How reorganising your fridge saves food, money, energy — and the planet

Home organiser Hazel Burton says a weekly refrigerator reset is more sustainable, while cutting costs, food waste and stress levels

Bosch KBN96NSE1G Series 2 built-in fridge-freezer, from €1,299.

It's the most important, time-sensitive form of storage we have anywhere in the house, and yet, if it were a larder, cupboard, or a wardrobe, we would complain long and loud about its spatial shortcomings. Fridge/freezers are compact, even in a hunky two-door American. With thick, insulated walls and limited shelf positions, what you see is most certainly not what you get in cubic centimetres of interior storage. Muck up the footprint of one fresh-baked pizza box back in the darker reaches of the fridge, and fidgeting in the family shopping can be truly soul-destroying at 6pm with hungry troops staging a coup.

Then there’s the food waste. The creep that most of us don’t notice, and due to the vertical up-thrust of a typical fridge, we often cannot even monitor. What’s shoved rudely behind a tall pot of Greek yoghurt and half a head of cabbage can sit there and slip past its best-by date in just a day or two. In 2025, iReach carried out research that showed that in a 12-month period, the average Irish home threw out up to €700 of waste food. Don’t feel smug — that’s 71% of us incidentally. This sloppy, climate-destroying nonsense is largely down to poor or absolutely no meaningful organisation whatsoever. €700 paid out for nothing but a bigger bin bill — that should give us all searing focus for change.

Planned shops, meal planning and proper, scheduled fridge storage are something I personally struggle to get right with two food pirates eating at midnight and performing rogue trips to Tesco on the way home. Space-hungry bags of extra produce appear on the counter. We have a very tall fridge, and I’m not that tall. 

Items get orphaned on the farther reaches of the top two shelves. Wasting power? Today’s fridge is a wonder of energy efficiency, considering it’s on 24/7, but the extra clipping on your household budget by that few extra quid as its fan whirls faster and the compressor breaks a sweat? It doesn’t help. Your freezer, once it’s properly defrosted, can cope with being very tightly packed. Overload the fridge by piling up foodstuffs and containers — airflow is reduced, and it will struggle to maintain that safe environment, set in centigrade. Your yearly kWh draw will rise.

Home organiser Hazel Burton: 'Most people think they have a shopping problem, but in reality, they have a storage problem.'

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

Hazel Burton is a heralded professional organiser. Together with untangling people’s wider household clutter bombs and storage shortcomings, she is also a brand ambassador for Bosch. Together with some clever hacks for the appliance we already own, Hazel highlights the joy of smarter fridge design — like Bosch XL and XXL models with up to 45% more capacity, the equivalent of fitting in an extra weekly shop. “Most people think they have a shopping problem, but in reality, they have a storage problem. When every inch of space is used effectively, food is easier to see, and when stored correctly, it will last longer. It’s easier to plan meals, avoid overbuying, and ultimately save both time and money,” she says.

“The results can be tangible savings, easier meal prep in advance, more organised lunches made up the previous evening, and reduced pressure on our midweek cooking. A larger, more flexible fridge is a game-changer. It allows you to store more fresh food, leftovers, and batch-cooked meals, which makes everyday life run more smoothly. It supports a healthier, more organised routine for the whole family, with fresh food, batch-cooked meals, and leftovers in clearly defined zones.”

I totally agree that if you’re living with a fridge or fridge/freezer that’s way under the capacity your family need, no amount of good intentions will succeed. Together with having more actual room (appropriate to your weekly needs), visibility is improved when goods are not packed chaotically into the shelves and drawers. I’m coming down and going wider in the next fridge/freezer silhouette. I’m just getting too creaky to bound up for that half can of black beans. Even with a super-fridge brimming with technology and generously sized, nothing will work until you get into simple, effective routines and that lead to natural repetition, according to Hazel. “It’s not just about storage, it’s about creating a system that makes everyday life run more smoothly.”

So, with her insight, let’s get chill with this vital bit of housekeeping. Hazel’s simple steps to a Sunday fridge reset provide an easy and deeply satisfying job you could probably get done in 45 minutes the first time out, and maintain in 15 minutes once we get into the swing of cool, crisp, well-organised fridge behaviour. Create a counter room to go over the existing fridge contents as you work. First, empty the fridge completely, says Hazel: “Take everything out so you can see what you have and identify expired or unusable items. Now, group like with like — sort foods by type: ready-to-eat, batch-cooked meals, dairy, raw meat, fruit and vegetables, condiments, drinks. Check those expiry dates and remove anything that’s past its best-before or no longer usable.” I would add here that this is a fantastic moment to consider the waste stream as you handle the recycling. Do you have adequate, accessible short-term storage in the kitchen to encourage proper separation down to the youngest member of the household?

Once the cabinet’s empty and our surviving foods are set aside for a few minutes, it’s time for a thorough cleaning of shelves, drawers, and the entire cabinet. “Use warm soapy water or a gentle, non-abrasive spray to wipe down surfaces, and once dry, return items by zones,” says Hazel. “Follow food safety principles. The top shelf is for ready-to-eat foods. The middle shelves: leftovers, batch-cooked meals, dairy. The bottom shelf: raw meat/fish (you may have a zoned drawer, depending on the model of your fridge. Drawers are generally used for fruit and vegetables, and the door is perfect for condiments, drinks, and eggs (so move any shelves to accommodate your tallest vessels). Prioritise visibility — create a “use me next” section or place items that need eating soon at the front.”

With the fridge in order, it’s time to put your hand on your beating heart and vow to keep this hard-working appliance maintained weekly. “Repeat this procedure each Sunday to stay organised, reduce food waste, and make weekday meals easier to manage,” says Hazel. I would add that explaining the systematic storage and cleaning of the fridge is a life-skill. It’s a perfect chore for a young teen to help you out. They may have valuable insight if younger siblings say they cannot reach their lunchbox on Monday morning, or they notice what’s spoiling regularly.

As family life evolves, so should the way we organise the fridge, adds Hazel. “As children grow, accessibility becomes increasingly important, with clearly defined zones and easy-to-reach snacks helping to encourage independence and better habits. When children can see what’s available and access it themselves, it helps them take responsibility for their choices. It also opens up conversations around food waste and healthy eating, which benefits the whole household long term,” she says.