Infographic: Keeping It Fresh In the Fridge

We recently showed you how to revamp your refrigerator from the ground up (literally!), and chances are you, you likely wiped everything down and put them back in the same place.

But did you know there's actually a method to storing your food that will not only make it last longer, but also help your refrigerator run more efficiently?

Improper food storage is one of the major contributors to food spoilage and waste. In fact, over 40% of food in the U.S. goes uneaten and all this uneaten food is the single largest component of the nation's municipal solid waste. (Here's a rant on the larger picture at stake.) You can curb the amount of waste produced in your household (and reduce your carbon footprint) by learning what goes where in your fridge for optimum keeping.

According to facts collected by home appliance site PartSelect, you should never keep anything perishable in the door. This includes eggs, which are so often stored in the built-in molds of some appliance models. As the warmest section of the fridge, the door is best utilized for storing condiments.

The next warmest sections are the upper shelves, which are suitable for foods that don't pose a health risk, such as drinks and leftovers. The middle colder shelves are ideal for foods with a higher safety risk, such as eggs, deli meats, and dairy. The coldest shelf — the very bottom — is best for meats, poultry, and fish (as we mentioned in our fridge clean-up post, it's always a sound idea to place a catch tray under packaged meats to prevent spills from soiling your shelves, and contaminating the crisper drawers below them).

For more storage and efficiency tips, check out this infographic from PartSelect: