Eye cream
To help with puffy-ness and a more soothing experience, a lot of skincare professionals recommend putting your favourite eye cream in the refrigerator. This shouldn’t effect the formula of the product and can actually help keep the cosmetic fresher for longer after opening. Use it in the morning to help reduce those dark circles.
Ketchup
Just because restaurants leave the bottles out on the table, doesn’t mean you should. Luckily, the high acidity of the sauce keeps a lot of the bacteria at bay, but in terms of taste, storing in the fridge is much better than out and helps keep it fresh for way longer.
Pillowcases
We all know sleeping during those sweltering summer months are no fun for anyone. For some sense of relief, try sticking your pillowcases in the fridge for a few hours before bed. The cooling air helps keep the fabric fresh and can prevent you tossing and turning all night.
Lemons
Lemons are generally found outside the fridge to be fine, but they’ll only retain their flavour and juice for a couple of days. In the fridge they can remain fresh for up to a month and won’t have completely shrivelled up by the time you got round to using them.
Nuts
But, they’re dry? Nuts contain a LOT of natural oil, which is good for us but not necessarily good sat out in the open, as the oil could go rancid eventually. In order to keep their taste the best, it’s best to store nuts in an airtight container in your fridge.
Freshly cut flowers
Often seen stored in cold environments at the florists, fresh cut flowers do better in cool temps than warm. The cold, fresh air helps keep the stems and petals healthier for longer whilst not on display. So if you know you’re planning on buying someone a bouquet a few days in advance, pop them in the fridge if you have the room.
Lipstick
The oils inside your favourite lipsticks can eventually spoil (gross), but putting them in the fridge can help keep them fresh and wearable for longer. It’s suggested to keep your ‘special occasion’ lippy in the fridge so as and when you need it, it will be smooth and fresh perfect for your evening out.
Bread
This can sometimes be a controversial opinion between households, but those who do put their bread in the fridge swear by it. Usually, store bought sliced bread can actually stay fresher for longer when put in the fridge due to the cool temperature. If you live alone it could be useful for preventing stale bread before you’ve even finished the loaf.
Aloe vera
Sunburn, moisturiser or skin care. This super plant can be used for many things, but it’s even better super chilled in the fridge. Cold aloe vera straight from the plant or in gel form is one of the best things to help relieve sunburn, as it’s soothing properties immediately provide relief from the pain.
Jams and jellies
A lot of people think that because of the high sugar content fruit spreads don’t need to be refrigerated but that’s false! Unopened they can be stored for months in your pantry, but once opened they have to be stored in the fridge otherwise they are prone to growing moulds.
Foundation
Like lipstick, foundation also contains oils that can spoil eventually. But, foundations can be super pricey, so it’s recommended if you have different shades for winter and summer, put the one out of season in the fridge ready to be used when its that time of the year.
Oranges
Whilst this may seem not that unusual, we often see oranges out on our counters in fruit bowls, not in the fridge. Oranges are one of the few fruits we buy already ripe, which is good for us, but not the shelf life of our oranges. Storing them in the fridge helps them to retain their juice and flavour.
Maple syrup
Maple syrup, surprisingly, doesn’t have a long shelf life. If you’ve had yours sitting in your pantry for months now, it may be time to throw it away before it grows mould. Stored in the fridge it can last up to a year, and remain fresh and delicious for those morning pancakes.
Homemade cosmetics
All natural is great and making a body scrub or lip balm from scratch can be fun. However, all natural ingredients don’t last well out in the open for very long. Putting your homemade cosmetics in the fridge will keep them fresher for longer and also provide a cool and soothing finish.
Chocolate syrup
It’s safe to store it in cupboards unopened for up to 3 years usually; however, once opened, it can be exposed to mould and other bacteria wanting to eat the sugar content. Store it in the fridge when opened and it should be good for up to 6 months.
Champagne
Champagne lovers will deny it belongs in the fridge but science doesn’t. A study done by Barcelona University found non-refrigerated Champagne develops a browning compound, whereas bottles stored in the fridge basically develops no browning at all. So if you’ve just bought an expensive bottle, pop it in the fridge.
Eyeliner
Eyeliner pencils are perfect for those smokey eye looks, but if you wanted a more crisp, sharp line, using one straight from the fridge is how you do it. The cold temp of the fridge slightly hardens the soft pencil, making it easier to create those cat eye looks. Make sure you sharpen it before for ultimate precision.
Tortillas
Tortillas aren’t something we typically think to refrigerate, but most of their food labels actually say to refrigerate after opening. They can be stored for a couple of days outside the fridge before going stale or growing mould, however storing them in the fridge could extend their shelf life 4 times over.
Nail polish
Have you tried to paint your nails and the bottle is just a thick gloopy mess? Warm temperatures can affect the polish’s formula and make it thick seemingly overnight. Pop your bottle in the fridge, especially if you’re going away for a few days, and the fridge will keep your polishes smooth ready for your next mani.
