An overcrowded refrigerator is not only inconvenient, it can be unpleasant. If you can set aside some time to do this, you can declutter the house and home by starting in the kitchen and look forward to a happy week of opening the fridge doors. This is one of those small projects that can make a big difference in the efficiency of your home. Give it a try and see if being clutter free doesn’t feel significantly better than putting up with clutter.

Things you will need:

• dish soap
• sponge
• trash can
• a small box of baking soda
• about an hour of time

Step 1: Empty the entire fridge

I know it sounds like a pain. But, you might as well clean it up while you’re at it. Take everything out and clean the inside of your refrigerator with a soapy sponge. Open your new box of baking soda and place it on a shelf somewhere in the back of the fridge. The baking soda will absorb odors and keep your refrigerator smelling fresh.

Step 2: Discard Old and Expired Food

If it’s wilted, smelly, blurry, or expired, it should go in the trash. This is your refrigerator, you don’t want it to become a science experiment. It’s a great feeling to know there are no nasty surprises hidden in your Tupperware.

Step 3: Group your foods by type

By grouping all of your food by type on the outside before putting it back in your fridge, you can get a better idea of ​​the type of space you need inside to fit your items.

Step 4 – Adjust Your Shelves

All of their food is arranged grouped by type. Now you can see which items are taller or shorter and adjust your shelves accordingly. The top shelf should probably be left higher, to accommodate large jugs and bottles. If you have a lot of canned drinks or large liter soda bottles, you can look into special wire shelves that sit on the shelf or hang below the shelf to free up more space (there are plenty of these neat home gadgets on the market now, as well keep an eye out for discount stores.) Leave at least one long shelf spanning the entire refrigerator for cakes and large baking sheets.

Step 5: Return food to the refrigerator in groups

Put all your sandwich or deli items in one drawer. Place your butter and cream cheese items in the butter compartment (sometimes on the door). Put the fruits in one container, put the vegetables in another (usually they are located at the bottom). Bottled items can be placed at the door, just make sure they are grouped by type; jellies together, salad dressings together, sauces together, etc. Designate certain areas for food that has been cooked and only needs to be reheated, one area for meats (beef, seafood, poultry) and another for dairy products.

Step 6: Hold, Repeat, and Expand

As beautiful as your fridge looks now, it will only be functional if you keep up what you’ve done by cleaning out the fridge once a week (throwing out old food and scrubbing it down). This weekly habit will keep your refrigerator looking organized and clean. clean throughout the week. Remember to put the items back into their correct group.

Once you’ve cleaned your fridge and seen the difference and satisfaction it brings to your life, think about expanding your cleaning to other parts of your life; You can declutter the house, car, garage, office, basically anywhere that isn’t performing as well as you know it could. Imagine how your life would feel if everything else worked as well as your refrigerator?