Extreme weather can lead to long power outages that cause the food in your fridge to spoil. One woman has shared her brilliant hack to help keep the food in your fridge fresh for longer, and all you need is a plastic bottle or two.
The scoop
Long power outages are common during extreme weather events such as hurricanes, which can cause food in your fridge to heat up and become unsafe to eat. This brilliant hack will help keep your fridge cooler for longer during a power outage and prevent your food from going bad.
@momma1323 Easy hack for keeping your food from spoiling in a power outage #poweroutages #power #electricity #prep #food #hurricane #hurricaneberyl #beryl ♬ original sound - • C A N D A C E •
Candace (@momma1323) explained that she keeps an old juice bottle filled with water in the freezer at all times and when the power goes out she simply pops it on a shelf in the center of the fridge to keep the temperature cool. Candace goes on to say that the bottle should hold at least a gallon of water, which when frozen will help keep your fridge cold for almost two days. "It has helped save us so much money in spoiled food," Candace said in the video.
How it's working
According to the University of Florida, food is only good in the refrigerator for up to four hours after a power cut, and all perishable food should be discarded if the outages last for longer. Long-lasting power outages after severe weather are common, which can mean people need to throw away a lot of food. That costs them a lot of money, especially if they live in areas prone to frequent storms.
Using this hack could help keep food fresher for longer and save people lots of money on food that would otherwise need to be thrown out. It also helps to keep food out of landfills, which not only reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills but also helps reduce the amount of methane — a potent heat-trapping gas — produced at these sites. According to the EPA, food waste is responsible for 58% of the methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
Taking steps to reduce food waste throughout the year can go a long way toward reducing these emissions and keeping our planet cool. Reducing food waste has become an important goal nationwide, and there are several initiatives that aim to help keep food out of landfills. These include Too Good To Go, an app that offers users half-price surprise bags of food, and the Flashfood app that can help people save up to 50% on groceries.
What people are saying
The post received over 150 comments with many thanking the OP for her "brilliant" hack.
"Florida girl here. Great tip thank you!" wrote one grateful commenter.
Others shared their hacks for keeping their food safe. "I use gallon zip lock bags full of water," another person shared.
🗣️ What do you worry about most during a power outage?
🔘 The temperature in my home 🌡️
🔘 The food in my fridge 🥩
🔘 Not having any light 💡
🔘 Something else 😟
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
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