Top uses for your refrigerator that don’t involve food

November 27th, 2012

Appliance Talk Fridges & Freezers

We certainly like thinking outside of the box here at Appliances Online, and our latest fridge sale has got us thinking … what happens if your refrigerator could be used for more than just food?

After some thorough investigation and lots of trial and error, we’ve come up with a number of uses for this trusty appliance that don’t involve food.

Unseal and reseal an envelope

Whether it’s because you’ve forgotten to include a photo in that Christmas card that you’re sending to a favourite aunt or simply because you want to feel like a Hollywood detective, you can easily open a sealed envelope without leaving a trace.

All you have to do is pop the envelope in question into the freezer for between three and four hours and the carefully run a knife under the flap (if it hasn’t already opened by itself).

Unsealing and resealing an envelope is not something that you should be doing too often, and neither is opening and closing the fridge door.

A French door fridge is designed to not only maximise your food storage options, but the dual-door access to the fridge compartment means that you only have to open one side to gain access to popular items – leaving the other side nice and cool.

The 510L Electrolux EHE5107SA model features a door alarm, quick freeze function and an eco mode to help reduce energy use, making it the ideal additional to any busy kitchen.

Get the most out of your shoes and jeans

Now don’t think that we’re getting out household appliances confused – you can use your fridge to both stretch shoes that are too small and freshen up your jeans between washes.

There’s nothing worse than having a pair of shoes that fits perfectly when you purchase them, only to get home and find that they’re now too small. It’s not your imagination – your feet swell during the day and are at their largest in the late afternoon.

So how can your fridge help?

Well it’s the freezer compartment you want. Take two resealable plastic sandwich bags and fill them one-quarter of the way with water. Place one sealed bag in each ill-fitting shoe, ensuring that the bag sits as far into the front and sides as possible – this is where you’re trying to stretch after all!

Place the shoes upright in the freezer and leave for three hours. Leather – including the synthetic variety – is best for this process, but any material will do. Just be aware that you may need to repeat the process again depending on what the shoes are made of.

Once the water has frozen, leave the shoes to defrost for 20 minutes before removing the sandwich bags. Pat dry with paper towel and the shoes on!

As for your favourite pair of jeans, the rule of thumb is the more you’ve paid for them, the less you’ll want to wash them. Expensive denim is delicate and loses its colour fast, so many fashionistas opt to put their jeans in the freezer when they start feeling dirty.

Last year denim experts Levi Strauss revealed that a typical pair of jeans uses almost 3,480 litres of water during its life cycle and suggested that customers freeze their jeans to minimise water usage.

Environmentally-friendly, fashion-conscious, time-poor or just a bit lazy – whatever your reason for wanting to freeze jeans, it’s a simple process.

Lay the jeans flat and check for any dirt and stains, as well as making sure that the pockets are empty. Unfortunately freezing denim won’t actually wash the pants again, instead it will just kill the bacteria and make the jeans feel cleaner.

Fold neatly – first in half so that the two pant legs are on top of one another, and then two or three times along the length of the jeans – and place in a plastic bag. Press down on the parcel to remove any trapped air and place flat in freezer.

Leave for at least 12 hours and allow to come back to room temperature before wearing.

If you’re looking to freeze your jeans on a regular basis, you might want to invest in a fridge that has as many shelves as possible.

The freezer compartment in a side by side fridge runs the length of the appliances, giving you the maximum amount of shelf space to use for organisation.

Dedicate a section of the 600L Samsung SRS600NLS model without compromising on your other frozen goods. The Samsung fridge also features electronic controls, safety glass shelving and a door alarm.

Store cosmetics

Eye creams and nail polish are two popular beauty products to store in the fridge door – and for two very different reasons.

Anything that contains Vitamin C or has a soothing effect – such as eye creams – can benefit from being kept at a cooler temperature. Not only will it feel more relaxing when you use it, but your products will last longer too. Just make sure the lid is screwed on tightly so that your beauty essentials don’t end up smelling like last night’s dinner.

Meanwhile, keeping nail polish in the fridge will slow down the discolouration process – leaving your favourite shades looking their best for longer.

If you’re more interested in utilising the fridge compartment rather than the freezer, a top-mount fridge is a practical option.

The 447L Fisher & Paykel E440TRT2 model offers everything you need in a refrigerator without any of the features you don’t. And the two covered door shelves can keep all of your nail polishes safe and out of the way of stored food.