A well-organized refrigerator doesn’t just look nice: It avoids confusion, saves time, and makes life in the kitchen easier. If you have vision loss, knowing exactly where things are is especially helpful. A few simple strategies can make a big difference.
6 Tips for Managing Your Fridge with Vision Loss
- Have specific areas for certain types of foods. The built-in drawers are great for fruits and vegetables, or meats and cheese—and it’s helpful to assign different foods to different shelves. For example, drinks might go on the bottom shelf (where it’s coldest), and leftovers might go on the top shelf (so they’re not forgotten).
- Use bins or baskets to group items, like sandwich fixings or ingredients for a meal. Bins are also a handy way to define your own space and keep track of your favorites—like the salad dressing you prefer. For messy items, using bowls or baking pans will keep any drips or spills contained.
- Labeling is another big help. Use large print, braille, or audio labels on bins, jars, or other containers. Another way to tell things apart is to use rubber bands—for example, one on the marmalade, two on the jam. For more labeling tips, try these tutorials.
- Avoid “hiding” food in foil. Foil can lead to refrigerator mysteries, so be sure to attach a label—including the date it went into the fridge—or consider switching to clear containers.
- Watch expiration dates. To make sure your food is safe, check expiration dates with a magnifier and write them on the package with a bold marker. If magnifying doesn’t work for you, try an app like Be My Eyes or Seeing AI to get help.
- Track freshness. Besides labeling, it’s a good idea to place newer items toward the back and older ones up front. And when checking for freshness, trust your sense of taste and smell, and apply the golden rule: If in doubt, toss it out.
A few smart practices like these can make your refrigerator more accessible and usable, every day.
Connect with others with vision loss
Join What’s Cooking, Hadley’s discussion group where members share kitchen tips, ask questions, and learn new techniques.
More practical help
Audio labels let you create reusable tags that store as little or as much information as you choose. WayAround Tags can be read with your smartphone. The PenFriend system uses a small handheld device.
For more tips, check out our workshop on Organizing Your Kitchen, part of the Organizing Your Home series.
Coping with vision loss
In I love to cook and I’m not stopping, Hadley member Linda LeCuyer shares how she went from feeling devastated by vision loss to learning different ways to do the things she loves.
What are your favorite techniques for organizing the fridge?