Kon Mari Organizing Project #3: Refrigerator, DIY Deodorizer and a Printable!

Today is the monthly #BloggersOrganize2016 Kon Mari Organizing project day!

Organizing the Kon Mari Way; Refrigerator by www.whitecottagehomeandliving.com

I have been extremely motivated to whip my house into shape, thanks to the Kon Mari Method; The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up book.  My previous monthly challenges have included paperwork and my drawers.  Today is the refrigerator!

Even though Marie Kondo doesn't exactly speak to the refrigerator in her book, I have channeled her and done my best at organizing and Kon Mari'ing my way to a new and improved (and clean!) refrigerator which I'm sharing with you today!

This is a before shot of my refrigerator.

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Yikes and ick!

We are a busy family of 5 so that fridge door is constantly swinging open and closed with very little rhyme or reason to the organization.

My first step was to empty it all completely out and see what I was in for.

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Honestly, I can't remember the last time I did that, cringe!

I decided to not only tackle the cleaning but to shift shelves around and organize everything better as well.

One of the main issues I have is spills, so to tackle that, I bought some cheap plastic placemats from Target and cut them to fit the shelves.  My hope is that this will make clean up easier.  I can quickly pull out a mat and wipe it much easier than a whole shelf.

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After throwing away all the expired food and leftovers, I went about reorganizing the contents and labeling some bins so that hopefully in Kon Mari style, everything will have its place.

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I realized in tackling this project, I had WAY too many leftovers just hanging out in there.  I don't know about you, but somehow leftovers seem less than appealing when you aren't sure how long they've been around!  To help manage this better and to lessen the wasted food, I designed a printable which I am going to laminate and stick on the outside of the fridge.  I can then use a wipe marker to list the item and the date.  This way, we will always know what's available and how long its been in there.  Guess what?

LEFTOVERS PRINTABLE (5)

This is for you also!!

{Click on the link to download this printable.}

AND it's not over yet.

Once I got all the goodies cleaned, sorted and put back in the refrigerator, I decided it needed one last thing to keep it freshened up; a DIY Fridge Deodorizer.

This simple recipe was mixed up in less than a minute.

DIY Fridge Deodorizer

2/3rd cup Baking Soda

20-30 drops of Essential Oils (Vanilla, Lemon, or Orange) (Your preference)

Mix together

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I packaged it in a cute little Mason jar and bought a Transforms insert for the lid.  This way, the scent escapes, put the whole thing won't be dumped if it gets knocked over!

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Alrighty!  This was one project that was way overdue in my house!  What about yours?

I have found myself opening and shutting that fridge door just to look (and smell!) my handiwork. πŸ™‚

Want more Kon Mari?

Check out what my friends have been up to this month!

58 Water Street

The Crowned Goat

Roots North and South

To life feeling like home!

XO,

  1. Lynn says:

    Can you please tell me the brand of your refrigerator? I have been looking to find one similar to yours.

  2. Now I want to clean my fridge πŸ˜‰

  3. Theresa says:

    Several thoughts:
    – I enjoyed your refrigerator clean-up. We even have the very same ‘fridge!
    – I love that you have repurposed the meat drawer for cheese … and moved meat to one of the bottom drawers. I try to keep fresh veggies on a mid-level shelf, where they’re more visible.
    – I’m definitely going to make a pretty little deodorizer jar.
    – I like the idea of protecting the clean shelves (it’s so much work to pull them out and wash them), but I’m not crazy about the place mats. I’m afraid the pattern — once food is introduced to the refrigerator — will be “too much”. I’ve seen other people do the same thing with press-and-seal plastic wrap. If you want the same concept without the visual static, this could be a good choice.
    – I suggest you add a plastic turntable on the top shelf. They’re GREAT for accessing stuff at the back of the refrigerator.
    – You mentioned leftovers. The best thing I’ve done for leftovers is to buy a stock of old-old Pyrex refrigerator boxes. They’re easier to clean than modern plastics, and they stack up so nicely together. Best of all, I have so many individual-sized boxes that I now divide leftovers into individual servings, and they go straight to the microwave for lunches. They’re strong and dishwasher safe, but the downside: They’re not cheap.

  4. […] KonMari Refrigerater Organization – White Cottage Home And Living […]

  5. So cute and practical! Visiting from #overthemoon today πŸ™‚

  6. Wendy says:

    The deodorizer idea is very clever and cute!

  7. […] 1.Refrigerator Organization, DIY Deodorizer, and a Printable  […]

  8. Anne Krueger says:

    Where do you get the transform(er) lid for your mason jars?

  9. I love the idea of the placemats! I SO need to do this in my fridge! Plus, it’s kind of pretty πŸ™‚ Thanks for linking up at Welcome Home Wednesdays!

  10. […] blogger Cally Gagnon looked into her fridge β€”Β which holds all the food, drinks, and condiments for her family of five […]

  11. Michelle says:

    I will HAVE to set aside some time this weekend for this–my fridge is a disaster. Last clean out I even found dog hairs in there, gross. And the lid insert for the ball jar is beyond perfect.

  12. That paper is so cute! I just cleaned out my ridge and did a major deep clean and it was horribly needed!

  13. Coco says:

    Amy, this looks SO good! I lined my shelves with placemats too and it makes a huge difference. No more scraping dried jelly off the cold shelves! I just pull out the mats and drop them in soapy water. I’m so excited about the way this came together. Great job lady! PS thanks for the printable and the deodorizer

  14. The fridge looks great and what I great idea for the deodorizer. I keep thinking I may try this KonMarie method at some point! Thanks for the printable, very handy. Pinning!

  15. Ruthie says:

    I love that you brought the Kon Mari method into your fridge! Ours always seems to be a mess….we did just buy a new one so I have been trying harder to keep it nice, clean and organized. You have some great tips. I love the deodorizer! I’m a big fan of doTERRA!

  16. Sara says:

    There’s nothing I love more than a clean refrigerator!!! This looks great and so fun with the placemats! I didn’t even think about making my own deodorizer! I’m so going to do this!!! Great job!

  17. Oh man, I definitely need to clean my fridge out. Like, ASAP. I’ll have to give that fridge deodorizer a try!

  18. I totally need this!! It seems I’m always reorganizing my fridge just to have it become unorganized again within days. I need to try this method, thanks so much for sharing!

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