What’s the point of a new fridge if everything inside is lost and expired?!

So, you’ve read my refrigerator buying guide, you’ve watched my video reviews

you might have even asked the forums or Facebook group!

You’re an appliance pro and your nice new refrigerator just got delivered! Then you just can’t wait to fill up to the brim with all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat, and more!

Then you think: “what happened to those strawberries I bought weeks ago?” and I don’t need to paint you a picture of how those strawberries end up looking.

With all that being said, it’s not enough to just have the nice, new, big fridge. It has to be clean and organized. But there’s no need to fear, Al is here!

Here are some handy tips of mine to make your refrigerator feel as clean and organized as new!

These are the tips, tricks, and techniques that I use in my own kitchen, and on my own refrigerator!

I put these exact steps into practice while setting up the fridge in my new poolhouse renovation.

1 Clean it out:

It may be a little obvious to some, but it’s always worth it to start with a clean fridge while organizing. Whether that means tossing ancient leftovers or just taking some cleaner and wiping down the shelves, this is a great step to make your fridge manageable. Don’t just stop there! Make future cleaning easier! Adding a fridge liner to any surface in your fridge will make future cleanup a breeze!

2 Start with a simple organization kit!

A great baseline is to get a simple fridge organizer kit. There’s no need to go for a celebrity-endorsed set of overpriced containers! Many sites have 6-8 piece clear plastic kits for less than $25 these can cover all the basics, and some come with specialized containers for things like eggs and cans of soda. This will give you a great basis to understand your own organizing needs.

3 Know where things should go:

Simply put, what you see the most is what you use/think of the most! Put perishable items or food that needs to get eaten sooner than later dead center! Another aspect to consider is where everything is stacked in the fridge! For example, the higher the shelf in the fridge, the lower the temp, so maybe save the top shelves for leftovers that are going to be eaten within a day, etc. as an added bonus, the top of the fridge is generally the first place your eyes jump to. So keep this in mind when trying to get yourself (or whoever you share the fridge with) to finish something off!

Use this as a guide rather than a law, meats go on the bottom for two main reasons in my experience, leakage, and spoilage! The colder temperatures of the bottom of the fridge will keep food from spoiling, and the location (plus a plastic bin and shelf liners we talked about) will help minimize any possible leakage. What sounds less painful in the event of a broken fridge, wiping down a bin, and washing/replacing a liner? Or tossing everything because your ground beef leaked?

4 Use labels to make future organizing simpler!

Labels are excellent for everyone, but especially for anyone living with, let’s say, less organized people. Once you have a bin labeled “Yogurt” they have no excuse to leave it anywhere else!

Here’s just one example of the kinds of labels you can make/find out there!

5  Routine, routine, routine!

With these steps in place, the only way to make things even easier is to be consistent! Go through your fridge and wipe down the bins/liners rotating any of your frequently bought items.

Are you looking to purchase a new refrigerator or other home appliance?

Visit Plessers.com or call 1-877-957-5377 and mention Al sent you to receive an exclusive Just Ask Al Members-Only $50 discount