Fridge Clutter and How to Avoid It
by Debbie Williams
Anyone who spends any time at all in
a kitchen quickly learns about refrigerator art: what it is, how it's displayed,
and who created it. If your refrigerator is anything like that of other parents,
it's plastered with kid art, the family calendar, homework assignments, soccer
schedules, doctor's appointment reminders, and.... that's just the front!
My refrigerator is full, too, but I gave up rearranging those teeny magnets
ages ago. No sooner would I get six of them to hold up one tiny school picture,
than SLAM - there went the whole arrangement crashing to the floor. Below
are some of my favorite tricks of the trade to start taming the fridge clutterbug
in your home:
Art du Jour
Instead of turning the front of your refrigerator into an art gallery,
why not limit artwork to 1 per artist, saving the remaining paintings for
Grandma or the scrapbook. Rotate the pictures daily or weekly, store in a
tagboard portfolio beside the refrigerator, and then move them to a more
permanent home (like a treasure box or scrapbook). Hint: place your budding
artists in charge of this project, letting them choose one day a week to
change out the artwork. Create a "home" for undisplayed work to live after
its served time in the magnetic gallery.
Photo Mat
Consider using magnetic-backed acrylic frames to display your favorite snapshots.
These come in various sizes for your photos, from wallet to 8x10. Or consolidate
your pictures into a collage mat. Purchase these ready-made from catalogs,
or make your own by backing them with heavy-duty magnet sheets purchased
from your local craft or discount store.
Clip Art
Purchase extra-strong magnetic clips to hold important papers. Think of this
as a vertical clipboard where you can post grocery list, soccer schedule,
homework assignments, signed field trip releases, and copies of your latest
dietary requirements. Not only does this conserve precious space, but also
if your magnet is strong enough, you can just flip through to the page you
need with little rearranging.
Chore Charts
Eliminate the need for repeated note posting and use a pint-sized chore chart
for your family. I found a small wipe-off board shaped like a pencil in the
school supply section of a local discount store, complete with grids, stickers,
and erasable marker. This particular product is backed with strong magnets,
but you can easily improvise and add your own to a poster or homemade chart.
If your kids are small, you may want to hang this high to avoid creative
rearrangements of the stickers.
ABCs and 123s Please
Let's take a quick poll to see how many sets of plastic alphabet magnets
you purchased before your kids reached adolescence - anyone? I'll bet that
if you pulled out the refrigerator from the wall or used a coat hanger, you
could fish out enough ABCs to write the Gettysburg Address. Why not use an
alphabet poster instead, with medium-strength magnets attached to the back?
Take a quick road trip to your local school supply, and you will find posters
on any subject that your child is interested in: alphabet (upper and lower),
numbers (1-10, 10-20), farm animals, manners, The 5 Senses, etc. I think
you get the picture - it's much easier to corral a poster than a menagerie
of plastic parts. Once Junior is old enough to use those plastic letters
for spelling words, he's outgrown the fridge easel anyway, and can easily
use a laptop magnetic board or one that is mounted on his wall.
With a bit of creativity and a lot of consolidation, you can regain control
of your refrigerator for the purpose it was intended: to keep foods cool
or frozen, and provide nutritional snacks for your family. But don't ask
me if that little light really does stay on when you close the door. I haven't
managed to figure that one out yet.
About the Author:
Debbie Williams is a professional
organizer and editor of the online organizing forum, OrganizedTimes.com
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