Today is the last day of March & the last post in my spring cleaning series this month. Spring cleaning isn’t complete without cleaning out the fridge. Its easy, takes less than an hour and looks fabulous when you are done! Keep reading to see how I transformed my “spring” fridge.
The most important thing to do while “spring cleaning” your fridge is to remove all drawers and shelves. Scrub them clean and replace. I wash my fridge parts with mild soap and water.
After I clean out the fridge, I always place Fridge Coasters on the shelves and in the drawers. They are stylish and most importantly, they absorb spills. I replace mine about every 6 months. Visit their website to see all of the cute colors to choose from.
Next, I place some organizing bins (purchased from TJ Maxx) in the drawers & on the shelves. I use them to keep the food organized for my kids. They are great for snacks & school lunches.
Take your fridge organization to a new level by labeling the containers. I prepackage individual sized snack bags for my kids. I realized that if I took the extra time to do this, they would go for the “healthy” snacks as opposed to the not so healthy ones. Try it. It really works!
Use open containers for fruit and veggies.
Once you get home from the grocery store, wash your fruits and veggies & cut them up. Then place them in glass containers. Meal time will be a breeze. (The strawberries are washed in a vinegar & water solution, to help them stay fresh longer). Soak strawberries in a large bowl of 1 cup of vinegar & 3 cups of water. Let them soak for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly.
Keep your condiments together in one bin.
Finally, use containers inside of the drawers to keep the different cheeses, etc. organized. When its time to figure out what you need at the grocery store, it only takes a quick glance in the fridge and you know what you need.
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HAPPY ORGANIZING!
Tags: fridge coasters, kitchen, organizing, spring cleaning
April 2014, Blog, food, food storage, Kitchen, labeling, labels, Organize, Slider, ultimate spring cleaning plan Posted in
28 comments
28 comments on “Fridge Organization…”
Do you ever have a problem with the strawberries getting moldy if you wash and than store them in sealed containers?? Thanks!
After washing them, make sure you let them dry completely before putting them in the container.
I always try to dry them well, although the temperature difference in your fridge will still probably cause some condensation from the strawberries. I always put a couple of paper towels in the bottom of the container and put the strawberries on top. I also will often leave the container open (no top) but sometimes I will still seal the container. My strawberries used to mold quickly before I started doing this. Now, I can’t remember the last time I had moldy strawberries in the fridge 🙂
Amazing!! I love your blog! what label maker do you use for this? the label are large.
Love the blue bins!
Dear Toni, You did a great job and your refrigerator looks so fresh and clean! I use good plastic place mats that I got from Target last summer. They are brightly colored and make the frig look cheerful when we open the door. I like the plastic bins you use to hold different fruits and kids snacks. Did you get them from The Container Store? I’m going to miss your spring cleaning posts…I hope you continue them through April!!!! Pretty please with cheese?!!! 😀 You keep me motivated! <3 xo
Wow – I never thought I’d want to describe the inside of a fridge as beautiful but this is! Great tips – especially the fridge coasters, I’d never heard of them before!
OK, I need to start using the coasters, they are beautiful. I love how you used the different bins and trays to better organize, looks fabulous!
I love the idea of the fridge coasters, and bought some vinyl placemats to replicate the idea…. Then, before I put them in, a friend made a good point – do they not make the lower shelves very dark because the ligth can’t get through? And is it not annoying that you can’t see through the shelves to what’s beneath?
That’s a very good point, Victoria. I’m interested in hearing someone’s opinion on how to solve or work around this issue. I think my refrigerator may light up at a couple different points but I’m sure most of them don’t. I’m buying the fridge coasters today so maybe I’ll be able to report back soon!
But don’t your labels peel off when they get cold? I’ve tried labelling bins before, and they just don’t stick for me. How do you get yours to stay stuck? 🙂
It doesn’t get too cold in Toni’s neck of the woods 🙂
In the topic of fridge organization. I want to know thank you, where did you get the glass containers with aqua blue lids?
Beautiful! Everything looks so fresh and clean. I especially like how the drawers are organized. Great inspiration!
Will you be showing how you organize your freezer? Pretty sure we have the same fridge model and mine freezer is impossible to keep organized – for me anyway 🙂
Thanks!
No plans in the works at the moment but we’ll be sure to tuck that away as a possible future blog post.
This looks fantastic! One tip: tomatoes shouldn’t be kept in the refrigerator.
The fridge looks amazing! Thank you for sharing you always inspire me. Question: The fridge looks pretty full, where/how do you store leftovers? Thaw meat for meal prep?
Thanks for all the great tips on cleaning refrigerators. As a professional cleaner, that’s always my toughest task. You’re doing an awesome job with this blog.
Vanessa at http://www.tahoehousekeeping.com
I second the freezer! I can’t find any organization for mine!! ugh!!!
Great Post! One question – is there a reason you use the glass containers instead of plastic? Since there are kids involved it seems the obvious choice would be plastic, but I’m sure there is a reason 🙂
Glass is sturdier and lasts longer than plastic. Even with BPA-free, plastic is being found to be less and less safe to use with food products
Where did you buy the storage bins you used in the fridge? I’ve been looking for something like that for a while to store my snack baggies. All I seem to find are the icky plastic ones with lids (Rubbermaid I think), those are just gross… the ones you used are pretty. 🙂
Thanks.
They are from TJ Maxx Kristie.
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