This Secret Spot in Your Kitchen Can Maximize Your Storage Space, According to Cleaning Pros

Decide What Needs To Be Stored

Begin by making a mental inventory of your kitchen and deciding what needs to be stored above the refrigerator. Only store items you know you want to keep, even if you don't use them very often.

"I would avoid putting items up there that you are not sure about, but don’t want to throw out yet," says Seltzer. "People who do that often forget about those items and never end up not using them, AND missing out on that storage space."

Clean Off The Top Of The Fridge

Make sure you clean this frequently forgotten spot before it gets covered up again. Wipe away dust with a microfiber cloth or paper towel, then wipe the area down with a few spritzes of a household cleaner.

Don't forget to do this every time you declutter your kitchen, as this area can accumulate tons of dust and grime.

Store Bulky Items

The top of the fridge is a great spot for bulky items that are hard to store elsewhere. They can be placed neatly on top of the fridge or in a nearby cabinet. But don't store items more than one item deep—you need to be able to quickly see what's hidden in there.

But Carol Appelbaum, professional organizer and founder of Luxury Pro Organizer, warns against storing items that are too bulky above the fridge:

"Be mindful of the weight and size of items you store in this cabinet, as it can be difficult to lift heavy or bulky items overhead."

Add Baskets

Baskets are an easy way to store lots of smaller items on top of the fridge. Use a pair of matching baskets to store kitchen linens, extra coffee or tea, or even a few rarely-used cleaning supplies. Just make sure the baskets aren't so big that they block access to nearby cabinetry.

Looking for a basket alternative? Applebaum recommends using short, deep containers that stack. Label the containers with a large font to ensure you can quickly see each container's contents.

Use Your Cabinets

Many refrigerators have built-in cabinetry above them, and these cabinets are perfect for storing a variety of different items.

Seltzer likes keeping holiday items in these cabinets, as they're rarely used, but important.

"If you always host a certain holiday, you can put your holiday serving items on the top cabinet," Seltzer says. "When that holiday rolls around, you will look for them and find them above your fridge."

Applebaum likes to take advantage of the cabinet doors themselves too.

"Maximize the often-overlooked space inside the cabinet door by installing hooks to hang measuring cups and oven mitts for easy access while cooking."

Store Cookbooks

Cookbooks can be hard to find a home for: do they go on cluttered office bookshelves? On dirty kitchen counters?

Try keeping them above the fridge instead. You can use open shelving or enclosed cabinet shelving to store all your favorite recipe compendiums and guides.