I have a lot of clutter in my life. I think our fridge and the mess of magnets pretty much sum up our lives - pictures of nieces and nephews, lottery tickets that need to be checked, discount coupons for local restaurants, a card from a friend. They could all be put somewhere else, I supposed. But I don't mind them.

I guess it depends on your lifestyle. Ours is very casual, and for awhile there I had several really cute magnets on the fridge, not a lot, but ones that made me smile. I decided to take them off and I did.

Then my grandkid's were born and now they hold drawings that I am SO proud of.

Why pretend to be someone I'm not just for the sake of decorating? I'm not ashamed of them, it makes my kitchen and house feel like a home.

I don't find the fridge to be cluttered at all. We only have one life, I won't live it just to have a magazine worthy kitchen.

Forgot. I'm really into the game "Angry Birds." For Christmas I received a great set of AB magnets. They're my pride and joy and make us laugh a lot.

No magnets on our current fridge, but when the kids were small we had some and we bought magnets as souvenirs when we traveled. the magnets were fun reminders of our trips.

I used to travel a lot for work & would buy a magnet in each city (with the city name) as a cheap souvenir. When we bought a new fridge I decided not to put the magnets back up. I moved them to my office (at my job, not a home office) and put them on the side of a filing cabinet. I like them better there, and they seem to be conversation starters.

This post was edited by decordummy on Tue, May 7, 13 at 20:02

I have one. It is on the side of the fridge. It's one of those measurement equivalent things. Like a tablespoon = 3 teaspoons. DH needs it. He doesn't cook, but he does mix up insecticides for his sprayer.

I have picture frames for the grand kids art work. They get swapped out a lot as they grow. But they are displayed in their glory NOT on the fridge.

If I framed all of the grand's pictures, there wouldn't be room to sit. What is wrong with hanging a couple of pictures on a fridge, or for that matter, a few magnets?

I do agree with you that when I see a fridge full of stuff it does look messy. But so what? IMO, as long as the counters next to the fridge, and the top of the fridge are free and clear of clutter, magnets look fine.

They are clutter. In fact, a recent anthropological study into average American homes found a correlation between the amount of stuff stuck to your fridge and the amount of clutter in your lives.

They published a book, "Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century" which is fascinating reading. It also says that people spend tons of money on master bedroom "retreats" and elaborate backyards that no one spends time in, while the family bathrooms are poorly designed bottlenecks.

I have a few items stuck to my fridge which I need for ready reference -- YMCA schedule, recipe I'm using--stuff like that, but I try to keep them on the side out of sight. I thing the refrigerator stood in for a family "message center" or "hub" which more and more people are providing dedicated space for in their kitchens. There's a need.

I read that magnets don't stick to stainless steel refrigerators, but never tried it out.

Effluvlius? Never heard that word before.

I lead a casual lifestyle, but I see them as nothing but clutter, especially visual clutter.
I prefer the keep the fridge clear (and easier to clean) instead of cluttered.

I recently bought a great magnetic cooking timer only to find that there's nothing in my kitchen that it will stick to.

Obviously they're useful to some people.

We use a few on the side.

Are you bothered by memo boards too? IMO those are only 'neater clutter'.

The electrical panel box in this house is on the wall right inside the back door, which enters the kitchen, and it's really big. I hated having that big gray thing in my sight lines, and I also don't like stuff stuck on the fridge, which is stainless anyway.

So I had a local metal shop cut me a piece of galvanized metal a couple of inches taller and wider than the panel, bought cheap modular black metal frame components to frame it, taped a piece of linen around it with (you guessed it) duct tape, and hung it in front of the panel.

It's out of the way, convenient to the back door, easy to take down if we need to get to the panel; it grabs magnets firmly, and holds schedules, the grocery list, and whatever else seems useful.

It looks relatively nice, and makes me feel terribly clever!

Cabinet fronted fridge holds no magnets. I'm delighted. We try to limit the detritus to the desk area, using thumb tacks in the cork back splash....

Though the magnets did come in handy when I was shopping for new pots for my induction cooktop....

No magnets on my fridge. I like it to look clean and uncluttered. It's stainless, so they wouldn't stick even if I wanted them.

Years before I had a stainless fridge I decided to get rid of the refrigerator message/picture/invitation center. The visual clutter was too much for me! We went to a family notebook system, in which all school calendars, hockey game schedules, feis schedules, babysitter instructions, papers to sign--- everything was either punched with a three hole punch and put in "the notebook" or placed in the appropriate pockets in the notebook. If the kids didn't put their permission slips, teacher communications, notes from coaches, etc, into the book, they did not officially exist. Our mantra was, if it's not in writing, it didnt happen, or won't happen. No more vital paperwork falling off and sliding under the fridge or sitting in school bags. Even their teachers learned to warn my kids to "take that home and put it in the book for your mother."

