Everything You Need to Know About Storing E-Liquid
Do you know how to store e-liquid? Where is your e-liquid right now? In your pocket? In your car? On your windowsill whilst you were doing something completely unrelated and topping up your juice?We all fall guilty of leaving our vape juice wherever we needed to top up at the time. At the time of writing, my e-liquid is in my coat pocket, and in a draw somewhere in my living-room, and probably an array of other locations that I have forgotten about until I start running dry again!E-liquid storage isn’t the first thing we think about when we first start vaping, and neither is it the first thing we think about whilst we enjoy our favourite juice day-in-day-out! So, when do we start thinking about how to store e-liquid?E-liquid, whilst still much cheaper than tobacco products, is a reoccurring cost for any avid vaper or those using vaping to quit smoking. Those savvy enough will start bulk buying their e-liquid in advance by either buying multiple small bottles or buying larger bottles to keep them going for longer. This is a wise choice to keep costs down, however without proper e-liquid storage, you might be wasting your money!
Heat, Light, and Air
The basic principle of achieving longevity with your e-liquid is avoiding heat, light, and air. These three ‘elements’ will break down your e-liquid, affecting the taste and colour over time.
Light
Light will start to affect your e-liquid due to its UV rays. Working in a similar way to heat, the UV rays will warm up your e-liquid and start splitting the individual ingredients at a molecular level. This might start to sound complicated but put simply, the general rule of thumb is to keep it in a dark location, especially if you’re planning to store your e-liquid for months.
Heat
Heat is the second worst culprit with spoiled e-liquid, similar to the UV rays but even more damaging! Heated e-liquid will start creating more ‘energy’ in the liquid to start breaking the ingredients down into smaller compounds. This will change the taste of your vape juice quite quickly and is something to be avoided at all costs! So to keep it intact, be sure to store e-liquid well away from light and heat!
Air
Exposure to air will cause oxygen to react with the nicotine to produce cotinine. This is the oxidation process that will start to ‘break down’ the nicotine in your juice. In most cases this won’t be noticeable, however it’s best to avoid as much as possible.Simply ensure that your e-liquid is airtight when in storage and you place all lids back on your juice once you’re finished with it.
Where to store e-liquid
You don’t need any fancy storage containers to store e-liquid, but depending on how long you’re planning to store your e-liquid we would recommend the following.
E-liquid in fridge
For short-term storage (under a few months) any dark storage cupboard is perfect. Just ensure that the cupboard is cool and is away from any heat source and the e-liquid is sealed and airtight.Just like any other consumable product that you want to keep for longer, the fridge is a suitable place to store your liquid. Fridges will keep your e-liquid cool for long periods of time and you’ll avoid any damage caused by heat. There is, however, damage from light to consider.The second problem with e-liquid in the fridge is that PG and VG (the two essential ingredients in e-liquid) is that they both cool/freeze at different temperatures. This will cause a separation in the two liquids and massively affect your vaping experience. Just like we recommend shaking your e-liquid to mix the VG and PG after it has been still for a long time, you will need time to allow the liquids to return to room temperature to shake again.Our second and more important concern with having e-liquid in the fridge is that it becomes easily available to children. So only store e-liquid in the fridge if you’re sure that they’re secure enough, or high enough to be out of the reach of children.
Can you freeze e-liquid?
When storing e-liquid, many people consider using a freezer with the same logic as storing food. This, however, doesn’t always go as planned. Depending on the mix of the e-liquid, many ingredients can react differently to extreme temperatures such as those in a traditional freezer.PV and VG do not freeze at the same point as water. Vegetable Glycerine liquid freezes at -38°C and Propylene Glycol liquid freezes at -59°C. If you take into consideration that most personal-use freezers sit at -18°C, these two ingredients are going to separate massively, but not freeze. This can change the consistency and change the flavour profile.Another example is when menthol e-liquid is allowed to be cooled. If this happens, the menthol will start crystallising, meaning that you will have to warm the liquid back up to be able to vape it again. Once the crystals have dissolved, the flavour might not be as good as it was originally.So, in summary, will e-liquid freeze? Not in your home freezer, no.
What is the best way to store e-liquid?
You should always try to keep your e-liquid away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures. For short-term storage (under a few months) any dark storage cupboard is perfect. Just make sure the cupboard is cool and away from any heat source, and the bottle is sealed and airtight.
Should I put my vape juice in the fridge?
This one’s tricky. Although storing your vape juice in the fridge will keep your e-liquid cool for long periods of time and you’ll avoid any damage that might otherwise be caused by heat, as the main ingredients cool at different temperatures there’s a risk of them separating. If this happens then it will seriously affect your vaping experience. That’s why we’d recommend storing your e-liquid in the cupboard as opposed to the fridge.
How long can you store e-juice?Â
Technically, you can store it for as long as you like. With that said, the ingredients in e-liquid (VG, PG and nicotine) have an established ‘shelf life’ of 2 years. This is simply a rough guide as to how long the ingredients last before they’ll start to break down. This means an expiration date must be added to the bottle to inform the consumer of the advised maximum lifespan, but that date isn’t necessarily the day your e-juice suddenly becomes un-vapable.Â
How long can you keep vape juice once opened?
Again, there’s no specific time limit on using your vape juice. If it’s been sitting around for a long while then it might have started to break down and as such it may not provide the best vaping experience, but it’ll still be completely safe to vape.
Where should I keep my vape?
Just like e-liquid, you should always try to keep your vape device away from direct light and heat as these can cause issues with the internal electrical components.Â
Does e-juice lose its flavour?
If left standing for a long time, it’s possible for the ingredients in your e-liquid to separate which can seriously impact the flavour. Keep it away from direct sunlight and heat to avoid this. If you’ve kept your e-juice stored in a safe place and the taste is still underwhelming you may well be suffering from vape tongue.Â
When does e-liquid expire
Expiry dates are only an estimation of the date when the products are no longer guaranteed to be at the same quality as when originally purchased. E-liquid, based on the ingredients, have a ‘best-before’ date of under 2 years. Liquid without nicotine will last longer as nicotine will start to break down first.Vape juice best-before dates differ due to their ingredients and proper storage as detailed above however it’s best to use your own judgement. Look out for:E-Liquid Storage: has it been left in heat, left open, or in light for a long time? If so, you will see a noticeable change of colour.
Separation: has the e-liquid separated? Give it a shake, if it doesn’t mix again then it’s too late!Smell: does the e-liquid smell bad/sour? If so, it’s spoiled.
When is best to buy e-liquid?
We would recommend buying a month’s worth of e-liquid at a time if you want to bulk buy and store them in a cool, dry, and dark place. Vapoholic has a huge range of e-liquids in 120ml sizes so you can save more without buying too much to spoil!
Be sure to check out our E Liquid Guide for everything you could possibly need to know about E Liquid and how to care for it.