Two days ago, I had to do the most disheartening chore of all: I had to cleanse the refrigerator of all the fruits, veggies, and other groceries that I had let spoil. I HAD to; mold was beginning to grow and a stink like no other was taking over my kitchen. It’s always annoying to see perfectly good food get tossed in the trash because you didn’t store them correctly or use them in time. This is a major waste of food and of money. Don’t be like me! Save your groceries and your wallet with these simple tips from Clean My Space. Trust me, when you have a smell-free kitchen and a fridge full of fresh foods, you’ll be happy you watched the video below.

This video follows the first Clean My Space video about storing food and keeping produce fresh for as long as possible. But, of course, there are a lot of foods that you store at home! Too many for one video.

Check out these ten additional helpful food storage tips from Clean My Space.

Celery

The best way to keep celery fresh and deliciously crunchy is to actually wrap it in tin foil first. After wrapping your stalks in foil, feel free to keep them in your crisper drawer.

Bread

To all my friends who ever laughed at the fact that I keep my bread in the microwave, I would like to say, I TOLD YOU SO. In all seriousness, bread is best kept in a dry place like a bread holder or microwave (ha).

Keeping bread in the fridge is a bad move, it will only make your bread stale and harden faster.

Prolong the life of your loaf by storing a few pieces at a time in a Ziploc bag and freezing them. You only have to thaw the bread before using it next!

Berries

Certain berries are packaged very smartly. If you see raspberries or blueberries in plastic boxes and said boxes have slits in the top and squares of paper in the bottom, they have been packaged to absorb ethylene.

Ethylene gas makes fruit ripen and rot faster, so if the packaging is stopping that gas from affecting the fruit, keep the berries in the package.

Tomato Paste

In most recipes that call for tomato paste, you only need a teaspoon or so at a time. But then what do you do with the rest of the paste?! This trick is brilliant.

Put your paste in a plastic bag and before throwing it in the freezer, use a blunt edge to trace rows in the bag. This way, the paste will freeze into sections that you can use a little at a time when you need it.

Another similar hack? Pour your paste into an empty ice cube tray for gradual use.

Mushrooms

The way you purchase mushrooms in the store is surprisingly the WRONG way to store them! Instead, keep your mushrooms fresh by putting them in a brown paper bag, folding the top closed, and putting them in your crisper.

Cottage Cheese

This one is weird, but true! The way to keep cottage cheese fresh is to turn it upside down.

When cottage cheese sits with the lid up, this allows air to leak into the container and speed up the spoiling process. When the cottage cheese container is upside down, it creates a seal and keeps air out.

Asparagus

Storing asparagus is as weird as asparagus is on the whole…let’s admit it, it’s a weird veggie. Keep asparagus tasting fresh and crisp by putting the bunch into a glass of water, like a bouquet of flowers. Cover the top of the asparagus with a plastic bag and store it in the fridge.

If the water becomes cloudy, don’t worry. Just dump out the water and refill with clean water.

Apples

It really is true – one bad apple spoils the whole bunch. Apples are a huge culprit of releasing tons of ethylene gas, which means they make their fellow apples spoil faster. What to do? Just toss out the bad apple! It’s that easy.

Use Your Freezer

If you notice any piece of food is about to expire, but you know you need it for the future, throw it in the freezer. This will give your almost-spoiled food a few extra weeks of life.

Clean Out Your Fridge

I guess with my purging of my fridge, I actually did something right! If your fridge is cluttered with food, it’s not going to work right. Air needs to be able to circulate to keep everything fresh and cold. Make sure you empty your fridge regularly to keep everything at its freshest.

What do you think of these food storage tips? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.