HOW TO ORGANIZE A SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATOR
Side-by-side refrigerators deliver the space and versatility that make storing your groceries a simple task. Over time, though, your fridge doors and shelves can become cluttered.
Knowing how to properly organize your side-by-side fridge can help save you time in the long run. Follow along with this guide for helpful side-by-side refrigerator organization ideas that can help ensure your fridge is being used to its maximum potential.
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BEST WAYS TO ORGANIZE A SIDE-BY-SIDE FRIDGE?
The best way to organize your side-by-side refrigerator can vary based on individual preferences. In general, keeping your fridge clean, grouping similar foods together and utilizing appropriate climate-controlled areas can be an easy way to help ensure your refrigerator stays organized.
SIDE-BY-SIDE FRIDGE ORGANIZATION GUIDE
Learning about optimal food conditions, specialized storage compartments and the storage needs of different food in your side-by-side fridge can help keep food fresh. Help save time and money at the grocery store by maintaining an ideal environment for storing food—use these fridge storage tips and ideas to get started.
SUPPLIES:
White vinegar
Hot water
TOOLS:
- Clean cloth or sponge
Maytag® refrigerators
Built strong to hold in the cold
Maytag® refrigerators are designed to help keep your perishables in their ideal climate
1. GIVE YOUR FRIDGE A FRESH START WITH A DEEP CLEAN
Regularly cleaning your fridge can help you maximize storage space, organize your kitchen and ensure a fresh environment for your food by clearing out unwanted items. To clean your side-by-side fridge, start by removing all food and removable parts, including the shelves and drawers, before wiping down the inside and outside of the appliance. Place food in coolers while you work and dispose of expired items.
To clean the interior of your fridge, use a clean sponge or soft cloth and a mild detergent in warm water to hand-wash all surfaces and removable parts before rinsing and drying thoroughly. Be sure to give all areas of your fridge a good cleaning, from your crisper drawers to your shelves, creating a clean slate for overall refrigerator organization.
To give the exterior of your fridge a thorough clean, use a gentle cleaner to help return the shine to your stainless steel appliances. Dish soap, vinegar and mineral oil, or a baking soda paste, are possible options for cleaning stainless steel. When cleaning stainless steel, always wipe in the same direction of the grain.
2. ORGANIZE THE DOOR BINS AND COMPARTMENTS
The bins situated on the interior side of your fridge doors are generally an ideal place for storing less perishable items like butter or soda and items with longer shelf lives. The proximity of the door also grants you easy access to the items you reach for regularly, such as condiments.
3. DESIGNATE AREAS AND STOCK THE FRIDGE SHELVES
Front and center, the shelves of your side-by-side fridge can be great for storing everyday, non-produce items like jarred pasta sauce, dips or containers for leftovers. To make it easy to grab the items you're looking for, you can try grouping similar foods together.
There can be slight differences in temperature between fridge shelves, so it’s important to keep this in mind when designating areas to store your items. In general, the lower shelves are usually a bit cooler than the upper shelves. For example, the upper shelves may be an accessible place to store items like milk or eggs while the bottom shelves may be best for keeping perishable foods like meat.
4. PLACE ITEMS IN THE FRIDGE DRAWERS
Storage drawers are a particularly practical feature of many side-by-side refrigerators. They provide a specialized storage environment to help keep sensitive ingredients fresh longer. Use your fridge's deli drawer for items like highly perishable meats and cheeses and crisper drawers for fruits and vegetables.
Many side-by-side fridges come with crisper drawers that allow you to adjust the flow of air to the bins, affecting humidity. Use a high-humidity crisper drawer to help keep thin-skinned fruits and vegetables fresh, like spinach, broccoli or strawberries. For thick-skinned fruits and vegetables like peppers or apples, use a low-humidity crisper drawer.
5. ORGANIZE THE FREEZER SIDE
Keep the freezer side of your fridge looking and feeling organized to store items from frozen berries to your family’s favorite TV dinners. When storing items in the freezer side of your fridge, line items up vertically using freezer-safe bins and storage containers so you can easily see what you have and take out what you need.
Also consider organizing freezer items by expiration date. Just as organizing the items you use the most is helpful, keeping items with nearby expiration dates front and center helps reduce less food waste.
SHOP MAYTAG® SIDE-BY-SIDE REFRIGERATORS
Maytag® side-by-side refrigerators combine spacious interior design with adjustable storage options to help give you easy access to your most used ingredients. The LED Light Tower on select models helps you see every item in your refrigerator with corner to corner LED lighting on every shelf, while the EvenAir™ Cooling System—also on select models—keeps everything consistently cold front and back, so groceries stay at the right temperature.
SIDE-BY-SIDE FRIDGE ORGANIZATION TIPS & TRICKS
You can maximize the space in your side-by-side fridge by knowing where to store specific items and becoming familiar with the specific storage features of your appliance.
1. CONSIDER ACCESSIBILITY AND PLACEMENT
Take advantage of all the interior space in your fridge by keeping less frequently used items at the back of the shelves. The vertical shelves of side-by-side fridges allow you to place items high or low as needed, giving you the ability to keep your most-used items at eye level for quick and easy access when you need them.
2. UTILIZE ADJUSTABLE STORAGE FEATURES
Select side-by-side fridges, like these side-by-side models by Maytag brand, feature adjustable shelves that allow you to store items of different sizes from tall and narrow to short and wide.
3. AVOID OVERFILLING THE FRIDGE
Avoid overstuffing your fridge, which can lead to blocked vents that prevent proper air circulation and your fridge not cooling properly. By appropriately filling your fridge, you can help ensure proper airflow and create an organized space where everything is easy to locate.
Certain foods like bananas, stone fruits, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, bread and coffee typically shouldn’t be stored in your fridge. You can help prevent overfilling your refrigerator by storing these items in your pantry or on your countertops.
4. DISCARD EXPIRED ITEMS
Food doesn’t last forever in the refrigerator. Keep an eye on expiration dates and toss items that have passed their prime to help prevent clutter from collecting inside your refrigerator.
5. USE CLEAR BINS AND STORAGE CONTAINERS
In addition to the built-in storage compartments of your refrigerator, you can organize your groceries in clear, airtight storage containers that can be easily and quickly identified. You can even label the bins with the “Use By” date to help keep things organized.
6. CONSIDER TEMPERATURE ZONES
Certain parts of a refrigerator may have cooler temperatures than others. Understanding the temperature zones of your refrigerator can help you find the most appropriate place to store certain items as you organize.
EXPLORE ALL MAYTAG® REFRIGERATORS
From modern side-by-side and French door refrigerators to classic top- and bottom-freezer models, Maytag brand has refrigerator options with specialized storage compartments and ample storage space. Browse select models, like this option from Maytag brand, with features like the durable Metal Slide-Out Shelf that slides out so you can see what you’re working with and grab what you need, or the Humidity-Controlled FreshLock™ Crisper that helps keep foods fresh with just the right humidity.
