Bananas are my go-to breakfast fruit, whether mashed on toast or stirred into oatmeal. But I used to avoid buying them because they would quickly turn brown and mushy, even right after grocery shopping. That changed one day when I accidentally left a bunch on the kitchen counter instead of placing them in a fruit bowl.

The next morning, they looked fresher and more vibrant than any bananas I’d bought before. That’s when I realized the fruit bowl might be the worst place to store them. Bananas are highly sensitive to ethylene, an invisible gas produced by most fruits. While ethylene helps fruits ripen, too much of it in one spot accelerates spoilage.

Bananas themselves release a lot of ethylene, so storing them near other ethylene-sensitive fruits like apples or avocados can make them overripe faster. Keeping bananas on a corner of the countertop, away from other fruits, keeps them fresh for up to a week longer. An even more effective method is wrapping the banana stems in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.

The wrap seals in the ethylene gas at the stems, slowing ripening and keeping bananas fresh for up to ten days longer. It’s better to leave bananas in a bunch rather than separating them, and storing ripe bananas in the fridge can further delay spoilage. With these simple steps, I’ve finally stopped wasting bananas and discovered how surprisingly easy proper storage can be.