It's quite common for vapers, especially those who enjoy 'DIYing', to store large quantities of e-liquid at home. 'DIYing' in the vaping world means to make your own e-liquid. It saves you a good amount of money whilst allowing you to customise your recipes, but the resulting liquids need a bit of time to mature, often called 'steep time'.
However, there are some rules to follow if you want your wonderful recipes to mature properly. The first thing to watch out for is the liquid's Best-By or Use-By date, obviously. If the expiry date has passed, you won't be getting the best out of your e-juice.
Moreover, e-liquids are also sensitive to certain elements like air, heat and sunlight. Don't panic, though, here's how to store your e-liquids and ensure they stay tasty.
What to do when storing e-liquids
As is the case for fine wine, your electronic cigarette liquid must be looked after and carefully protected from certain elements if you want it to fully retain its scent and taste.
Keep e-liquids airtight
Air can affect your e-liquid, as it's full of oxygen and can therefore oxidise your liquid, a bit like it does for rust. The air around you will alter the eliquid's molecules.
There's no harm in vaping an oxidised e-liquid per say, but its flavours will deteriorate and so its taste will be weaker and even altered.
Also, the nicotine will deteriorate and transform into cotinine. It becomes a different molecule and loses its properties. Therefore, there's no longer any point in vaping your e-liquid if you wanted your dose of nicotine.
Note that only an extended exposure to air is capable of altering a liquid. If you forget to put the lid back on your bottle for just a few hours, for example, you probably won't notice any difference.
Keep liquids away from heat
Heat is another factor that'll deteriorate your vaping mixtures. It tends to accelerate the liquid's maturation through chemical reaction. This may seem like a good thing at first, but it can quickly spoil your liquid.
Indeed, if heat accelerates the 'steeping' process, it also makes your liquid expire faster. It's like if you forgot a yoghurt next to your fridge. For e-liquids, it's generally recommended to not expose them to temperatures of 40°C or higher.
Protect e-liquids from sunlight
Electronic cigarette liquids have an unfortunate tendency to react badly when overexposed to natural light and UV rays.
Indeed, an extended exposure to sunlight and UVs will deteriorate your e-liquid's flavours and nicotine. This is the reason why your liquids can turn brown after a while. However, it's important to know that a brown-tinted liquid is still safe to use. The nicotine will have less of an effect, but it won't be toxic.
How to store your e-liquids
Whether you're a DIY enthusiast who likes to make large batches of liquid or someone who enjoys 50ml ready-made liquids, there are a few rules to follow if you want to preserve your eliquids' taste and quality.
Short-term storage
If you want to store your e-liquids for just a few days or weeks, there aren't any specific requirements to follow.
Just use your common sense, like you would do for any other liquid, that is, to keep them away from excessive heat and light, especially in the summer. Remember to put the cap back on your bottle after each use to minimise air exposure.
If you want to store a large amount of liquid but vape it in a short timespan, it's better to put it in several small bottles rather than one massive container that'll take longer to finish. By doing so, you'll limit the air exposure and oxidisation for each e-liquid bottle.
Long-term storage
Obviously, the longer you want to keep your e-liquids, the more careful you have to be in order to prevent them from prematurely ageing and oxidising. Generally, you can store e-liquids for up to one or two years.
After that, your liquids will lose some of their quality and flavour. If it's the case, we recommend you don't vape them, even if there's no immediate danger if you do.
The thing that'll limit the liquids' exposure to air is to fill up your bottles as much as possible, thus reducing the volume of air inside them. As we said earlier, it's better to store your juice in several small bottles than a single big container, especially if you struggle to finish your bottles.
For optimal storage, e-liquids are best kept at a stable temperature and should be protected from heat, which ages them prematurely. Many vapers will tell you that a way of doing so is to keep your e-liquids in the fridge, but of course that's if you have the space.
The other benefit of the fridge technique is that it stops UV light from oxidising your e-liquid. Again, if you cannot do so, storing your liquid in a dark box or cupboard will do perfectly. Finally, we would like to remind you that you must keep your e-liquids out of children and pet's reach, especially if they contain nicotine. If possible, store them up high and lock them up.