Optimising the fridge - keeping the fridge tidy is not that difficult

The fridge is one of those places where food tends to disappear, only to reappear months later as a stinking corpse. It may even have dressed up in a fur coat. So it's high time you organised it properly. But how does it work and how can I keep my food in the best possible condition in the fridge? A tidy fridge has another advantage: it saves electricity. A tidy fridge makes it easier to find the food you're looking for, and you don't have to open the door as often. After all, every time you open the door, the fridge has to cool down to operating temperature, which in some appliances consumes a huge amount of electricity. It is also not sustainable to buy a new energy-saving fridge just because your old one uses more electricity but is still fully functional.

Before tidying up, we first need to clean

Before tidying and organising, the first thing to do is a thorough clean. To do this, everything has to be taken out - i.e. the food and the drawers and shelves that can be removed. The fridge should then be disconnected from the power supply. The basic cleaning can also be combined with defrosting - something that many people like to procrastinate (including me, by the way). All parts should then be thoroughly washed out. By the way, you can use vinegar water instead of chemicals. Simply mix in a 1:2 ratio. It works just as well, but is less harmful to the environment. Don't forget the handles and the eggshell! You should also give the outside of the fridge a thorough clean. Firstly, it won't have to cool down against a layer of dirt and secondly, a completely clean fridge looks much better.

What else belongs to the basic cleaning of the refrigerator

It's not just the fridge that needs a deep clean. You can also take the opportunity to clean tubes and lids. A good example is the ketchup bottle, where the rim and lid tend to get crusty - or the maple syrup bottle. You can extend the ‘big clean’ to such items - and it will look much better in the fridge.

The vegetable compartment - the Bermuda triangle for fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables tend to ‘disappear’ in the vegetable compartment of the fridge (i.e. in the bottom drawer), only to reappear shrivelled and mouldy months later. Quite simply because it was no longer on your radar. In the Smantry app, you can assign food to specific storage locations. This prevents you from forgetting things.

Now it's time to start organising

To get an overview, you should first organise all the food that was in the fridge. If you like, you can also sort them by food group, for example cream to milk etc. You should transfer leftovers into space-saving boxes. Drinks can be stored in a bottle holder. This will prevent bottles from rolling around or the vegetable compartment from being cluttered with drinks. To make the most of the space in the fridge, square containers are particularly suitable.

The top shelf

This is where it is ‘warmest’ in the fridge. The temperature in the top compartment is between 8 and 10 degrees. This is where food that does not need to be cooled as much belongs. This includes butter, jam, eggs, sausage, cheese and leftovers, for example.

The middle shelf

Temperatures there are around five degrees. Dairy products such as yoghurt, cream and quark belong here. If there is no more space in the top compartment, you can also store sausage and cheese there. To make the best use of the storage space, you should use square storage containers. You can of course also label them. There are now many manufacturers who offer organisers and other products for keeping your fridge tidy. Of course, it is more sustainable to start with what you already have in the house.

The bottom shelf

It is coldest here at around 3 degrees. Meat and fish, for example, belong in the bottom compartment. In other words, perishable food.

The vegetable compartment

As the name suggests, fruit and vegetables belong in the vegetable compartment. The temperatures there are rather mild at 9 degrees. If you don't eat fruit and vegetables, you can of course also use the compartment for other foods or drinks.

The fridge door

The fridge door is particularly suitable for storing drinks or other containers that are rather tall (and sometimes disappear into the shallows). These include yoghurt pots, sauce, ketchup and/or mayo bottles, for example. Of course, butter and eggs can also be stored in the corresponding compartments.

These foods do NOT belong in the fridge - although they end up in there often enough

There are foods that should not actually be stored in the fridge. These include cucumbers, peppers and avocados, for example. Tomatoes and potatoes also do not belong in the fridge. Likewise, fresh eggs do not necessarily have to be kept refrigerated. It is usually sufficient to store them in the fridge after a few days.

In our Smantry app, you can assign the fridge as the storage location for the relevant food. This should prevent any more unpleasant surprises, such as yoghurt that has put on fur... ;)