5 Smart Refrigerator Organization Ideas

Each area of your refrigerator has a different temperature. The top shelf and door are warmer zones, and the shelves get cooler as you go lower in the refrigerator. Store food according to its temperature needs and with an eye to food safety. Take a cue from restaurant kitchens, where foods that need no cooking are placed on the top shelves of the fridge and raw food is stored on the bottom shelves. This prevents that raw ribeye from dripping meat juice on your leftover burrito, which could lead to food contamination and food-borne illness. E-coli and salmonella are real, people.

Put your leftovers, yogurt, cheese, and lunchmeat on the upper shelves. 

Put raw ingredients on the lower shelves. Store raw poultry, fish and meat in sealed containers to keep them from touching or dripping on other foods.

Place up a clear plastic bin on a lower shelf dedicated to meat storage. The bin will catch any meat drips and keep the other foods safe.

One of the simplest refrigerator organization ideas is moving the appliance's shelves to meet your storage needs. Think about where you usually keep food and adjust the shelves accordingly. Do you always have a couple of gallon jugs of milk, juice or tea? Position a shelf so there’s room for them. Do you keep cheese sticks, cups of yogurt, fruit and other snacks for your children to grab when they come home from school? Make sure there’s a shelf low enough for them to reach the goodies.

Your secret weapon in refrigerator organization is refrigerator organization bins. Use bins to reduce the clutter created by small items and make them easier to locate and store efficiently. Use the rule “like goes with like.” Put yogurt cups and cheese sticks in one bin, juice boxes in another bin, and jams, honey and syrup together in yet another bin. Create a logical system using refrigerator organization bins to keep you from overbuying ingredients you already have but can't find.

Going vertical with storage is the best way to maximize a space. The same is true for your refrigerator. Buy flat-topped refrigerator organizer containers you can stack and use them to store everything from cut produce to meat. Fit more food into your refrigerator and find it quickly when you need it.

There are refrigerator organization bins designed to keep produce and herbs fresh longer. They allow air to circulate around the produce and prevent moisture build-up while maintaining the right amount of humidity. Try berry bins that make it easier to wash and drain berries, and egg holders that protect eggs from breakage. Get soda can organizers especially made for corralling rolling cans and water bottles in the refrigerator. They give you quick and easy access and use the space more efficiently since you can stack them on top of each other.