My college roommate once caught a large, disgusting-looking bug, sealed it up a plastic bag, and placed it in our freezer. She planned to bring it to the Insects & Disease class she was in. She did not inform me of this friend in our freezer, and when I opened the freezer door with dreams of gorging myself on Chunky Monkey, I came face-to-face with this hideous bug. I lost my appetite.
People keep lots of weird things in their fridges and freezers for lots of weird reasons. But some of these non-food items might actually be better off in the cool confines of your icebox. Here's a top 10 list of everyday non-food items that just may benefit from chilling out in your fridge...
1. Film
This is more for the pros. For long-term storage of professional film, Kodak states that refrigeration is the best way to maintain the optimum quality of the film. For the rest of us who use film for general, everyday purposes, it just needs to be kept at room temperature and away from extreme heat to prevent damage. You can keep it in the fridge, but doing so will not necessarily extend the life of the film past the expiration date printed on it.
2. Nail polish
In my "research", I've found there is a great debate about whether nail polish actually keeps better in the fridge. Some say it makes no difference and that it is completely ridiculous. Others swear by it, saying it keeps the polish from clumping and keeps the color from fading. Whatever you decide to do, the main rule of thumb on storing nail polish is to keep it tightly closed and away from direct heat or sunlight, as this will remove moisture and cause it to dry out.
3. Your broken hard drive
It's a harrowing experience - your hard drive dies before you've had a chance to back up all your important files. Cuckoo solution? Pop it in the freezer! There are 100s of accounts of this unusual method actually reviving hard drives, at least for a short time. Seal the dead hard drive in a plastic bag, place it in the freezer for a few hours, then remove it and boot it up with your computer. Work fast to copy your files, as this seems to be only a temporary fix and your hard drive will most likely die again. If you aren't able to copy everything in time, you can always try freezing it again. The theory is - and I'm speaking in 3rd grade terms here because I am NO computer genius - the parts in the hard drive have stretched or become stuck, and the hope is that the cold temperatures will allow them to contract and free themselves to start working again. Or something like that.
4. Aloe plant
My aunt always used to keep a big ol' chunk of aloe plant in the fridge for whenever someone suffered a burn, whether it be from the sun or from pulling something out of the oven. But aloe plant, with its cool gelatinous insides, has been used for centuries to help with skin ailments beyond burns, such as psoriasis. Just be sure to avoid the yellow-ish part right beneath the skin, as it could be irritating. Also, you only need to keep the aloe leaves in the fridge should you cut a a piece from the whole plant. Wrap the exposed end in plastic wrap or foil before placing it in the fridge.
5. Crickets
Back when my brother still had his pet gecko, before it suffered a bizarre and frightening death that I won't get into here, we used to keep a bag of crickets in the fridge. I know, weird and creepy. But keeping crickets in the fridge slows down their hyperactive hopping and makes it a heck of a lot easier to pour them into a lizard cage. Alas, there was always the one who managed to get away and find its way into my bed. As far as I know, though, they never got loose in the fridge.
