“Your fridge is one of the hardest working spots in your home. But when it’s cluttered, it can also be the most stressful!” says Sarah Gunn, a Canadian design and lifestyle expert. “According to a survey by Becel, an organized fridge inspires over half of Canadians to cook more at home and eat more fruits and vegetables,” she tells us. The survey of more than 1,500 Canadians asked a series of questions about intentions and priorities in 2019. Questions ranged from home organization and eating habits to awareness and perceptions of the recent changes to Canada’s Food Guide. “Around three in five Canadian millennials said organizing their fridge is important in 2019,” says Gunn. Here are her five easy tips for taking your fridge from messy and frustrating to stylish and functional:

1. Edit Your Eats

Each week, before grocery shopping, edit what you don’t want or need. Remove any expired products, or ones you think you might use again one day, but secretly know you never will. Anything that is close to its expire date should be brought to the front of the fridge.

2. Perfect Placement

Make the most of your fridge by putting everything in the right spot. The bottom shelf is the coldest part of the fridge; store protein and eggs here. Use the top two shelves for leftovers, snacks and yogurt. House fresh fruit and veggies in the crisper drawers. If possible, set the humidity level to high for veggies and lower for the fruits. To prolong freshness, don’t wash your fresh produce until you are ready to eat it. The door is the warmest area of the fridge. Save this for condiments, sauces and drinks. Don’t put eggs or milk here. To foster independence, store healthy snacks and drinks at kid-height so they can help themselves.

3. Keep it Together

Now that you know the best spot for everything, take it another step by corralling similar items (condiments, sandwich toppings, kids’ snacks, cheese) together in clear open-top baskets or in mini lazy Susan-style trays. This makes meal planning a lot easier. No more taking half of everything out of the fridge to find the one thing you need!

4. Layer Up

Just like any space in your home, layering is key. In this case, it’s about eating with your eyes: when placing items in the fridge, stack larger items at the back and lower, smaller items in front so you can easily see what ingredients you need to make a healthy meal.

5. In the Clear

Take away the guesswork by storing food in clear glass or plastic stackable containers. Also, think about colour coding your lids for each person in your family to make busy school mornings run smoothly.

“I truly believe that making any space in your home look and feel good, inspires you to keep it that way,” says Gunn. “Following these five steps, will make meal prep easier and give you a sense of pride every time that fridge light comes on.”

    Original article can be found here: https://www.todaysparent.com/family/family-life/ways-to-organize-your-fridge/