How To Be Organized: Refrigerator Cleaning Tips

1. Keep like items together.

2. Open only one bottle of each condiment at a time. Try to limit them to the door, but if there are too many, contain them by category using a clear plastic bin.

3. Reposition shelves, if possible, to accommodate taller groceries.

4. Put taller items in back (where you can see them).

5. If your fridge is short on crisper drawers, clear plastic stackable containers are perfect for grouping smaller similar items together such as cheeses or lunch meat.

6. Don't overstock.

7. Use drawers as intended by the manufacturer, since they are climate controlled to extend the shelf life of the foods they are meant to contain.

8. Use stackable clear square containers (a more efficient use of space than round). To save even more space, use the smallest container possible to store leftovers.

9. Use one crisper drawer for produce requiring the highest humidity only (90 to 100 percent) such as beans, berries, broccoli, celery, cucumbers, and leafy green vegetables.

10. Use the other produce drawer creatively.

a. Kids snacks -- pudding, yogurt, snack-size bags of baby carrots and precut celery sticks (down low where the kids can reach them)

b. Drinks -- bottled water, juice, beer, or soda

c. Naughty foods (out of sight, out of mind?)

Flickr photo by bitchcakesny

For more cleaning tips, check out What's A Disorganized Person To Do?