In many ways, your refrigerator is the workhorse of the season. After all, where else are you going to store all the foods you’ll serve family and friends? As the holidays approach, take the time to ready your fridge for entertaining using these tips.

Empty your fridge

A first step in getting your refrigerator ready is to empty it out it as much as you can to make it easier to clean. If you find removing everything to be too difficult, you can clear out one shelf or drawer at a time. You could also move foods to a cooler or a second refrigerator. Be sure to toss anything that is spoiled or past its expiration date.

Clean and reconfigure

Once your fridge is emptied, take the opportunity to reposition the shelves if the current setup isn’t ideal. Then you’ll want to clean the interior of your refrigerator. Wearing protective gloves, scrub the surfaces with hot, soapy water. Then wipe everything clean with fresh water, and dry with a towel. You could also try washing removable refrigerator shelves and drawers in your sink or tub, and then towel dry them. For an extra level of clean, follow up by wiping your fridge’s interior with a solution of one tablespoon of liquid bleach in a gallon of water, and towel dry. Once everything is dry, place an opened box of baking soda in your fridge so the sodium carbonate can absorb odors for up to three months.

Create food zones

Next, carefully plan where to store your foods. Aim to keep like items, such as meats or dairy, together. The lower and middle shelves are perfect for dairy items like milk, butter, yogurt, and cheese, and the bottom shelf, the coldest part of a refrigerator, is ideal for storing raw meat and fish. (Raw animal products should also be kept away from cooked food, fruits, and vegetables.) Eggs are best kept on the middle shelf, where they can be kept consistently cool, and not in the refrigerator door where the temperature can change. Your fridge’s upper shelves are fine for items that don’t need to be cooked, such as leftovers and deli meats, while drawers can help keep fruits and veggies fresh. Some foods, such as bread, tomatoes, onions, and potatoes, are better stored in a cool, dry place and not in the fridge. In the weeks leading up to the holidays, reserve room in your refrigerator for holiday foods. But be careful to not to jam-pack your fridge, which could block air flow and result in your foods not being properly chilled.

Get organized

You’ll want to keep your fridge tidy with everything in its place to simplify holiday food prep, so consider trying these helpful products:

Lazy Susans: Corral your condiments with rotating, BPA-free caddies like these, which will allow you to see their contents with a quick turn.

Refrigerator mats: These clear liners are made of food-grade material, can be cut to size, will catch spills and leaks, and can be wiped clean with soap and water so you can keep your shelves free of messes.

Slide-out drawers: These handy drawers, which are both food grade and BPA-free and include their own drawer dividers, can be attached to the bottom of your upper refrigerator shelves to create additional storage space.

Stackable food bins: You can use these clear BPA-free containers to keep similar items together, such as produce or snacks, or to store ingredients for a recipe or a meal in one place. These food bins can also help prevent raw meats from contacting other foods.

Take stock

Once your fridge is clean and organized, make a shopping list of the holiday foods you’ll need. You can buy items like butter and hard cheeses a few weeks before the holidays and cream about a week before, but only buy perishables that don’t last as long, such as fresh vegetables, a few days before you entertain.

Once you’ve cleaned and organized your fridge, you’ll have a head start on preparing and enjoying your holiday meals.