I tried a simple-to-use kitchen gadget that kept my fruit and veg fresh for a WEEK longer than usual

MY FRIDGE can be a bit of a war zone — between half-used condiments and bags of salad that wilt too quickly, keeping food fresh feels like a losing battle.

So when I came across the Vitesy Shelfy, an £89 gadget that promises to quietly extend the life of your fruit and veg, I was intrigued.

This gadget claims to extend the life of your produce by up to 12 days[/caption]

Vitesy Shelfy Smart Purifier, £89 from Amazon

On paper, it sounds almost too good to be true: a palm-sized pod you just pop onto a fridge shelf, that somehow slows down ripening without any real effort on your part.

Unlike those fancy fridge upgrades or complicated storage hacks you see online, the Shelfy requires zero faff.

There aren’t any bells and whistles to contend with; place it in your fridge and forget about it.

Performance

It sits in your fridge to remove ripening gas[/caption]

Vitesy Shelfy Smart Purifier, £89 from Amazon

The Shelfy may look unassuming, but its impact becomes clear after a few weeks in action.

Once tucked onto a fridge shelf, the gadget quietly gets to work neutralising ethylene gas, the compound responsible for ripening and spoilage.

There’s no blinking light to reassure you it’s ‘on,’ but that simplicity is part of the charm: you forget it’s there, until you notice your food lasting longer.

It claims to extend your produce by up to 12 days, and though things in my fridge never stay around that long, the difference was noticeable.

Bagged salads, often the first casualties in our fridge, stayed crisper for days longer.

And my fruit — especially strawberries, which are notorious for their short shelf life — remained firm and fuzz-free well past their usual expiration window.

Even soft herbs like basil and parsley kept their colour and fragrance longer than expected.

These weren’t isolated wins; over a few weeks, produce consistently stayed fresher, cutting down on those guilty fridge cleanouts.

These weren’t isolated wins; over a few weeks, produce consistently stayed fresher, cutting down on those guilty fridge cleanouts.

While you can forget about it once it’s in action, it’s not quick to fully charge when the time comes, taking up to 15 hours. 

But that gives you up to three weeks of shelf life, which was accurate in my experience.

It’s rechargeable via USB-C, and the filter is washable, which means there’s nothing that will need replacing, so it’s a “buy once, buy well” kind of gadget.

I’ll admit, though, while it’s fairly compact, it still takes a sizeable chunk of space, especially for anyone with a smaller fridge.

That said, if you’re using more of your produce and wasting less, it’s a small price to pay.

You can even fend off offensive fridge odours[/caption]

Vitesy Shelfy Smart Purifier, £89 from Amazon

The Shelfy also held up in my busy family home, with the fridge constantly being opened, rearranged, and plundered by my nieces and nephews.

On that note, the app will tell you exactly how often your fridge is open and closed. It was certainly surprising to learn that mine opened more than 30 times in one day.

I didn’t find it the most useful insight, but you can also switch modes between Eco, Crisper, and Performance, and it lets you know your battery levels.

It’s worth noting that both the Crisper and Performance settings will reduce that three-week battery life. 

But I can see for moments when you need the contents of your fridge to go the long haul, like get-togethers and holidays, it’s a great option to have on hand.

Voice control is available through Alexa and Google Home to switch modes, though I found myself happy leaving it on autopilot.

The odour control was a winner for me, and to really test its chops, I tested it with an open jar of diced garlic that would normally offend the senses.

But with the Shelfy, it was noticeably reduced, though I won’t say non-existent, and for less pungent odours, it keeps things feeling and smelling fresher.

It won’t resurrect bruised fruit or save produce already past its prime, but it’s an excellent insurance policy for anyone who wants their groceries to go the distance.

The Shelfy quietly earns your groceries nearly a week of extra life, while keeping your fridge smelling fresh.

The Shelfy quietly earns your groceries nearly a week of extra life, while keeping your fridge smelling fresh.