Having a bowl loaded with colourful produce makes it easy to snack more healthily at home, but it comes with the challenge of keeping items fresh. This is even trickier when there's little space to balance apples, pears, bananas, and oranges among your other favourite fruits. Many people suggest that as they seep ethylene, which can quickly ripen their surroundings.

According to Sunnia Gull, director of marketing for Sumo Citrus, the same applies to oranges. She told Martha Stewart that oranges and other citrus fruits should only be stored on the counter or in a fruit bowl if you plan on eating them within two days.

"Keeping citrus at its peak is all about moisture," said Sunnia, who explained that citrus fruits should be kept at room temperature for a couple of days at most.

Fruit bowls exacerbate the unfavourable room-temperature storage for oranges and can actually quicken the ripening process. This is especially true if you have an overloaded bowl full of different fruits, which limits circulation.

The fruit expert noted that a "cool room without direct sunlight" is optimum, while keeping oranges out in the open, but they should really be moved to the fridge for long-term storage.

A loss of flavour and increased wateriness are common problems with , but oranges fare much better in the cold fridge.

It may come as no surprise that the crisper drawer is the best place to keep citrus fruit, though they should be stripped of their original packaging beforehand.

Christina Ward, the senior director at Sunkist Growers, a cooperative of citrus farmers, explains that fridge storage is "a clear winner when it comes to keeping your [citrus] fruit fresh for longer".

Ditch all plastic bags before placing oranges in the fridge's crisper drawer. Not only is the temperature most consistent here, but the air circulation is best, which limits moisture.

Avoid cramming anything too tightly into the drawer, and turn fruit around every so often to increase air flow further, said the food storage experts.

Better circulation reduces the risk of growth, lesions, or softened rind, which can lead to unfavourable tasting fruit.

If refrigerated between 5C and 5.5C, , said Christina.

If you're unsure whether fruit has already gone off, you can look for some telltale indicators.

A sour or fermented taste or smell is a clear sign to discard citrus fruit, but some discolouration to the rind is usually fine.

Christina suggests giving fruit a gentle squeeze to test the freshness: it should have some give, but not much.

"If it's super soft, mushy, or dried out, it's time for it to go", she said.

Visible mould and a complete loss of the citrusy smell are good reasons to discard fruit.