One might ask why the refrigerator? However it managed to survive, society's given permission to be cluttered there, a stubbornly held onto bastion of clutter as the mainstream decorating trend for the last 20 years has relentlessly forbidden it elsewhere.

Houzz "effluvlius"? Had to look that one up in Urban Dictionary. I like it. The worst I can say about it is that it relentlessly illustrates the current uncluttered mainstream middle class decorating look and virtually nothing else.

We have a cabinet/wood panel on our fridge, so no magnets there. I am sure if I could stick magnets to it, we'd have at least a few. Our range hood, though, does hold magnets! So on one side of it, I have a small magnet featuring the recipe for Painkillers, a great cocktail we enjoyed on St. John.

At our beach house, the fridge is COVERED with magnets. Most are the plastic magnetic picture frames that contain photos of our kids as well as people who have visited us. They depict fun memories. Interspersed with those are magnets from different vacations...again, good memories. I will say, though, that I probably wouldn't tolerate that much "mess" on the fridge in my full-time house.

We have a coat closet just off the kitchen, and I use that door for the stuff many people have on the fridge door -- the family calendar, invitations, school artwork, etc.

Won't stick to my SS fridge, but I do have a bulletin board in the kitchen with family pics and reminders for dr appointments, etc. I keep that tidy looking. I also buy magnets when I travel and stick them on a metal file cab in my home office.

The only time I DON'T have magnets on my fridge are when my house is up for sale. And yes, it probably speaks to the general clutter in my home and life. I have cute ones of my kids when they were little in their baseball uniforms, I have a few special ones from Mom's fridge - childhood memories, and I have to have 3 magnetic clips. Each child has one that holds their sports schedules, music lessons and concerts, lunch menus for school, work schedules, ect. I guess I really don't care that someone else may think it looks cluttered. If my magnets make me smile and help my life to be more organized I'm going to have them.

Like decordummy, I used to pick up magnets whenever I traveled. I bagged them up when we had our last house for sale back in 2007. When we moved to this house, we got a very, VERY open floorplan. I didn't want to fridge magnets to be the first thing to draw attention when walking into the house, so they have stayed in the bag, in a drawer, since 2007. It's a little sad.

I think maybe I need to craft a piece of sheet metal in a frame to hang on the wall of the office. Then I can have all the magnets on display again, but not smack-dab in the middle of the house. In fact, I think I just figured out my weekend project. Hmmm . . .

"Tidy looking" is the key to magnets looking okay on the fridge, along with where the fridge is placed in the kitchen. Walking to my kitchen you can't even see the fridge.

So much of it depends on how cluttered the rest of the kitchen is. If there is clutter on countertops, then having a lot of magnets only makes things worse.

I don't keep any important papers or my fridge though. I'd forget to look at them. :)

you found that word in the Urban Dictionary? I didn't.

and I'd love a TARDIS icebox!

When I take the magnets and notes and appointment cards off my refrigerator it looks so pretty.....and calm......
But then I would not have my reminders in my face all the time. I would forget important appointments and reminders to myself.

If it is out of sight, I won't see it. If it is in a calendar, I won't look at it.

They are like my sticky notes on the edge of my computer monitor at work. It doesn't matter how many office calendars and computer calendars I have, my reminders have to be very visual at all times.

I will have to admit, if something hangs on the refrigerator long enough, if becomes so much a part of things that I don't even notice. I forgot to go for jury duty, even though the calendar was IN MY FACE!

My life is just too programmed.

I like the fridge pretty free. I have one magnet (an initial) that is holding a small pic of a new baby (a friend's). After a while, it will come down.

I like a white board/message center type area and we use one of those. I also like as someone mentioned - a family command/control/message center. A blog I read has a good size one in the hallway to their mud room. I love it. The husband and wife both work from home, they have two children at home, etc. and they keep their calendar, notes, grocery list, etc. on this message center. It's not cluttered up with paper, etc. On our little message board, I have magnets holding up a favorite saying or two and cards for appointments, doc's number, vet number, grooming appointments, etc. It's in an out of the way area and is not cluttered with papers hanging off it, etc. The papers hanging I guess is what bothers me. We keep menus, etc. in a basket in the pantry.

Another blog I read also uses a hallway (leads to garage I believe) for hooks for her 3 children's coats/backpacks, etc. and above that hangs their artwork. Not matted, framed, etc.

I also like the pretty framed chalkboards for lists/notes, etc. among family members. My husband is great at leaving me reminder notes. LOL

tina

I had magnets on my old fridge and tossed them when we redid the kitchen and got SS. Don't miss them at all.....hey, I spent a lot of $ on my new kitchen and i DO want it to look magazine-worthy...even though it will never actually be in a magazine.

I have pictures and magnets from our travels and vacations all over the refrigerator. I was about to bend to decorating pressure and clear everything off, but my 27 year old step dd came to visit with her new, serious boyfriend, and took him on a tour of the house, ending with the refrigerator magnets. I was struck by how she knew each one, it's story, and where it belonged- some of them have been there since she was little. They enjoyed going over them and laughing at old pictures. So, the magnets will stay because they make people happy, even if my fridge might be more attractive uncluttered and pristine.

