Fill your home with firework colours

Tawny reds, bright oranges, deep yellows and varying shades of blue and green; some with sparkly dew drop toppings, others shooting up trails into the sky. All you need to add is a few crackles and bangs and you have a firework display to rival all others on November 5th.

Tawny reds, bright oranges, deep yellows and varying shades of blue and green; some with sparkly dew drop toppings, others shooting up trails into the sky. All you need to add is a few crackles and bangs and you have a firework display to rival all others on November 5th.

Well, in truth, you don’t because we aren’t talking fireworks here; all these colours come from mould growing in fridges and around our homes. Pretty though this mould might be, there are a few steps that you can take to control it and help your health at the same time.

Unless you live in a TV show, in which case your fridge contains only the food needed to make the meal required by the script and all neatly laid out in the right order, most fridges contain a jumble of food. The standard method for managing fridge space is to add fresh food in at the front, push leftovers to the back and then once in a while have a big clean out. The problem with this method is that all the leftovers develop their own brand of mould which, while pretty, doesn’t help with food hygiene.

One instant cleanliness tip is not to put cans of food in the fridge. The Food Standards agency recommends that any left over food is put in plastic sealable containers in the fridge or freezer. This not only delays the onset of decay, it stops the cans corroding and contaminating your food. Whilst using sealed containers won’t stop mould developing over time, the container will at least contain the mould to some extent.

Cleaning your fridge couldn’t be simpler. Warm soapy water or a mix of bicarbonate of soda dissolved in warm water is all you need. A weekly wipe down whilst checking the contents of the fridge and your mould problems are well on the way to being over.

Then all you need to do is wrap up warm and enjoy some of the proper firework displays which are happening in Bristol over the weekend of 5-7th November. With events at the King George V playing fields in Downend, Gloucestershire county cricket club, Keynsham Rugby Club and many more beside, there are plenty to choose from. There is a firework round up on the This is Bristol website. Although organised events are much safer than home parties, remember the Firework code and supervise young children at all times.