Food items belong to kitchen komono which are a sub-category of the 4th category of the KonMari Method™ komono (or miscellaneous items). Usually, you tidy foods that are stored in your pantry or inside your kitchen cabinets together with all your other kitchen items. Refrigerated or frozen foods tend to be overlooked though, as they are stored in a specific, closed-off area. However, they definitely should be taken into account as well when tidying according to the KonMari Method™. Here’s how I recommend going about tidying your fridge and freezer contents:
F R I D G E
Step 1: Empty
The first step (you guessed it) is to empty out your fridge completely. If you have more than one fridge, I suggest you empty all of your fridges out at the same time. In the KonMari Method™, you tidy by category and not by location so that you can see what you have and how much of it. Make sure every little thing is taken out before you proceed to the next step.
Step 2: Clean
Since your fridge is now completely empty – which, if you’re like most people, possibly never happens – take this rare opportunity and clean it. Fridges can get really dirty since they’re used so frequently. Start by defrosting it first. This removes old built-up ice. Then, clean it thoroughly and plug it in again.
Step 3: Categorize
Now it’s time to prepare for the decluttering phase by categorizing the food items you took out of your fridge. This is especially important if you have a large amount of items. If you don’t, you might want to skip this step and proceed to step 4 directly. Food categories found in your fridge might include:
- Fresh vegetables & fruits
- Meats & seafood
- Eggs
- Canned foods
- Dairy (substitute) products
- Other packaged foods
- Leftovers
- Condiments
- Milk or milk substitutes
- Beverages
- Other liquids
- Other foods
Step 4: Joy Check
Next, you go through each and every item and first look at the expiration date or otherwise determine if the item is still edible. If not, discard the item properly. If yes, determine if this particular food item brings you joy to eat it. If not, you can either donate (e.g., to homeless shelters or ask your neighbor), compost or discard it. This all depends of course on what kind of item it is and if you have people or facilities in your area to which you can give your foods to.
Step 5: Organize
Lastly, the most fun part can ensue: putting your “to keep” foods back into the fridge and organizing it. As a general rule, you should keep like foods with like (refer to step 3 where you determined your categories). Define the areas where certain categories of your foods will live from now on. Refer to the illustration in this article for suggestions on which area of your fridge to store certain items, depending on whether they require lower/higher temperatures or more humid/less humid environments.
Also, make sure that every item in your fridge is instantly visible. If your fridge is rather big and full, additional bins (with proper labels) can help with the organization and maintenance.
Step 6: Maintain
Now that you worked so hard on tidying your fridge, you certainly want to keep it neat and organized as it is. The key is to put items back where they belong after you use them. Every category and item has a designated spot by now, so it should be easy for you to maintain a tidy fridge.
Since all your items have a designated spot and are all visible, it’ll also be easier to not overbuy things. Before you go shopping, just have a look into your fridge and note the things you’ve run out of. Write them down on a piece of paper or type them in your notes app on your phone. Food shopping has never been easier with a tidy fridge. No more buying more of the same items you already have because of your overcrowded and disorganized fridge.
F R E E Z E R
Freezers are typically much smaller than fridges. Thus, they don’t hold as much content than fridges do. So the overall process should be even easier. You can roughly follow the same steps described above for tidying your fridge: empty, clean, joy check and organize.
Voila! Congrats on tidying your fridge and freezer!
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