Having some magnets posted on the fridge isn't bad, it's having tons of magnets and papers strewn across nearly every inch that looks and feels chaotic.

"a recent anthropological study into average American homes found a correlation between the amount of stuff stuck to your fridge and the amount of clutter in your lives."

Well I certainly don't fit that mold. My life is too cluttered to even think about tacking stuff to the fridge, lol.

I'm not understanding why a magnet doesn't stick to stainless steel? Isn't it, you know, steel? I'm so confused.

I obviously don't have SS appliances.

Exactly what snookums said: "Having some magnets posted on the fridge isn't bad, it's having tons of magnets and papers strewn across nearly every inch that looks and feels chaotic. "

Personally, I have no desire for any magnets on my refrigerator. I can certainly understand sentimental value or amusement value in magnets though. I like the idea of putting them somewhere else, such as an office.

The word is 'effluvium'.

Now that the kids are grown, I keep a couple of nice magnets on the side of the fridge, and only use them sparingly on the front if we have an invitation for an event - it's a reminder for my forgetful husband!

My fridge is SS and they stick just fine.

I don't care about magnets on fridges one way or the other but want to comment on the stainless steel thing. There are different types of stainless steel. Some are magnetic and some not. So if you want stainless but also want magnets you can have it.

the best use of magnets on the fridge that I know of, is those magnet alphabet letters when the kids are little, or the word magnets you use to create poems.

(pedant!alert!) and effluvium is a real word that doesn't have anything to do with the subject matter, to my knowledge

This post was edited by Violet.West on Wed, May 8, 13 at 19:39

Our stainless steel refrigerator does not hold magnets and I miss them. I had always had a calendar on the frig held with magnets. If it wasn't on the calendar, we didn't make the event. Now the calendar is on the inside of a cabinet and never gets looked at. In fact, I might still have a 2012 calendar there.

My favorite magnets were the A B C magnets we had when our son was small. He would sit in front on the frig while I was cooking and spell words. He started to read at 2 1/2 and I'm sure those plastic multi-color letters helped him along.

" effluvium is a real word that doesn't have anything to do with the subject matter, to my knowledge "

LOL!

Unless, of course, those magnets are holding up strips of bacon, slices of cheese and the like....

Here are options for those addicted to frig magnets and clutter and want to be free:
Hang schedules taped to the inside of a kitchen cupboard door (closest to the frig or near the back door toward the garage).

Pictures displayed in a digital frame that has a timer so it comes on during the day and can play more photos than you can shake a stick at--and way more than the frig can hold.

Kids' art work--into frames or other system, or scan and display them along with digital pictures.

Wall slots for papers that need attention or love kswl's notebook.

Appt's go into your phone calendar. Even "dumb" cell phones have that capability and will remind you x number of hrs or days ahead.

Clearing the frig door is the single most effective thing (after clearing the sink of dirty dishes) in making your house look cleaner--if you're into clean--whether you're casual or formal. :-)

I don't like the visual clutter but each to his own.
The side of the freezer in the laundry room hold my magnets and doctor appt. cards but I spent more time than any human should looking for perfect magnets. I ended up with glass "marble" magnets and the ones not being used are arranged in a perfect square.

My JennAir fridge has a glass front, so no magnets, and it has cabinets built around the sides, so no magnets. I have a bottle opener magnet that I can fit into the side between the cabinet wall and the fridge. And when my daughter's first baby was born in 2011, she sent out photo cards and I taped his picture onto the fridge. It's still there :)

I kind of miss my white fridge with the magnets, but the kitchen does look much more elegant and calm with the stainless steel one. We put on one velcro spot to attach a clip holding our calendar. I mostly use my electronic calendar, but my husband likes having the written schedule.

Fortunately, the sides are magnetic and stick out enough from the enclosure to hold the magnetic "keys" for the baby-proof latches we use. We have one on each side and a third one on the espresso machine so we never have to go far to open a latched cabinet.

Whether steel is magnetic depends on the composition. When a steel is made of just iron and carbon, the iron atoms in it can act like little magnets that all align in a consistent direction in a magnetic field so that they are attracted to a magnet.

Other elements such as chromium and nickle can be added to steel. They can improve properties such as corrosion resistance, but depending on the amount, they can inhibit the ability of the iron atoms moving to align. Then the fields of the iron atoms going every which way cancel each other out and the material isn't attracted to a magnet.

That's why some steel cookware works on induction and some doesn't. I recall mention on the kitchen forum of one stainless steel refrigerator model where some instances had magnetic doors and were non-magnetic - perhaps it depended on which factory the fridge model was manufactured at.

Some of the magnets found a home on the filing cabinets in my office which are in a closet with doors that can hide the clutter.