The Genius Plastic Wrap Hack That'll Be A Game-Changer In Your Kitchen

During dinnertime cleanup, the last thing you want to do is battle with the plastic wrap. Although covering leftovers should be easy, plastic wrap always seems to have a mind of its own. It can oftentimes be a chore to get it to cling to containers instead of itself, which slows the cleaning process down. Yet, before you jump ship to team aluminum foil — there's a simple hack to try. All it takes is storing your roll of plastic wrap in the fridge or freezer. You've likely always kept it in a drawer, when in reality, a cold environment can help make it less difficult to use.

This hack will make plastic wrap so much easier to use that you might start looking for other genius ways to use it around the house, both inside and outside of the kitchen. It's great for wrapping up cutlery when you're packing it away, for example. You can stuff it into the cracks of old windows to help block chilly drafts, and use it to bunch cords together during a move. If you start keeping your plastic wrap inside the fridge or freezer, it'll be easier to manage regardless of the task.

Some put aluminum foil in the freezer as part of a helpful trick, but plastic wrap? It all comes down to science. Health and wellness coach Lynell Ross explained to Reader's Digest that cold can change the structure of the material (polyethylene) and reduce the high amount of static, as well as its adhesive qualities. Since the bonds are weakened, it's not as overly sticky, which is what typically makes plastic wrap a headache to use. Needless to say, if you're able to make space for the roll in your fridge or freezer, it's certainly worth doing so.

There's a small catch, though. Just because you store your plastic wrap in a cold spot doesn't mean it's going to stay in its easy-to-use form for long. Similar to anything pulled from the fridge or freezer, your plastic wrap can quickly warm up. But you should have enough time to complete your tasks as long as you do them right away, whether it's cleaning up after a meal or using it for other plastic wrap hacks. If you don't have room to permanently store it in your fridge or freezer, that's okay. Just toss the roll in a little while before you plan on using it. Since this trick makes it less of a pain to use, you might find yourself reaching for it more often. For example, you can lay plastic wrap on your kitchen counters to reduce cleaning time, or wrap a layer around your phone to keep it from getting messy during meal prep.