I Put This Office Item in My Fridge Door, and It Was the Smartest Storage Trick I’ve Tried

I love cooking and spending time in my kitchen, but I’ve always struggled with keeping it tidy — especially when it comes to all the small, awkward items that tend to pile up in the fridge. So when I recently moved into a new apartment in Los Angeles, I made it my mission to find simple organizational tools that would help prevent my kitchen from becoming a chaotic mess.

While I was on the hunt for kitchen-specific organizers, I also started looking at everyday items from other rooms that might work just as well. That’s when inspiration struck — while sitting at my desk, no less. I realized my humble pen and pencil holder could solve one of my biggest fridge frustrations: storing flimsy tubes, packets, and pouches without them toppling over or disappearing into the back of the door shelf.

This fridge storage hack couldn’t be easier. Simply take a small, narrow pen or pencil holder (like this clear one from Amazon) and place it inside one of the shelves on your refrigerator door. A pencil holder is perfectly sized for vertically storing tiny, floppy items like tomato paste tubes, seasoning packets, or baby food pouches. Instead of falling over or getting lost in the depths of the fridge door, everything stays upright, visible, and easy to grab.

Once I started using a pencil holder to corral all my fridge’s flimsy packets and pouches, the difference was immediate. Before, I’d either transfer items into small containers or lay them flat (and still end up digging around every time I needed something). Now, I know exactly where to look, and my fridge door looks noticeably more organized.

While the fridge door is my favorite place to use this trick, it’s not the only spot where it shines. Pencil holders are great anywhere you need to wrangle small, flexible packets. I’m planning to add another one to my spice cabinet to store condiment and seasoning packets that don’t need refrigeration. You could also use this idea in a pantry, snack drawer, or even a lunch-packing station.