‘Organisation queen’, 25, reveals how she stores her food so it lasts longer

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An Australian ‘organisational queen’ has revealed her best tips for keeping your fridge clean and tidy after every grocery shop – and the DIY deodoriser she puts in the appliance to keep it fresh.

Mother-of-two Sara Youssef, 25, shared a post dedicated to her Sunday grocery haul and the essential process she goes through to make sure her fruits and vegetables last as long as possible.

She starts by washing all of her supermarket items and allowing them to dry on the kitchen bench, so they won’t get mouldy when she eventually puts them in the crisper.

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Mother-of-two Sara Youssef , 25, shared a post dedicated to her Sunday grocery haul and the essential process she goes through to make sure her fruits and vegetables last as long as possible

She starts by washing all of her supermarket items and allowing them to dry on the kitchen bench, so they won't get mouldy when she eventually puts them in the crisper

She starts by washing all of her supermarket items and allowing them to dry on the kitchen bench, so they won’t get mouldy when she eventually puts them in the crisper

‘I use glass airtight containers from Kmart and IKEA to package a lot of my fresh food because it’s easier to just grab and eat and promotes healthy eating in my children,’ she wrote on her website.

Then, if you don’t have enough room to store bulky juice containers, transfer some of the liquid into a smaller glass jar and keep re-topping it up instead.

‘I keep all of my son Jay’s yoghurts in an acrylic fridge organiser from Kmart to make it easier to pull out and choose the flavour rather than rummaging through the fridge shelves,’ she said.

Herbs from the garden are brought inside, placed into a cup of water and set into the fridge so they are on hand to add into dinner dishes seamlessly. 

Herbs from the garden are brought inside, placed into a cup of water and set into the fridge so they are on hand to add into dinner dishes seamlessly

Herbs from the garden are brought inside, placed into a cup of water and set into the fridge so they are on hand to add into dinner dishes seamlessly

HOW TO KEEP YOUR FRIDGE CLEAN:

• Wash/clean all fruits and veggies and store them in air tight containers – this makes it so much easier to just grab and eat and helps promote fruit and veggie eating (especially for kiddies in the house).

• Keep all clean salad greens in airtight containers to help keep them fresh for longer.

• If your bulky juice/drink bottles are taking up too much room in your fridge and you only have a small amount of liquid in them transfer them to smaller jars/bottles to save space (I also do this with pickled veggies and olives).

• I love to harvest small amounts of herbs from the garden and keep them in jars with water in the fridge to incorporate in my dishes or to garnish.

• I keep all of Jay’s yoghurts in an acrylic fridge organiser from Kmart to make it easier to pull out and choose the flavour rather than rummaging through the fridge shelves/drawers (I also do this with all types of cheese).

• I use clear glass storage containers to store fridge items as I like to open the fridge and have everything visible (this helps ensure nothing goes rotten by forgetting them crammed somewhere at the back).

• To deep clean my fridge once a month I empty out the entire fridge & wipe down the shelves/drawers with paper towel and my favourite eco friendly kitchen cleaning products. I also place a small bowl of rose water or baking soda with a few drops of lemon or orange essential oils at the back of the fridge to keep the fridge smelling fresh.

‘To deep clean my fridge once a month I empty out the entire fridge and wipe down the shelves and drawers with paper towel and my favourite eco friendly kitchen cleaning products,’ she said.

‘I also place a small bowl of rose water or baking soda with a few drops of lemon or orange essential oils at the back of the fridge to keep it smelling fresh.’  

Sara remembers her mother saying ‘everything in your home, has a home’ as she was growing up, and it’s a sentiment that has stuck with her as she became a parent herself. 

‘I completely believe that by incorporating practical organisational systems in the home it makes life so much easier,’ Sara, who lives in Sydney, told FEMAIL previously.

‘It cuts down clean up time by half when everything has a home to go back to and overall everything just looks amazing when it’s neat and tidy.’

So how does she keep her house in good working order?

Mother-of-two Sara Youssef, 25, remembers her mother saying 'everything in your home, has a home' as she was growing up

Mother-of-two Sara Youssef, 25, remembers her mother saying ‘everything in your home, has a home’ as she was growing up

'I completely believe that by incorporating practical organisational systems in the home it makes life so much easier,' Sara, who lives in Sydney, told FEMAIL

'It cuts down clean up time by half when everything has a home to go back to and overall everything just looks amazing when it's neat and tidy,' she said

‘I completely believe that by incorporating practical organisational systems in the home it makes life so much easier,’ Sara, who lives in Sydney, told FEMAIL

KITCHEN 

For the kitchen cupboard Sara uses IKEA tubs and labels them so even her husband wants to tidy up and knows where everything belongs.

‘I loved the IKEA tubs that I used beneath the kitchen sink so much that I decided to reorganise the entire storage room with these tubs too,’ she said.

‘I found they worked exceptionally well to store our cleaning products and each item was so easy to find when allocated to its own labelled tub. 

