HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR

Serving as your trusted kitchen assistant in your culinary endeavors, a well-organized refrigerator can help you bring your food creations to life.

French door refrigerators bring sleek accessibility to your kitchen, making them an elegantly versatile option for storing your ingredients. This step-by-step guide offers helpful tips for organizing your French door refrigerator so you can maximize your storage fridge space and enhance your making experience.

The doors and various compartments of a French door refrigerator open with groceries inside

HOW TO ORGANIZE A FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR

You can organize your French door refrigerator by learning how to properly clean the inside of the appliance and designating specific areas of your fridge for storing different food items and ingredients. Read the following steps to learn how to organize and clean a French door refrigerator.

A person wiping down the door of a French door fridge with a green cleaning cloth

STEP 1: CLEAN THE REFRIGERATOR

Before you start to organize your French door fridge, you'll want to make sure that its surfaces, shelves and storage bins are clean and tidy. Cleaning your refrigerator before organizing its contents is also an opportunity to remove expired foods or ingredients you no longer need.

As you clean your fridge, avoid using abrasive or harsh cleaners to protect the surfaces of your appliance from potential damage.

To deep clean your refrigerator, follow these steps:

Remove all contents from the refrigerator and freezer and unplug the appliance

Remove storage shelves and bins and wash with a mild cleanser, warm water and a sponge
Using a clean sponge or soft cloth and a mild detergent or other non-abrasive cleaner with warm water, hand wash interior surfaces and removable parts, including fridge walls, the door and permanent shelves
Place the dried removable parts back inside the fridge and plug in the appliance

The process for cleaning the exterior of your French door refrigerator may depend on the finish of your appliance. Always refer to your owner’s manual for precise cleaning instructions. To clean a fridge with a painted surface, you can typically wash the exterior enamel surfaces and gaskets with warm water and mild soap or detergent.

If you have a traditional stainless steel refrigerator without a fingerprint resistant coating, you can use a solution like affresh^® Stainless Steel Cleaning Spray* with a clean microfiber cloth to help clean and care for the stainless steel surfaces. To clean stainless steel or black stainless steel with fingerprint resistant exteriors by hand, you can use a soft, nonabrasive cloth and a mixture of dish soap and warm water to wipe the surface of your appliance in the direction of the grain.

*Affresh^® and the recommending brand products are all owned and distributed by Whirlpool Corporation.

Empty door compartments of a French door refrigerator

STEP 2: ORGANIZE THE FRIDGE DOOR

French door fridges offer premium door storage that helps free up valuable shelf space. The doors of your French door fridge open side-by-side to give you easy access to your ingredients, making them ideal for storing smaller items like condiments.

Because temperatures in the doors are typically slightly warmer than the rest of the fridge interior, you can also utilize the split, double-door style of this area for easy access to less perishable items like butter, chili sauce, olives or capers. Avoid storing temperature sensitive items like milk or eggs in the door, reserving them instead for the cooler interior shelves.

A salad, fruit desserts and several other dishes made from fresh ingredients inside an open French door refrigerator

STEP 3: DESIGNATE ITEMS TO THE UPPER AND LOWER SHELVES

As you organize your French door refrigerator, keep in mind the differences in temperature throughout the fridge. In general, the lower shelves of the fridge are usually cooler than the upper shelves, so it's important to consider placement when deciding where to store various items.

In general, items like prepared foods, leftovers and beverages are best stored on the upper shelves. The upper shelves also provide an accessible location for storing regularly used items like milk or eggs. Perishable items like meat or dairy should be placed in designated places on the lower shelves.

To prevent cross-contamination, be sure to reserve storage space on the bottom shelves for foods to be cooked at high temperatures, such as raw meat, poultry and fish.

Fruits and vegetables stored in refrigerator crisper drawers

STEP 4: SORT FRUITS, VEGETABLES AND DELI ITEMS

Depending on the brand, your French door refrigerator may come with crisper or deli drawers. Designed to store different types of food, these storage bins provide different food items and ingredients with a specialized cooling environment according to their storage needs.

To organize fruits and vegetables in your refrigerator, crisper drawers offer a great environment for storing items sensitive to humidity. If you have more than one crisper drawer in your fridge, you can dedicate one each for storing fruits and vegetables for even more organization, adjusting the airflow in each drawer with the slider as needed. Keep the crisper drawer no more than ⅔ full to allow ample breathing room for your fresh food and ingredients.

If your fridge has them, you can use deli drawers to organize sandwich meats and cheese. Deli drawers provide a location for storing perishable items at lower temperatures to help optimize freshness and help keep your fridge looking clutter-free. You can also consider using a replaceable absorbent liner on the bottom of your storage bins for easier cleanup.

STEP 5: LABEL REFRIGERATOR AND FREEZER ITEMS

Labeling your food items is a great way to keep track of what’s in your fridge and how long it’s been there. Labeling items with dates and names can help prevent wasted food, which is particularly helpful when keeping different items in the freezer with longer storage times.

The freezer ice box compartment of a French door refrigerator

ADDITIONAL TIPS FOR ORGANIZING A FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATOR

Incredibly versatile, French door refrigerators allow you to get creative with your organization to make a storage space that’s uniquely yours. Below are a few additional tips for organizing your French door refrigerator to maximize the storage potential of your appliance:

Use clear storage and organization bins to easily identify food items and ingredients without rummaging
Prevent decreased airflow by not blocking vents with food items inside the refrigerator cabinet

Create an “eat first” bin to keep track of expiration dates and limit waste
For children, designate a storage bin for easy access to snacks and juice
Adjust the refrigerator shelves for increased storage flexibility
To avoid spoiling, store leftovers on the upper shelves with dated labels

EXPLORE KITCHENAID® FRENCH DOOR REFRIGERATORS

With the abundant storage space of a sleek two-door design, KitchenAid^® French door refrigerators allow you to spend less time finding ingredients and more on your culinary creations. Browse the full collection of refrigerators by KitchenAid brand to find the model that complements your kitchen storage and organization needs just right.