Never make these common storage mistakes again!
Maybe you consider yourself a master when it comes to storing household items. When you’re bringing in that bag of groceries and you start arranging them in the pantry, it feels like playing Tetris for you. But are you really that good at this game?
Some day-to-day items have some incredibly specific storage needs that most of us are completely missing. Intrigued? These are the mistakes that make your champagne go flat prematurely or those that destroy your clothes.
So, organizer wannabes, you are in the right place because this article will help you stop making these mistakes and also teach you how to maximize the life of your belongings.
Ready to learn how to avoid some of the most common storage mistakes?
1. Perfume
Those of us who love fragrances usually store them on our vanity or somewhere on a shelf. The rest of us tend to keep them in the bathroom. But neither of these places is ideal for storing perfumes. This is one of the storage mistakes we all tend to make, but what is the better alternative?
Even if perfumes don’t spoil, their fragrance can get dull over time, especially if you keep them in improper conditions. For optimal longevity, a cooler, darker spot is the perfect place. Light and heat are the no. 1 enemies of any perfume, and this is why you should try to avoid them as much as possible. They accelerate the breakdown of the essential oils that make the perfume smell beautiful, and we don’t want that to happen.
For those fragrances that are of high quality and have a high concentration of oils, the best option for storage would be a fridge. But a fridge only for perfumes can be quite a luxury, so the next best thing and the most accessible one is a cool, dark cupboard. Anything that is away from a heating source will work.
These simple tips will help you avoid any perfume storage mistakes and will help you keep your fragrances alive and vibrant for longer periods of time.
2. Eggs
We use them almost every day, and they are a well-known breakfast and baking staple. But how do you store them correctly? Fridge or counter? This is the eternal question, and the answer might surprise you!
One of the storage mistakes is the improper way we keep eggs. We all can agree that the fridge is the recommended storage spot, but those egg racks we find in any fridge are not ideal. Why? Because every time you open the door, the temperature will fluctuate, and this can lead to the formation of condensation on the shell of the eggs.
If eggs are not washed, they have a natural protective bloom that will keep bacteria away. Condensation can wash away this protective layer, and the eggs will spoil quickly. Try to store them somewhere in the back of the fridge, and everything should be alright.
Also, we have a pro tip for you, coming straight from farmers: always store eggs with the pointy end down. By doing this, the air pockets that are found at the blunt end will be pointed upwards, which means the yolk will stay more centered where the temperature is more stable and the eggs will remain fresh for longer.
3. Nuts
This tasty snack packed with protein and healthy fats is amazing, but if you make any of these storage mistakes, you will not have it around for longer. Almonds, cashews, or peanuts—all of them are incredible, but how do we store them properly so we can preserve their taste and texture for longer?
Most of the time, we see them placed in a bowl on the counter, but this will only help them go bad faster. Nuts are full of natural oils that give them flavor, and when in direct contact with heat and light, these oils oxidize much faster. This is why nuts get that stale, rancid flavor after a while.
So what is the first dark and cool place you can think about? Probably your answer is the fridge, and if this is the case, we want to tell you that this is the correct answer. The cold temperatures slow down the oxidation process, preserving the natural oils and keeping the nuts tasting their best.
A quick tip would be that you should invest in some airtight containers to keep the nuts. This will protect them from the smells that are present in the fridge and will also keep their natural moisture.
4. Photographs
You might still have some photographs somewhere around your home, and our bet is that you are keeping them in cardboard boxes. We can understand that you want to throw them away because they bring back great memories, but storing them in boxes is one of the biggest storage mistakes.
Those cardboard storage boxes have some acidic compounds in them, and over time, this can damage your photographs. The solution? Purchase some good-quality archival boxes or, as a simpler alternative, a photo album. The materials are safe for your pothos, and you can make sure your “memories” won’t get destroyed.
Also, keep them in a dry place and away from sunlight. Ultimately, think about digital backups. This is the safest long-term solution.
5. Champagne
We all love this celebratory drink, but the storage mistakes might cause it to get flat before the term. When you think of champagne, you know it should be bubbly and crisp, and you might also think that the best place to keep it is in the fridge.
Yes, we want our champagne to be cold, but it is best to refrigerate it a few days before we open it. The fridge is great at keeping your lettuce crisp, but it will not be able to preserve the delicate sparkle and nuanced flavors of this sophisticated drink. The fridge is a dry place, and this will also dry to cork, leading to a loss of acidity and, in the end, that flat taste we all hate.
The ideal spot to keep your champagne for longer periods of time should be dark, cool, and a little bit humid. This sounds a lot like a basement, and indeed, the basement is the perfect place. You can also use a lower shelf in your pantry that is available from any light source. In this way, you will make sure the flavor and texture of this drink will not be affected by any external factors.
from Shutterstock
6. Avocados
We love them; we also love a good old bowl of guacamole, but one of the storage mistakes many of us make keeps our beloved avocados from ripening. They are green and not ripe enough to eat, and then you look away for a second, and they mysteriously turn brown, and again, they are impossible to eat because they are too ripe. Ever wondered why this is happening?
You should never store your avocados in the fridge because doing so will halt the ripening process in its tracks. The best place to keep your avocados is at room temperature in a bowl on your counter. This will give them the best conditions to ripen naturally, and you will get that creamy texture and the delectable flavor that makes them loved by so many.
If you need a new fruit basket this one might be great: ANTOPY 2 Tier Fruit Basket with 2 Banana Hangers
You should also read: 10 Great Tips to Organize Your Attic and Use it For Storage
