Abstract: An inner cooled compartment for receiving articles to be preserved has a vacuum environment in it for the prolonged preservation of articles. Door closures for the compartment is associated with vacuum release valves to allow the closures to open. The inner compartment to be subject to vacuum may comprise a refrigerator area of a conventional household refrigerator or the freezer compartment thereof, or both. The vacuum storage hereof also has particular application to the vegetable tray compartment of a refrigerator and may contain a self-contained vacuum producing flexible container. The vacuum pump may be combined with the refrigerator operating structure or may be a separate outside mounted unit connected by a conduit into the compartments.