Order, order: how to tidy your fridge
28.7.2023
Translation: Julia Graham
Overturned tubes, rolling bottles, a homeless pepper and fruit that’s scattered willy-nilly. Sounds like a familiar scene behind a lot of fridge doors. But how can you avoid these kinds of problems and store food properly?
It gets to me about every two weeks. I clean out the entire fridge and rearrange it all over again. Sauces move to the door’s top shelf, animal products go in the middle and there’s now an extra corner for veggies next to the crisper. Each time I do this I think: right, it’ll all be different from now on.
Spoiler – it won’t. Order only reigns for a limited time. And things like overturned bottles, leaking tubes and squashed fruit and veg make my fridge live up to its messy reputation. If you feel the same way, here are a few helpful tips and products to help instil order and ensure your food is stored properly.
Go easy on sensitive produce
The last thing you want is to spoil your lovely fruit and vegetables with pressure marks. If you’ve ever tried to squeeze everything into the vegetable crisper higgledy-piggledy or unceremoniously packed it onto the shelf, you know what I’m talking about. One way to avoid this in future is by lining your fridge with this textile mat. It cushions an entire shelf or even a sliding compartment.
iDesign’s flexible underlay is even more practical. Measuring 30 × 30 cm, it takes up less space. The material is pliable and, above all, it doesn’t take long to wash. According to the manufacturer, this pad is even dishwasher-safe. So you don’t need to worry about chopped fruit and vegetables leaving marks on it. Another plus is you won’t need to wash out the fridge as often.
Don’t leave drinks rolling around
Items that often cause space issues are beverages. They burst the side compartments in the door or roll around uncontrollably on shelves. Sometimes in several shaky layers. The Linus shelf gives them an allotted space, so you can stack them safely on top of each other:
This product from iDesign gives five bottles a safe home. What’s particularly practical about it is you can stack individual rows of shelves on top of each other. If one drinks holder isn’t enough, you can add more, so it becomes a set of multi-level shelves.
Unburden the fridge door
The side compartments of the fridge door are often filled with tubes and small bottles of sauce or lemon juice, as well as leftovers of canned goods. For most, these spaces are either chaotic and overcrowded or predestined for containers to rattle about or even fall out when you whip the door open. You can remedy this by moving stuff around. You can easily accommodate things that unnecessarily clog up space or aren’t safe to store in the door compartment because of their size in this organiser:
With several divided compartments, it’s particularly handy for small or medium-sized bottles. Importantly, you can move the separating discs as required to adapt to the contents. It even provides a safe haven for narrow containers that aren’t stable.
Store food groups together
I’m sure you’re already aware of the issue that is sliding compartments not being big enough for all your fruit and vegetables. But storing them loose in the fridge isn’t the solution either, as this quickly causes chaos. And then you forget about the apple that wasn’t so fresh even yesterday. Large storage containers, such as those from Hermes, can give you clarity. This way you have everything in view and ready to hand. The set includes two different sizes. If you don’t end up using the boxes, you can also conveniently stack them inside each other and save on space.
However, if you’re on the hunt for an entire organiser system rather than just two bins, what you need is a Bins and Boxes set. Its seven-piece box bundle provides plenty of different storage options and brings order to your fridge.
And if you’ve got light-fingered roommates, you won’t need to worry about your food going missing with the Casativo set. These fridge boxes are secured with a combination lock.
With all these tools at your disposal, you should now be able to carve out some order amongst the chaos. And yes, maybe even keep it that way.
When all else fails
Still struggling to secure enough space, no matter how much you rearrange and turn things around to fit? If that’s the case, you might need a bigger fridge. The LG does some of the groundwork when it comes to keeping a space tidy. For instance, the device already comes with extra sliding compartments and a drinks tray. Another particularly practical feature is that you can look inside just by tapping on the glass. This gives you an overview without even having to open the door.
Header image: Oliver Fischer
Cat lady and coffee lover from up north. Always on the lookout for «News and Trends».
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