Soy Sauce
Soy sauce can be left out of the fridge and it shouldn’t affect your health, however it can affect it’s flavour. If you’re not planning on using the whole bottle within a month, it’s recommended to store it in the fridge to help retain it’s rich flavour.
Dried fruits
These tasty snacks don’t have as much water as regular fruits meaning they last for longer and naturally preserve themselves, however they can still benefit from being refrigerated. If stored in an airtight container they could last up to 6 months longer in the fridge than being left in the pantry.
Photography film
Film can be super expensive, and the last thing you want is degraded film when you’re about to load up your camera. Storing film at lower temperatures helps preserve it and slow down the degradation process. Most photographers recommend storing it in the fridge if you don’t have a designated cold space for your photography.
Cured meats
Whilst we think the salt will forever keep the meat safe, once opened from their airtight packet, a lot of cured meats need to be eaten within a couple of days otherwise they should be refrigerated. There is a lot of difference between how the meat is cured or prepared that will affect how long it stays fresh.
Corn on the cob
After it’s picked, the corn starts to lose its sugar content pretty much straight away at room temperature. In order to keep that loved sweet taste as fresh as possible, store your corn straight away in the fridge, including the husks, unless you’re cooking it immediately after picking.
Probiotics
We all know those little yoghurt drinks belong in the fridge, but so do probiotic pills. Some experts claim that it will slow down the process of the bacterias being killed by the warm outdoor temperatures, but always check your box labels before and follow those medical guidelines.
Ripe bananas
Unripe bananas should not be stored in the fridge as it could affect their flavour, however as soon as a banana is browning and ripe, keep it in the fridge for a few days to stop it over ripening and turning mushy, the skin will go a dark colour but the fruit will still taste like a perfectly ripe banana.
Face serums
Some facial serums and oils have certain ingredients that require chilling below a certain temperature. Keeping them cool can also make applying them a lot more soothing as the cold temperature can have relieving benefits for your skin. Vitamin C for example, thrives in lower temperatures and is often found in skin care products.
Whole wheat flour
Once opened this flour should be stored in the fridge, this is due to the whole wheat germ spoiling and going rancid much faster than traditional flours, like plain or self raising. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, ready for those next tasty bakes.
Organic nut butters
Those ‘healthier’ butters may seem great, however due to lack of preservatives like sugar, these spreads can easily split and go rancid if left out of the fridge after opening. It’s best to store natural based spreads in the fridge, so the oils inside stay fresher for longer.
Insulin
This medicine should always be kept in the fridge to make sure its medicinal properties are not affected, it can especially lose its effectiveness in extreme temperatures too, like a hot climate. Depending on where you live, insulin can be super expensive, so it’s important to store it properly.
Djion mustard
There are no ingredients that could really make you sick from leaving mustard out for too long, however this French condiment has a very tangy and deep taste. The French have been heard to say it belongs in the fridge because otherwise it will lose it’s distinct flavour.
Opened wine
Once opened, any leftover wine should be stored in it’s bottle with a cork to slow down the oxidation process. If not stored properly the taste will significantly be affected and it can taste straight up like vinegar. It should be good in the fridge for up to 5 days, depending on the wine.
Eye drops
Eye drops can usually be stored outside of the fridge too, however many people swear by putting theirs in to chill. Not only does it create a cold soothing effect for the eyes, but the lower temperature can make it easier for some people to know if they got their drops in their eyes correctly.
Hardy herbs
Certain herbs like basil can thrive outside the fridge and are usually stored like that. However, herbs like Thyme and Rosemary should be cut from their source, washed and packaged on a damp paper towel, rolled up in plastic and placed in the fridge. This is to retain their fragrance and freshness.
Avocados
To ripen an avocado, they should be somewhere warm or near other ripening fruits. However, in order to dramatically slow down the ripening process, you can store avocados in the fridge, especially if it’s a hot time of the year and you don’t need the avocado to be ready yet.
Butter
Some people believe butter needs to be out the fridge for a good spread, however left out too long and it will just expire. Butter can be left out of the fridge for realistically a few hours (it might melt though), but any more than that is just leaving it exposed to bacteria for longer.
Metal kitchen tools
When you’re baking and wanting to create those stiff peaks when whipping cream, a cold bowl and whisk is useful. Bakers have been known to put their metal mixing bowl and whisk in the fridge a couple of hours before baking in order to get a good chill on their equipment to help the cream do it’s thing.
Cream liqueur
Even though there’s a good amount of alcohol that could preserve this beverage, the cream factor comes from dairy. Dairy should always have some form of refrigeration even if it’s just after opening, so make sure to put that booze back in the fridge to risk the cream spoiling.
Tender herbs
Cilantro, dill or parsley. These softer herbs should also be kept in the fridge for freshness, washed and sealed ideally in a mason jar with a touch of water at the bottom. They last a lot longer stored like this than just in their packet in the pantry or windowsill.
Eye patches
Beauty gurus swear by under eye patches for brightening and de-puffing your under eyes. The smooth gel like consistency makes them perfect for popping in the fridge the night before you use them and letting the cool gel wake you up. You could even place them in cooled aloe vera for a more luxurious experience.