature in larger boxes. The lower part of the fridge is colder – good for raw meat and dairy. The top is better for spreads and ready to eat foods, for instance. Boxes also make it easier cleaning up if something springs a leak.

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A white VARIERA box with jars in it next to two more jars and a bamboo bowl with eggs, on a kitchen worktop by a window.

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Less surprises, less waste

With clear containers it’s easy to see what’s inside. And a good eye on things tends to lead to less food waste. Most container series come in a range of sizes with the same size lids, making the containers stackable. Some can even be used upside down – with the lid as a tray the container becomes a cover.

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An open fridge with IKEA 365+ food containers with bamboo lids, a bamboo bowl with eggs, plus other containers and boxes.

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Smart storage choices for a tidy fridge

Food storage containers come in many different materials, types and sizes. To make sure that you always have options to choose between, having a mix in stock is usually what works best.

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Seal in the freshness

These zip-lock bags keep veg, nuts and other foods fresh for longer. Thanks to the double seal they’re also great for storing leftovers and ready-made portions in the fridge. If you want – and depending on what’s been inside – you can re-use them with a quick hand wash.

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Slices of watermelon, a cook’s knife and two ISTAD resealable bags on a chopping board beside two clear glass jars with lids.

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What to keep out

Some foods are best stored outside the fridge. So, why not get a few hanging net bags and beautiful bowls for your countertop? It’s a much better place to keep your tomatoes, avocados, onions, potatoes, bananas and more. This is also a nice relief for your fridge, making it less crowded.

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