How To Organize Your Refrigerator So You Eat More And Spend Less

Weekends and days off are probably one of the best treats in life. On days that I don’t go to work or get busy, my usual way of relaxing is staying home, spending time with my family and refilling my fridge when we’re all out of food. Satisfied upon entering my kitchen after hours of carefully handpicking items at the grocery, I’ve always wondered if I’m putting the right item at the right section of my fridge. So to find an answers, I’ve researched and found an infographic on how to organize your refrigerator the proper way! Check it out below.

How To Organize Your Refrigerator So You’ll Eat More And Spend Less

I’ve realized too late that everything in my fridge and pantry have vastly differing shelf lives. Thus, the increasing number of my household’s food waste. I’m also guilty of stuffing everything into my refrigerator. I learned that the best way to save space in the fridge is to know exactly what goes in it.

Know how to organize your refrigerator by referring to this infographic by PartSelect.

Keepin’ It Fresh

40% of the food in the US goes uneaten. This means Americans are throwing out the equivalent of $165 BILLION each year.

Uneaten food is the single largest component of U.S. municipal waste accounting for a large portion of U.S. methane emissions.

Reducing food losses by 15% would be enough food to feed more than 25 MILLION AMERICANS every year when 1 in 6 AMERICANS lack stable food supply.

Yayyy!

Refrigerator Revamp

Door

Only store condiments. Not a good place for anything perishable.

Upper Shelves

Store food that don’t have a health safety risk.

Lower Shelves

Store food with a higher safety risk.

Bottom Shelves

Store meats and poultry because it is the coldest area of the fridge.

Drawers

High/Vent Closed

• Less air coming in holding water vapor in drawer.
• Non-ethylene gas emitters.
• Keep vegetables that might wilt. eg; carrots, leafy greens, spinach, green onions, basil, lettuce, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cauliflower. 

Medium/Vent Half Open, Half Closed

• Medium ethylene gas emitters.
• Keep fruits and vegetables like: melons, tomatoes, lemons, limes, sweet potatoes, and oranges.

Low/Vent Open

• More air coming in.
• High ethylene gas emitters or sensitivities.
• Keep fruits and vegetables that will break down and rot. eg; apples, grapes, pears, avocados, peppers, and squash.

No humidity controls? Achieve the same results as low and medium humidity by leaving drawer slightly ajar, or by placing fruits and veggies on the fridge’s middle shelf.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #1:

Set refrigerator to 38-40 degrees or below – bacteria grows rapidly between 40 and 140 degrees.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #2:

Allow space between food so that cold air can circulate.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #3:

Vacuum and wipe all door seals for trapped crumbs and other food bits, which cause refrigerator temperature to fluctuate and cause food to spoil.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #4:

Keep pitchers of water or ice packs to prevent warm air from heating items when you open the door.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #5:

Letting ice build up forces your fridge to use more energy.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #6:

Remove dust from the fridge’s condenser coils every few months, improving air circulation and efficiency.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #7:

Cracked and damaged fridge seals can also raise your energy bill.

Efficiency hacks for your fridge #8:

Leave several inches of space between wall and fridge because heat gets trapped and causes the refrigerator to work harder.

Now you don’t have to stress over rotting food, or a damaged and overly stuffed fridge with this handy guide! Keep comin’ back for more tips from us!

Check out this link for more kitchen tips!

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Feature image via kimberly hassel brink