HOW TO INCREASE THE SHELF LIFE OF YOUR E-LIQUID BOTTLES
When it comes to smart vaping, one of the biggest temptations is to stock up on bottles of your favorite flavor. Vape can be stored at room temperature and, over the course of one bottle, doesn't go bad if you treat it like a non-perishable. But in reality, e-liquid has a surprisingly short shelf life. Left sealed in the right environment, a bottle of vape lasts 2-5 years, not forever.
But that doesn't stop us from wanting to stock up, and technically within a 2 year period, stocking up could be the perfect way to never run out of artisan vapor clouds to puff. Of course, the way you store or vape matters a lot in how long it lasts, and the quality of vape that has been sitting on the shelf. If you want to stock up on vape and maximize the shelf life of bottles you're not currently using, you've come to the right place. Today, we are here to talk about how you can keep your e-liquid fresh and ready to vape whether you're saving it for weeks, months, or even years between purchase and puff.
USE ONE BOTTLE AT A TIME - KEEP UNOPENED BOTTLES IN STORAGE
The first trick you learn in storing e-liquid is to only have one bottle of each flavor open at a time. It may be tempting to spread them around, and with little bottles that can work, but a cracked-open vape bottle has a much shorter shelf life than one that is still factory-sealed.
So if you want a long-term supply of e-liquid to last you a few months, then don't open your backups. Use one bottle of flavor at a time and keep your backups unopened in storage. This way, the next bottle you need will taste fresh and new when it's time to break into your stores.
STORE YOUR VAPE IN THE FRIDGE
Did you know that vape keeps better the same way food products do? Fruit, for example, can be left out on the counter and is good for a few days that way. But if you put it in the fridge, it stays crisp and fresh for a lot longer. E-liquid freshness works exactly the same way. Eliquid benefits from being stored in a cool, dark place where there are the fewest possible elements of change. Both heat and light can cause the particles suspended in your e-liquid to react or decay, so the fridge (with the light out when the door's closed) is a perfect place to give your stored e-liquid the longest possible shelf life.
OR KEEP YOUR VAPE IN A COOL PLACE
If you don't have enough space in your fridge for the extra bottles of e-liquid, other methods work almost as well for keeping your vape juice cool and fresh. Ideally, you want your e-liquid to get no warmer than room temperature in the shade, so don't store it directly under any lights, hot electronics, or in the path of warm exhaust vents.
Instead, tuck your stored e-liquid away into a dark drawer, cubby, or box where it won't get any light or additional heat exposure for the duration of its storage.
LIMIT LIGHT EXPOSURE
Light is also a reactive influence on some e-liquid and direct sunlight or electric light can cause e-liquid to decay more quickly. Shining a bright light on your bottles or leaving them in the sun is a bad idea because the light and heat from either circumstance will cause your e-liquid to darken, thicken, and spoil much faster than it would normally.
One clever way to limit light exposure of your e-liquids is to use dark glass bottles, like the dark brown or blue bottles traditionally used for medicine. This prevents light from getting through the bottle which, in turn, keeps your vape cool and fresh.
RESEAL OPENED UNFINISHED BOTTLES
If you open a bottle of vape but won't be able to finish it soon, all is not lost. Whether you don't care for the flavor and want to pass it on to a friend or you won't be able to vape for a few weeks after opening the bottle, resealing is always possible. All you need is a thick piece of sticky tape wrapped around the base of the lid, connecting the lid firmly to the bottle. Done correctly, this can tightly reseal your already open vape bottles and seriously reduce the amount of air-exposure and decay that occurs during your vape break.
NEVER LEAVE A BOTTLE IN THE CAR
We leave all sorts of things in the car that we shouldn't. Expensive car keys, shades that melt on the dash, coffees that get disgustingly flat-hot half finished in the cup holders. And our vapes that don't come indoors for work or social time. While temporarily leaving your vape in the car can be a good strategy, it's hell on both your gaskets and the bottles of e-liquid.
In your average unattended car, temperatures usually either drop below fifty or over seventy inside the car. The lows are perfectly fine, but extended time in a boiling hot car is very bad for e-liquid decay. You can expect to see unusually rapid ripening of any e-liquid left to 'steep' inside a hot car.
USE A LUNCH COOLER TO TRAVEL WITH VAPE
But if your goal is actually to travel with your vape through hot summer climates, a lunch cooler is an incredibly smart innovation. One bottle of vape slipped in next to your potato salad and grill-ready hotdogs for a beach trip, a summer picnic or a sunny road trip can ensure you've got travel vape that will last for as long as you want to puff it.
SWITCH TO GLASS BOTTLES AT HOME
And finally, many vapers don't realize that plastic bottles aren't actually the best storage method. They're cheap, versatile, and durable enough for any vaper to empty a bottle of a favorite flavor. But for the long-term, plastic decays and it gets old or brittle. And less air-tight. For perfect long-term vape storage, keep your vape in cool tinted glass bottles. This will significantly reduce the chances of overheating, light exposure, air exposure, the key elements that cause vape to age.
Want to increase the shelf-life of your vape or store a few bottles for a really long time? These dips are bound to help!