Woman stuns viewers with video revealing how people are using their refrigerators wrong: 'I had no idea'

There's no doubt the easiest way to use the refrigerator is to just toss things in wherever there's space. Be that as it may, a TikTok creator showed that that strategy might cause you to miss out on some fridge features that can save you from wasting food.

The scoop

TikTok creator Shelbizleee (@shelbizleee) shared a video revealing how to properly use crisper drawer sliders to maintain optimal humidity for different types of produce.

@shelbizleee how do you prevent food waste in your fridge?? #foodwaste #stopfoodwaste #lovefoodhatewaste #zerowaste #howtostorefood #savemoney #preventfoodwaste ♬ Good Vibes (Instrumental) - Ellen Once Again

"Stop wasting money by using these drawers in your fridge all wrong," she insists. "These little slides can help reduce waste and save money."

As Shelby demonstrates, the slides can control humidity and often have vegetable and fruit settings. Open sliders let humidity escape, ideal for produce that rots easily, like apples. Closed sliders retain humidity, perfect for items that could wilt, like lettuce and other leafy green veggies.

So no, these areas aren't best served as your beer drawer or whatever you might want to stash in there.

"This is the best way to store food properly," Shelby concludes.

How it's helping

This simple adjustment can help extend the shelf life of your groceries if you have the right type of fridge. Food waste is an enormous problem in America, with about 80 million tons of food annually going to waste, per ReFED.

More than half of that waste comes from residential homes. Produce is certainly a leading culprit, as if you're not on it quickly, it can spoil before you know it. This hack should give you a little more time.

This can net savings and keep food from ending up in landfills that add to air pollution. This hack can also be coupled with other tricks to cut down on waste. 

One key to explore is using your freezer more to reset the clock on your food. Another is shopping smarter at the grocery store, so you don't end up with too much of anything, even if it's staying fresh longer.

How often do you thoroughly clean your fridge? Once a month 🤓 Once every six months 👏 Once a year ☺️ Never 🫢 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

What everyone's saying

Not everyone is lucky enough to have crispers in their fridge. Those who did have them appreciated the awareness, and many admitted to not-so-blissful ignorance around their usefulness.

"I...I thought they were labels," a TikToker sheepishly admitted.

"I had no idea!!! Thank you!" a user wrote.

"Why aren't we taught things like this?" a viewer asked.

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