Fridges get messy. It’s just a fact of life. But mess usually accumulates from simply not storing things in an organised way, especially if you are sharing a fridge with other family members or housemates. Piling things on top of each other in a sporadic manner only causes your fridge to resemble an unlucky game of tetris. With Christmas looming, you probably need to utilise more fridge space than usual, so try out these simple hacks to keep your fridge clean and organised this winter:

Only Store What Needs to be Stored:

This sounds obvious but depending on the item some things don’t need to be stored in the fridge. This includes potatoes, onions and spreads like butter or ketchup (ketchup will usually keep for a while due to its acidic content). Additionally, tomatoes and avocados don’t need to be stored in the fridge depending on their ripeness. If your avocado is not ripe, it’s best left on the counter and the same goes for tomatoes. Only store them in the fridge if you’re not going to eat them within one or two days. Once you clear out your fridge of unnecessary items, you will have a lot more to work with!

Shelf Liners:

One way to deal with sticky shelves and general spillages is to use cling film as a shelf protector. That way when something spills, or it’s your turn to clean the fridge, you can simply remove these and that will be most of the cleaning done! If you’re looking for something a bit more fancy, you could use a metallic shelf liner that can also be removed and cleaned at your convenience.

Store Raw Meat on the Bottom Shelf:

Even if you are sharing a fridge and have delegated shelves to each individual, it’s still important to ensure raw meat is kept on the bottom shelf to avoid any dripping and cross-contamination. Cooked meat should be kept separately in sealed containers.

Sharing is Caring:

If you’re sharing a fridge it could also be useful to suggest sharing staple items such as condiments. This will save space and also means you can keep spillage-prone items in a separate space, such as a shelf on the inside of the fridge door.

Christmas Leftovers:

To avoid Christmas waste, it’s good to plan meals in advance for the short period after. Leftover meat can be stored in airtight containers and used in sandwiches for the next few days. Any bread should be stored in the freezer if you want to avoid it drying out in the fridge. Leftover vegetables are slightly more fragile as they’ve already been cooked, so quick meals such as pasta are a good way to reuse these vegetable without damaging their final bit of vitality. If you have any leftover potatoes, why not keep them in the fridge overnight and whip up a spanish omelette for breakfast? Remember to let all food cool before putting it straight into the fridge as the heat can encourage bacterial growth.