Fridges - we all have one, but are we keeping the right stuff in them? Besides your regular fruit, veg and meat, there are some other weird and wonderful things that a bit of cold treatment will do wonders for too.
Check out the list below to discover 13 things to put in your fridge asap - there are some real surprises in store!
1. Keep fresh flowers in the fridge
Fresh flowers can be expensive, so it's worthwhile taking an extra step to help them last as long as possible. Most florists have fridges that enable them to store fresh flowers and bouquets in cooler temperature to prevent them from wilting.
Well, what's stopping you from doing the same at home? Storing flowers in the fridge is particularly effective in the Summer months, especially if you don't have air conditioning.
Just make sure your fridge isn't too cold - flowers don't take too fondly to ice!
2. Homemade cosmetics
Do you like making your own beauty products at home?
As homemade cosmetics usually contain natural, raw ingredients, it's likely they'll go off if kept at room temperature. Just like the ingredients inside, homemade cosmetics really need to be kept in the fridge.
They'll also be much more refreshing for skin if they're cold when you apply them.
3. Keep lipstick in the fridge
Do you have an impressive lipstick collection? If you have lipsticks you rarely wear but can't bring yourself to get rid of, the fridge is the best place for them.
Over time, oils and other ingredients in lipsticks may begin to break down, rendering your expensive lipsticks unusable.
The trick is keeping them cool, as this will keep oils intact and your lipsticks smooth and vibrant.
4. Sun cream
Have you managed to catch some of Britain's flippant hot weather? We know it's rare, but that doesn't mean you should forgo the suncream.
Sun is such a rarity here in Britain, that our suncream supplies can often be hard to find. We like to keep ours in the fridge. Not only does this prevent any frantic searching, but it also keeps them lovely and cool - a refreshing treat for hot skin.
5. Perfect eyeliner hack
Here at Expert Home Tips, we love a good eyeliner hack, but one of the easiest by far is storing your pencil eyeliners in the fridge.
Although room-temperature pencils can be good for achieving a softer, smudgier look, they're not practical for getting a perfect cat eye.
The trick to smooth, sleek fine lines is a cold eyeliner pencil. Sharpen it before use and you'll get a perfect point that's easy to manage.
6. Nail polish
Trying to paint your toenails with a nail varnish that seems to have clumped and become extremely sticky overnight? We've all been there.
This transformation is due to hot temperatures, which cause the consistency of nail polish to change.
The answer? Pop your bottles in the fridge (especially when you go on holiday), and they'll glide smoothly onto your nails and give you a Pinterest-worthy manicure.
7. Eye cream
It seems most beauty products fare better in colder temperatures, and another one of these is eye cream.
One of the main roles of eye cream is to reduce puffiness and inflammation - the cold temperature inside your refrigerator can help with this.
Store your eye cream in the fridge, and it will be more effective than ever on puffy, tired eyes in the morning.
8. Pillowcases
Long, hot day? There's nothing better than diving into a freshly made bed. Oh wait, there is, cooled sheets!
On particularly hot days, we like to keep our top pillowcases - folded in plastic bags - in the fridge. This really helps alleviate feelings of stuffiness when you first dive into bed, and it keeps your head cool and clear.
9. Store photography film in the fridge
Are you a fan of film photography? Film can be pretty expensive to buy, so it's worth making it last as long as possible.
Warmer temperatures can speed up the degradation of photography film, which is why professionals recommend storing your film in the fridge.
Who knew so many obscure objects could benefit from cooler temperatures?
10. Foundation
Foundation, just like lipsticks, contains oils. Over time, these, along with other ingredients, can break down and cause your foundation to split.
If you have several shades of foundation (one for Winter and Summer, for example), store the one which isn't currently in use in the fridge. It will keep it well mixed and usable until your paler/darker skin requires it again.
11. Aloe vera
Do you ever use aloe vera? There are many benefits of aloe vera, including treating dehydrated skin, cleansing acne-prone skin and treating burns.
What better for burns than a lathering of cool aloe vera? Store your aloe vera based products in the fridge and they'll be even more effective when applied to burns.
This is the best way to get burn relief, fast.
12. Glue & paint
Are you sick of dried-out tubes of glue and paint? The solution is surprisingly easy, and it won't cost you a penny!
Keep glue and paints that are prone to drying out in your fridge. It's not actually the cold temperatures that will help here, but the dry environment inside.
Just be sure to keep them in a separate box/bag to prevent any contamination.
13. Facial oils
We've already explained that oils in beauty products can be prone to splitting when stored at room temperature.
Bearing this in mind, it's no wonder people advise storage facial oils in the fridge too. Again, this makes beauty products more refreshing to the skin than ever before, and also prevents multiple oils from separating inside the container.
Are there any unusual things you keep in the fridge? Share your tips with us in the comments below.
batteries need storing in a fridge
I shall be storing glue in the fridge from now on. One word of warning, fruit and flowers don't store well together in the fridge,When I was a greengrocer selling flowers we found that if we put the buckets of flowers in the cold store overnight, the gases from fruit spoilt them and we had to shut them in the washroom well away from fruit.Thanks for the tips, I shall certainly be keeping skin lotions in there now
Hi Posy. I imagine this is due to Ethylene: The Ripening Hormone. Some fruits give this off and cause anything around them to ripen much faster. Thanks a lot for raising our attention to this! :)
I think I'll have to buy another small fridge just to store the things you've been suggesting! There won't be room for food products otherwise. Some really good, interesting tips here - thank you.
Hi Sandy. Hopefully you can find room for them somewhere! Glad you liked the tips :)
Store candles in the fridge they burn for much longer when very cold
That's interesting, Tina! I hadn't heard that one before, but it does make sense!
How many times have you had to ditch part of a cucumber which (especially if you live alone) it has not been possible to eat up? Try this. Many containers have a small pull off lid which turned upside down makes a small cup. Find one the end of your cucumber will fit into. At the stem end of the cucumber, snip away a tiny piece of the plastic covering, and a shaving off the actual stem. At the "blunt " end of the cucumber, open up the plastic and peel it back about an inch. You need not cut the end off until you start using. Once cut, fit clingfilm closely over the cut end. Keep it covered like this. Now put not more than 1cm depth of water in your little cup and stand the stem end of the cucumber upright into it. With luck and a bit of planning you can fit this into the fridge door storage beside the milk. You may have to wedge it in a bit, but your cucumber will last twice as long, - as it will be gently taking up water. Sheila
Great idea, Sheila. Food waste is very irritating!
I always keep salad cream and mayo in the fridge......along with salad ingredients.....and so the dressing is as cold as the salad. Just an additional idea.......anyone loving salad cream and mayo, but not wanting all of the calories....can reduce the calorie content by adding lemon juice......just enough to dilute the dressing to more of a liquid.....so it goes further, product gets used up used less quickly......and tastes good too.
That's a great idea! Adding lemon juice to the dressing dilutes the calorie content and adds a tangy flavour, which can be very refreshing. It's an excellent way to reduce the calorie content of the dressing without sacrificing taste. Thank you for sharing your tip!
Flipping'eck, if I were to store all the things you've listed in the fridge there would be no space for any food. Looks like we need 2 fridges, one for food and another for everything else.
You don't have to do all of them, Sue. We just wanted to share all the wonderful ideas!