It’s hard to keep a refrigerator well-organized if you usually cook, right?
And that even becomes a struggle to handle with a French-door refrigerator, it has so many shelves and the inner space is seemingly more complex.
Don’t worry! Here I’m going to share some precious tips to make you better at the spatial organization. As a result, you’ll understand how to maximize the inner space in your refrigerator while still keeping your groceries fresh longer.
Without further ado, let’s dive right in!
What’s the plan?
Okay, it might sound weird to you when I say “You should plan up to re-organize your refrigerator” but it works. Definitely!
It’s because you will have to remove everything out of your refrigerator to re-arrange them and there is some food that can’t get warm, it means you have to make this step quick.
To do that, you have to make sure which kinds of food are suitable to be placed on which shelves. Or how to categorize them for easy access while maximizing the fridge’s inner space.
Plan everything before getting started!
Start with the doors
Fun fact: Doors are considered the warmest parts of a refrigerator.
That means you shouldn’t place anything that can’t get warm there, such as milk or small cakes. But it would be very ideal for things like soft drinks, beer, or bottled things (condiments for example) because they have preservatives.
On the top
If there is usually some leftover after meals and you don’t want to waste them, the best way is keeping all in a fridge, saving for the next meal.
And I’d like to place my leftover on the top of my French-door fridge for some good reasons:
“Hey, you still have some leftover. Don’t cook too much and remember to eat them soon”.
I used to place my leftover in the bottom drawers of the fridge but it usually ended up with me forgetting them down in there. And as a result, I had to throw them away weeks later.
So, the top shelves are a perfect position for them now – where you will see them firstly whenever opening your fridge and they’ll be eaten sooner.
But before storing food, remember to wrap them carefully to avoid the smell while keeping their tastes last longer. Using either plastic food wrap or food containers with lids but I find the second option will help save more space.
With the deep pull-out tray
This is always my most favorite space in a French door refrigerator.
It’s located at the bottom with reasonable depth so that you can easily store more things. I prioritize this area for party platters or veggies. Can’t deny that during weekends, I also take advantage of this spacious tray for a pizza box, deli meat, or cheese as well.
Or if your fridge has separate drawers for veggies and fruits, use them. Humidity is key to keep these kinds of food tasting great.
You can use food containers or trays which are easily found in most supermarkets. Pay attention to the size.
Here are some extra tips to help you organize veggies and fruits better in a French door refrigerator:
Rinse fruits before storing them. This will give you more motivation to eat more fruits because when it’s time for snacking or your hunger kicks in, they’re always ready.
If you don’t have separate drawers for fruits, use colanders and bowls instead. Choose different sizes of colanders to match different fruits. With those fruits that you intend to eat later during the snack time, chop them right away and place in a bowl, no need of lids.
With peppers, broccoli, and celery, cut and store them in mason jars or containers with a lid so when you need some for hummus dipper, it’ll be quicker to make.
For veggies and fruits to use later, after cutting and chopping them up for the week, separating them in different label Tupperware is my suggestion. Note down the day that you start to store them so that you will know which should eat first.
Just five minutes to do all of them but you’ll be amazed by how well-organized your fridge is later. These tips also help you eat food more optimally with less wasted.
In the back
In contrast to the doors, this position is considered the coldest area in your fridge so it should be for milk, yogurt, and other dairy items to keep them fresh and last longer.
How to organize a French door refrigerator – A step-by-step instruction
But don’t worry, it’s very easy to follow.
The best thing to organize your fridge is when there is the least food in it, especially milk and other dairy items because as mentioned, you will have to remove everything out of your fridge while these things can’t get warm.
Now, here is my instruction:
Step 1: Prepare colanders, containers, label Tupperwares, and mason jars – everything needed to re-organize stuff. If you don’t have them, it’s worth to invest in some.
Step 2: With veggies and fruits that you have not washed, chopped, and categorized yet, do it.
Step 3: Prepare a microfiber cloth and all-purpose cleaning spray.
Step 4: Remove everything out of your fridge. It’s best to place all of them in a nearby kitchen table or counter. Check if there is anything expired or old, throw them away.
Step 5: Wipe down the entire fridge. Take time to deep clean it
Step 6: Configure all of the shelves. Make your own fridge’s layout that works for you and your partner/family.
Step 7: Put the food back to your refrigerator as planned.
Conclusion
And there have it!
Easy peasy, huh? One last tip for people who also have wine. If you find your wine bottles taking up space on the drink level while there’s still some space left in the fridge, then why not?
Buy some reasonable wine bottle holders and choose a shorter shelf for it.
I recommend looking into some affordable refrigerator organizers to take your fridge to the next level.
I’m James J. Decker, a hobbyist and DIYs and also a big of home improvement and gardening tools. I immensely enjoy how these amazing products improve productivity and efficiency, and allow me to do jobs for which I would’ve otherwise needed professional help.
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