How to Keep Milk Longer in the Fridge

Nobody likes spoiled milk --- it tastes bad and is very unhealthy. It is also a waste of money. Yet it may seem that sometimes you simply can't drink all of your milk before it spoils. Its short shelf-life often gives you little time to drink all of it. If you want to extend the life of your milk, there are some simple techniques you can use to keep it fresh for longer.

Things You'll Need

• Refrigerator
• Milk

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Instructions

• 1

  Keep the temperature in the refrigerator several degrees above freezing. Most refrigerators operate around 37 F to 41 F. To keep milk longer in the fridge, however, you will want a temperature that is slightly above freezing.

• 2

  Keep the milk container closed. If you leave the cap or lid off the carton or jug, the milk will spoil within a day or two. If you have a cardboard carton with no cap or lid, make sure the top of the carton is folded shut to prevent airborne bacteria from leeching into the milk.

• 3

  Keep milk in the back of the refrigerator. The source of the cold air that regulates the temperature of the refrigerator comes from the back of the refrigerator near the top shelf. Keeping the milk near this area will ensure that the coldest air hits it first.

• 4

  Leave milk in its original container. This helps preserve its flavor and value.

• 5

  Keep the milk in an unlit refrigerator. Light affects the flavor of the milk as well as the riboflavin, folate and vitamin B12 content. Most refrigerators have a button that the door pushes in as it closes to turn the light off, ensuring that the milk sits in darkness. Test the button by pushing it manually to ensure the light does go off. If it does not, you may want to unscrew the light bulb to ensure that there is no light in the refrigerator.