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Shelfy: At a Glance
Rating: 4.5/5
If you’re anything like me, you purchase perishable foods fully intending to eat them. But then one thing or another gets in the way and you end up having to throw them out because they go bad. For me, the biggest culprit is fresh cauliflower. I have great intentions when I buy it, but for some reason, I always put off preparing it, and I usually end up tossing it. I feel guilty every time I do.
When I heard about the Shelfy fridge freshener, I was cautiously optimistic. I’d already tested several air purifiers, and I understood the concept of how they reduce airborne bacteria and pathogens. By filtering those pollutants out of the air in a fridge, fruits and veggies should—theoretically—last longer before going bad.
I recently put the Shelfy by Vitesy air purifier to the test in my own fridge. Ahead, find out my overall impressions of its performance, what I liked best, and what I think could make this little food saver even better.
| What We Like | What We Don’t Like |
| Easy to set up and user-friendly | Limited effectiveness on sealed food items |
| Sleek and compact design | Requires home network connection |
| Smart connectivity for remote monitoring |
Specs
| Shelfy Specs | |
| Power | Rechargeable battery |
| Connector | USB-A to USB-C |
| Operating modes | Performance, Crisper, Eco |
| Network requirements | 2.4GHz Wi-Fi |
Testing the Shelfy
Testing the Shelfy fridge air purifier was straightforward. It doesn’t come with many extra components—just the main purifying unit, a USB-A to USB-C charging cord, and a small instruction booklet in several languages.
Before starting, I purchased fresh fruits and veggies for the test, including leafy kale, packaged salad, fresh radishes, grapes, tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and asparagus. I have an average refrigerator with no special bells and whistles designed to help reduce food spoilage. Over the next 2 weeks, I monitored the condition of the produce items daily to see if any were going bad.
After 5 days, the packaged salad looked pretty wet and wimpy, but keep in mind that it was in a sealed bag and the Shelfy could not freshen the air inside the bag. That made sense. The other items sat in uncovered bowls or plates, either next to the Shelfy or on a shelf above or below the unit. All the other fruits and veggies lasted longer than I expected, but the mushrooms lasted the entire 2 weeks and were still firm and fresh at the end of the test.
Setting Up and Syncing the Shelfy
The Shelfy is a smart fridge air purifier, meaning it connects to a smartphone or other digital device via a home Wi-Fi network. I downloaded the app from Vitesy and followed the simple steps to connect the Shelfy to my phone. It synced without a hitch. When I opened the app the first time, it told me my fridge was in bad shape—probably because the Shelfy was sitting on my desk (I hadn’t put it in the fridge yet). After I placed it on a fridge shelf, it started to cool down; it went from Bad to Poor and finally to Good condition. I breathed a sigh of relief.
As far as I can tell, Shelfy ranks the health of the fridge by its temperature, and the app gave me real-time readouts of the temperature in the fridge, along with the amount of time the fridge door was open. It also counts down the days until the filter needs to be washed (30 days) and when it’s time to clean the fridge (120 days).
I liked both reminders. After all, keeping the Shelfy in top working order and occasionally cleaning out the fridge are both essential to keeping bacterial levels low so food lasts longer.
Smart, Sleek, and Always Alert
The Shelfy is relatively compact at just 6.6 inches tall by 4.5 inches wide by 2.6 inches deep, and unless yours is a mini fridge, it shouldn’t take up too much space. It also looks good. I liked the sleek design, but I was a little unnerved at first when its button lit up every time I opened the fridge door. It made me feel as if it were watching me look for something to eat (although that might actually be good for my diet).
Realistically, though, the light is triggered by light/motion. This means opening the door will turn the light on, and the Shelfy app will record the time the door stays open. I found this to be a helpful feature because it reminded me to get what I wanted out of the fridge and not just stand there with the door open. Remember that Shelfy’s success in your fridge will depend upon maintaining a low level of bacteria and pollutants: Every time you open the door, you’re letting more airborne pollutants in.
Reducing Waste and Saving Resources?
If your goal is to keep perishable fruits and veggies fresh longer—and your family won’t be opening the fridge door every few minutes—the Shelfy should be able to do its job and reduce food waste.
Considering how much food I’ve thrown out over the years and then multiplying that by the amount of food millions of other families have tossed, there’s a good chance Shelfy can reduce food waste when used in a committed and responsible fashion. That also translates into a smaller carbon footprint. Since users won’t need to throw out spoiled foods as often, this further reduces the demand to grow more food for human consumption.
While the Shelfy isn’t the only method of reducing food waste, it can be a step in the right direction.
Cost Considerations: Is Shelfy Worth the Price?
At the time of this writing, the Shelfy sells for $149.99 on Amazon and $179 on Vitesy—the manufacturer’s site. That’s pricier than the Greentech pureAir fridge freshener that sells for $49, and the Bluapple ethylene absorber that sells for just $26.99. But keep in mind that Shelfy uses advanced photocatalytic technology to reduce bacteria, offers smart connectivity, and prompts users when it’s time to wash the filter or clean the fridge. Shelfy also monitors the temperature in the fridge to ensure it’s conducive for safely storing perishables.
That said, I’d like to see Vitesy drop the price to make it more affordable to more users: perhaps around $80 to $90. Having an air freshener in the fridge makes sense if you’re like me and forget to use the fruits and veggies you purchase until they’re no longer suitable for eating.
Buy the Shelfy at:
Product Comparisons
| Shelfy | Greentech pureAir | Bluapple | Vejibag | Oxo Green Saver | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Photocatalytic air freshening | Ionization | Ethylene absorption | Breathable cotton bags (3) | Air hydration |
| Cost | $149.99 | $49 | $26.99 | $74.99 | $20.82 |
| Smart | Yes | No | No | No | No |
So, is the Shelfy fridge freshener right for you?
If you’re serious about reducing perishable food waste and prolonging the useful life of the fruits and veggies in your fridge, the Shelfy smart air purifier can help. It filters out the airborne bacteria that promotes decay and rot, giving you a few extra days to use up what you bought.
However, it doesn’t help preserve food in sealed containers. I typically prefer keeping different produce items in separate containers or bags, so I had to get used to leaving them in open bowls in the fridge for the best results.
The Shelfy is a great little gadget for someone like me who enjoys having everything “smart” and connected. I like monitoring the temperature of my fridge from my phone and knowing how long I’m leaving the fridge door open.
Still, you can spend a lot less and reduce food waste by using one or more of the products in our Product Comparison chart above. Sustainable food practices also involve adopting a mindset of buying only what you can use when shopping.
Meet the Tester
Glenda Taylor is a product tester and writer for BobVila.com. She tests a wide range of tools, DIY products, and appliances. As someone who too often purchases food that goes bad before it’s eaten, she’s determined to find ways to reduce food waste.
