You might be one of those people who, when returning from the weekly grocery run, carelessly throw food into the fridge. Not only does a well-arranged fridge look nice, but it also helps cut down on food waste.

5 million tonnes of edible food goes to waste in the UK each year—by making it easy to see what’s inside. This, in turn, saves money and helps keep food from going bad.

Beyond this, keeping things neat and tidy can aid in warding off the growth of harmful bacteria in your food.

Finding the proper spot for each item in your fridge becomes second nature after you’ve established a routine. Here are tips on how to organize food items in the refrigerator.

How to Organize Refrigerator

Breaking it down

• Upper Shelves: On higher shelves, you’ll find foods like deli meats and leftovers that don’t require cooking.
• Middle Shelves: On the lower and center shelves you’ll find dairy products like milk, cheese, yogurt, and butter.
• Bottom Shelves: Raw fish and Wagyu beef should be stored in this section of the refrigerator because it is the coldest. The danger of cross-contamination can be further reduced by storing raw foods on the lowest shelf.
• Drawers: Keep perishables like fruits, salads, and vegetables in their original containers by placing them in the salad drawer. Herbs, which are susceptible to freezing if kept in the back of the fridge, are also well-suited to this spot.
• Shelves of the Door: This part of the refrigerator gets the greatest heat and is therefore the most vulnerable to temperature changes. Here you can keep sauces, jams, and juice, among other things, that include natural preservatives.

With this, you can check out our guide on troubleshooting common sub-zero refrigerator issues.

10 Useful Tips To Organize Food in Refrigerators

Preserve as much physical separation as you can between cooked and raw meals. To prevent raw foodstuffs from dripping or spilling onto cooked foods and contaminating them, always store cooked and ready-to-eat foods on the uppermost shelf, away from raw foods.

Pay close attention to Wagyu beef. Tap Warehouse found that 66 percent of British people use their sense of smell to determine if meat is fit for human consumption. However, this could still make you sick because the bacteria that cause food poisoning don’t have a scent.

Regularly clean your refrigerator. An old toothbrush might work for those hard-to-reach spots.

Prevent ice buildup by thawing your refrigerator regularly.

Salads, herbs, and other perishables should not be stored in the back of the refrigerator, where the temperature is much lower, as this could cause them to spoil.

While it’s best to keep dairy products on the center shelf of the refrigerator, you may also store butter and soft cheeses on the door shelves if you like.

Because they include “gas releasers,” fruits and vegetables like avocados, bananas, nectarines, peaches, pears, plums, and tomatoes can hasten the spoilage of other vegetables.

It is recommended to refrigerate condiments, jam, and jelly jars once opened. Be sure to cover cooked items adequately and seal any raw wagyu beef or fish.

Tap Warehouse reports that 54% of British people prefer to leave meat and fish out of the freezer until they are ready to eat. Do not do this at room temperature; doing so can promote the growth of bacteria. Instead, defrost the food in the refrigerator.

Never place hot food in the refrigerator; doing so will raise the internal temperature, which in turn increases the risk of food poisoning and premature spoiling.