Insanely Easy Fridge Organization Ideas

Last Updated on September 9, 2024

Discover the easiest and best fridge organization ideas to completely transform your space with my go-to refrigerator organizers. 

When I open up the refrigerator and it’s a hot mess, I am not a happy camper! It’s crowded, things aren’t easy to find, and it most definitely won’t be up to my clean standards. Refrigerators are like closets. If you don’t create a system for organization, it’s so easy to fall into a disheveled hole that’s hard to climb out of. 

It’s really easy to just toss things in the fridge randomly, but eventually – you’ll run out of space. I have been over at friends or family’s homes when I’m trying to help them clean up after meals. I open up the fridge to put in leftovers and there is literally zero room to store anything (not fun!). You end up creating an even bigger disaster trying to shove more stuff in there.

The good news is, it’s actually really easy to organize your refrigerator! Check out my top fridge organization ideas to create more space and perfect order for your refrigerator. 

Discover more kitchen organization posts:
→5 Quick and Easy Freezer Organization Tips
→Pantry Storage Ideas
→The Best Pantry Alternative

Fridge Organization 101: 3 Steps to an Organized Refrigerator

1. Take Inventory of What You Have

Before picking the best fridge organizers, you need to figure out what food and beverage items you actually have. Do you have a lot of bagged or boxed goods? Do you drink a lot of canned drinks? Are you a huge veggie person? All of this will help determine which organizers will be your best solution.

2. Throw Away Old or Expired Items

This seems like a no brainer, but even with me cleaning our fridge on a weekly basis, I still find items that are a year expired! That side door crammed full of sauces and dressings gets me every time. 

Do a monthly audit (at a minimum) to check expiration dates and assess fruits and veggie conditions to see what can be tossed out. 

3. Clean Your Fridge

We want our refrigerators to be organized to perfection, but we also want them to be clean (the two go hand-in-hand!). Give your fridge a good wipe down. I wipe ours down on a weekly basis, but when I’m feelings extra neurotic, I do a deep cleaning.

If you are attempting organization for the first time or haven’t really cleaned your fridge in a hot minute, do it! You will see just how dirty a fridge actually gets and will feel so much better once it’s done. 

This will also make it easier to organize things. I like to pull everything out of the fridge (including the drawers). Throw the drawers in the sink and wash with hot, soapy water. Then, I wipe the entire inside of the fridge down with Clorox wipes. 

Finish it off by drying with a paper towel or microfiber cloth. You want everything to be dry (and streak-free!) when you put everything back in.

How to Organize a Refrigerator

1. Create Zones

If you are obsessed with The Home Edit on Netflix like I am, then you know they are all about the zones. This technique really does work! Think about the size and shape of the items you have and where it makes the most sense to store them. Keep like items together so it’s easier to find them when you need them.

2. Determine Which Refrigerator Organizers You Need

Organization products have become a $12+ billion business for a reason. We are craving more structure and order in our lives, and storage solutions and organizers help us create that. 

If you don’t want to spend the money on organizers, that’s okay. You can still create more order just by keeping like things together and tossing expired or old items regularly. 

I’ll be sharing my favorite fridge organizers below!

3. Store Extra Items in Another Fridge

I only have one refrigerator, so this isn’t an option for me. But a lot of my friends and family do, and it really helps out. My parents have one in the garage that my mom stores bottled water, canned drinks in, and more. If you have that option, it can be a great solution for keeping your primary fridge more clean and organized. 

The Best Fridge Organizers

Can Refrigerator Organizers

This is pretty much a game changer. We drink a ton of La Croix and Waterloo drinks, especially in the summer. These cans were living all over our fridge. Some were in the door; others were stacked on the shelves. I bought 2 of these from Amazon, and they help us keep our drinks so organized!

Lazy Susan Turntable

A lazy susan is one of my favorite organizers. I bought one for our pantry makeover, and it is so helpful! It’s non-skid so items stay put, and you can turn it around to easily grab items from anywhere on it. 

If you don’t have a lazy susan, you should definitely try one out for yourself! I bought the steele blue color, but there are a ton of other options. 

Food Storage Organizers

I originally bought this set of 4 plastic food organizers for our pantry, but I ended up using 2 of them in the fridge! We’re storing bread in them, but they are really versatile.

Use them for bread, juice boxes, fruit, or more. They even come with a set of 3 dividers for each container that can be configured in different ways for ultimate organization!

Egg Containers with Lid

Egg cartons from the store are not very sturdy or strong, despite holding very fragile items! I bought these egg containers, which come in a set of 2. They’re also lidded, so you could stack them on top of one another (or stack other things on top of them).

Each container holds up to 14 eggs, so if you have a family who eats a lot of them, these would be perfect! We don’t eat a ton of eggs, but I do bake with them. I also have egg alternative that I’ll use sometimes, but it isn’t quite as good as the real deal.

Refrigerator Door Storage

Most fridges already come with a good amount of built-in storage. The same zoning rule applies here. We use our refrigerator door storage for condiments, oat milk, and dairy or dairy alternative items like butter and cheese. 

Refrigerator Drawer Storage

We primarily store fruits and veggies in the crisper drawers. We are regular juicers, so we have a ton of veggies. Be sure to stay on top of this drawer because it’s an easy one to forget (this is where celery goes to wilt and eventually die!). Check your crisper drawer every few weeks to toss out food that’s gone bad.

Simple Fridge Organization

I know some people get even more crazy with their fridge organization, but I like to keep things pretty simple! Since organizing our refrigerator with these simple tips and tricks, it’s so much easier to keep things clean and orderly. 

I hope this post was helpful. Happy organizing!

Discover more organization and cleaning tips:
→Organization & Cleaning

This post is about fridge organization tips.