Refrigerator Organization & Storage Ideas {Hall Of Fame Part 1}

Lots of people took the refrigerator organization challenge here on the site, and below is the first part of the hall of fame showing how these participants organized their cold food storage.


I've focused on fridge pictures for this hall of fame, although the challenge was for both the fridge and freezer.

If what you see inspires you, or gets you motivated to clean out and organize these large appliances, you can follow along with Week #4 of the Challenge, which has step by step instructions for how to proceed.

Of course, also make sure you're safely storing everything in your fridge by studying this refrigerator storage chart to make sure you're placing everything in the right spots.

In addition, when you do the work for this week make sure to take before and after pictures, and then you too can submit them to get featured in the Home Organization Hall of Fame.

So, without further ado, please scroll down to see Part 1 of the Hall of Fame, and enjoy the before and after pictures!

(Oh, and if you're looking for before and after pictures for these ladies freezers that I mention, I've moved them all to their own page here.)

Photo by PV KS

Organized Refrigerator With Baskets To Keep Like Items Together In Zones

Lee-Anne from Life In A Peanut Free Shell shared her before and after pics when she did this challenge.

She explained: "I used bins from Dollarama to keep 'like' and often used items together, and then used them to create 'zones' in the fridge."

She's got zones for dairy items, a designated spot for leftovers, a place for husband's lunches, a bin devoted to sandwich stuff (I personally think that one is genius!) and even has a spot for snacks her kids can get to when they want.

She went on to say that "the bins are great – just grab a bin when making a sandwich and all your spreads are there – no more searching the fridge for that little jar of strawberry jam!"

Area In Fridge For Lunch:

A reader, Mary Beth, wrote in to say: "The idea to designate an area in the fridge for lunch is a good one.

I bought one of those acrylic containers so everything I pack is in there, 'corraled' and all I do is pull it out and boom, ready to pack. Thanks for writing all the great tips!"

Here's another picture, this one sent in by a reader, Janice, who also uses the containers for organizing her refrigerator. She said, "I bought plastic bins and a soda and water organizer. I removed everything, threw away old foods and reorganized the entire area. Makes me smile when I open it. :) "



You can find acrylic containers for your refrigerator like the ones Janice uses here:

Added Shelf Liner To Make Fridge Look Pretty And Help With Spills

A reader, Jeanette, showed this picture of her fridge after the challenge. She explained, "Cleaned, organized and added fridge coasters." She went on to explain she had added "non adhesive shelf liner. I just cut it to size to fit the shelves."

You can get the same type of shelf liner that Jeanette used here, called Smooth Top Easy Liner. It is available in quite a few colors and patterns.



A similar idea was also shown by another reader, Libby, who instead of using shelf liners added placemats to her refrigerator shelves.

Refrigerator Organization After Pictures: Organizing The Door And Fridge

Kelli worked on several of the weeks of the challenges all at once, and shared the "after" pictures, which you can see above.

I love how she's used uniform size and shaped Tupperware in her fridge to help it look organized, and the square shape (which I recommend more than the rounded shape) is easier to group together without lost space.

Here's another after photo showing both organizing the main body of the fridge and the doors, shown by another reader, Olga.

And another reader, Sarah, sent in photos of how she used glass jars to organize, instead of relying on plastic baskets or containers as many people do. She said, "Gave my fridge a makeover and thought others might like to see it! My family has eaten more fruit in the last 2 days than they usually do in a month!"

Took The Opportunity To Do A Deep Cleaning While I Was At It!

by Ferris @ The Hamman Family Blog

Ferris from The Hamman Family Blog shared her before, middle and after pictures when she tackled this challenge.

When she did it she not only threw out old food but in addition she cleaned it all up.

She took all the stuff off the door and washed that down, then put the stuff back and took out all the shelves and drawers (see the middle of the process pictures) and cleaned everything before putting back and organizing what wasn't thrown out.

What a great job you did Ferris! Awesome work!

If you want to clean yours as well here are my instructions for cleaning your refrigerator on the sister site, Stain Removal 101.

Organized Refrigerator From Around The World

by Wendysinfamilie.blogg.no

I am so excited that the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge is not only catching on here in my country, the USA, but all over the world.

Here's another foreign language blog, Wendsinfamilie.blogg.no where a reader has joined the challenge. {Edited to add, this blog has now been taken down.}

I love all her great pictures of her organized refrigerator! Plus, notice her wine or bottle rack within the refrigerator itself. Love that!

Freezer And Refrigerator Organization - Inside And Out

by Bec @ 2012 - the year of challenges
(Adelaide, Australia)

Bec from 2012 - the year of challenges worked on the inside and out of this appliance.

I've added just the fridge pictures here, but I've featured the rest on other pages of the site.

Remember, for example that part of this challenge is to also clear off the front and top of this appliance.

She said, "This was the hardest bit. Lots of half empty containers and once all the food was out the shelves are so so dirty. I actually found there was quite a lot of space in my fridge after I organised a bit."

Great job Bec!

Freezer And Refrigerator Organization: Before And After Pictures

by Crystal @ Crystal's Ramblings

Crystal from Crystal's Ramblings blogged about her results when she tackled this week's organizational mission.

She shared her before and after pictures for both sides of this appliance. I've shared the fridge pictures here, and the freezer ones on a separate hall of fame page.

I have to say, it looks pretty good! I loved that she waited to do this week's challenge right before trash day, so she could easily throw out any old food and not have it sit in her trash too long before it was carted away. Smart thinking Crystal!

In addition, she explained: "I did organize all the dressings together, jellies/jams, etc. All of the veggies are in one drawer, meats in another, etc."

Organising My Fridge and Freezer (Part 1 from Pauline)

by Pauline
(Millmerran, Queensland, Australia)

Pauline shared her pictures of her freezer and refrigerator organization project in two parts (and the freezer is on a different page).

Pauline says:

I spent the day in the kitchen working on the fridge - which didn't need too much.

It gets out of control pretty easily because my hubby does most of the cooking and I do most of the organising.

The freezer was another story. Thanks for challenging me to get to this one!

Taylor says:

Pauline, I can tell from your pictures that you did a great job!

I especially love how you labeled some of the shelves, on both the door of the refrigerator and in the main refrigerator compartment to help you and anyone else know where things are supposed to go.

It really does take the guess work out of where to put stuff, and such a simple touch can really make the difference in keeping it organized too. Great job!

Here's another photo, from another reader, Rhonda, who also decided to label some of the shelves in her refrigerator. She said, "Trying to train men to return items. Not too much is it?"

Are You Inspired To Get Organized Now?

I hope these before and after pictures have inspired you to tackle your own kitchen now.

If so, I encourage you to join the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge where over the course of the year we tackle each room and area of your home, plus all the big problem areas, so that you can have a decluttered and organized living space.

Plus, if you do this week's challenge then show your before and after pics and I'll add the best ones to the hall of fame.

You can submit your hall of fame submissions here.

You can also see even more organized refrigerator hall of fame photos here!

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Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Rid Of Food & Pantry Clutter Hall Of Fame

Refrigerated Food Storage Guidelines {Printable Cheat Sheet}

Go From Refrigerator Organization Hall Of Fame {Part 1} To Home Page