‘I have some more work to do in this room however so far I’m loving how the tubs have worked for me.’

For the kitchen cupboard Sara uses IKEA tubs and labels them so even her husband wants to tidy up and knows where everything belongs

For the kitchen cupboard Sara uses IKEA tubs and labels them so even her husband wants to tidy up and knows where everything belongs

'I loved the IKEA tubs that I used beneath the kitchen sink so much that I decided to reorganise the entire storage room with these tubs too,' she said

‘I loved the IKEA tubs that I used beneath the kitchen sink so much that I decided to reorganise the entire storage room with these tubs too,’ she said

How to start an organisational task:

If you’re planning on starting an organisation project in your home remember to follow these simple steps before you go out and buy your storage items: 

1. Categorise the items: Eg if you’re organising the toys place each toy in its own category. This will determine how many tubs you’ll need.

2. Create your budget: How much are you willing to spend/save on this particular project.

3. Measure your space: Ensure the tubs or storage system you want to go with will fit in your desired space. This will ensure you won’t need to make several trips back and forth to the shops.

4. Make your list: I’m a list kind of girl, so it’s no surprise I never enter the shops without a shopping list in hand.

5. Shop around: Ensure you’re purchasing the right storage system to suit your budget.

6. Once you’ve organised your space, I highly recommend labeLling everything. I don’t know what it is about using labels that just makes everything look so much more organised.   

BATHROOM 

Beneath the bathroom vanity Sara used some bamboo storage tubs from Kmart. 

‘These are perfect because they’re stackable and save heaps of space while keeping everything looking neat,’ she said.

‘No more rummaging through beneath the bathroom cupboards trying to find one particular item.’

Beneath the bathroom vanity Sara used some bamboo storage tubs from Kmart

Beneath the bathroom vanity Sara used some bamboo storage tubs from Kmart

TOY ROOM

One of Sara’s favourite organisation makeovers in her home is the toy section she created in her son’s room.  

‘We decided to go for the IKEA Trofast system to organise all of Jay’s toys in his room,’ she said.

‘We went from having baskets upon baskets of mixed toys (that always ended up being tipped all over the ground so he can find a specific toy) to a phenomenal organisation system, labelled and all.

‘Each toy belongs to its own category and when Jay wants to look for his favourite car he knows it lives in the “cars” tub.’

One of Sara's favourite organisation makeovers in her home is the toy section she created in her son's room

One of Sara’s favourite organisation makeovers in her home is the toy section she created in her son’s room

'We decided to go for the IKEA Trofast system to organise all of Jay's toys in his room,' she said

‘We decided to go for the IKEA Trofast system to organise all of Jay’s toys in his room,’ she said

Sara’s tips for staying organised: 

Once you make a home for something make sure that when it’s used it goes back to its ‘home’. This will ensure it doesn’t end up being stashed somewhere to turn into ‘clutter’. 

Teach the kids the same thing. When you use something it MUST go back to where it belongs.

Eg:

• Toys go back to their allocated bins/baskets (seperate toys in categories eg: cars, dolls, legos, blocks, stuffed animals, play kitchen items, play dough etc)

• Soiled clothes belong in the hamper/laundry

• Stationery belongs in the office drawers or stationery bin

• Books belong in the bookshelf

• Towels and bed linen belong in the linen cupboard

• kitchen utensils belong in the kitchen drawer (don’t just leave that long wooden spoon in the lounge room after you’ve used it to pull something from under the couch) 

Following tips along these lines will ensure your home remains organised and tidy.

BEDROOM WARDROBES 

Being a huge fashion enthusiast means Sara loves cleaning out her own, her husband’s or her children’s bedroom cupboards. 

‘I always work with the seasons i.e. as spring/summer come to an end I begin packing away those summery maxi dresses and anything that cannot be worn during autumn/winter,’ she said.

‘I use large wicker storage baskets from IKEA to store these clothes until next summer comes around. Or even by using the IKEA ‘SKUBB’ storage cases – they’re amazing.

Being a huge fashion enthusiast means Sara loves cleaning out her own, her husband's or her children's bedroom cupboards

Being a huge fashion enthusiast means Sara loves cleaning out her own, her husband’s or her children’s bedroom cupboards

'I always work with the seasons i.e. as spring/summer come to an end I begin packing away those summery maxi dresses and anything that cannot be worn during autumn/winter,' she said

‘I always work with the seasons i.e. as spring/summer come to an end I begin packing away those summery maxi dresses and anything that cannot be worn during autumn/winter,’ she said

By regularly rotating the clothes it prevents you from forgetting that you bought something

By regularly rotating the clothes it prevents you from forgetting that you bought something

‘They’re slim and have air vents so your clothes won’t have an odd smell (I throw in some organza bags of shaved soap or potpourri and the clothes smell phenomenal after taking them out).’

By regularly rotating the clothes it prevents you from forgetting that you bought something.       

Her next project will be the pantry, where she plans on purchasing more supplies from Kmart and IKEA to decorate. 

You can follow Sara on Instagram here.