Shelf Life of Household Chemicals

Ever wonder why your favorite cleaning or household product just didn't seem to do the trick any more? Have you added bleach to your laundry whites only for them to come out as grungy as they were when they went in?  Get a great deal on dish soap, stock up, and then discover that your dishes aren't getting clean?  Your household cleaners might be past their shelf life.

Some items will store indefinitely, but other items lose their effectiveness after a period of time.  Some of those times are surprisingly short. I began looking into shelf life/storage possibilities when I started avidly couponing and stockpiling.  There are some things that I discovered might expire before it could be used, so I keep this information in mind when making my purchases. 

Household bleach is an excellent example of this.  It has a relatively short shelf life of around 3-6 months.  That may seem like a long time, but that is from date of manufacture.  Bleach also looses its umph when exposed to heat.  So if the bleach was bottled, put onto a semi truck, trucked across the country, then stored in a stockroom of a retail store, it will probably need to be used fairly quickly.  The bleach will not look or smell any different; however, if you have used bleach and it just doesn't seem to be doing its job any more, it may very well be outdated.  

Keep in mind that it's not as if a bomb goes off inside a bottle or package of an item that it automatically becomes ineffective on a certain date; however, it is a guideline of which to be aware so that you will know whether a product is going to be effective or if it might need to be tossed and purchase something new. 

Here is a list of other household items and their shelf lives: 

Acetone (in nail polish remover):  Unopened 1 year; opened 6 months. 

Ammonia, household:   Indefinite.  Will evaporate if left uncapped. 

Baking Powder :  Indefinitely unopened; 9-12 months opened (Check by adding 1/4 teaspoon to 1/2 cup very hot water.  If it does not begin fizzing, it's out of date and will no longer work.) 

Baking Soda:  Indefinitely unopened; 3-4 years opened however slowly loses its umph the longer it is exposed to air.  (Check by adding 1/4 teaspoon plus 1/4 teaspoon vinegar to 1/2 cup very hot water.  If it does not begin fizzing, it's out of date and will no longer work.) 

Bath Soap, bar:  18 months to 3 years. 

Bath Soap, liquid:  1 year; antibacterial soap loses its effectiveness in about 9 months.

Borax (laundry):  Indefinitely, according to the 20 Muleteam Borax website; however, it will clump/lump if opened and exposed to damp or humid conditions.  

Bleach, chlorine:  3-6 months if unopened; shorter if opened and/or exposed to heat. 

Castile soap, liquid or bar:  Approximately 3 years.  (Per Dr. Bronner's website.)

Citric Acid, powdered (active ingredient in Lemishine):  3 years from date of manufacture.  Will degrade faster with exposure to heat and moisture/humidity.  

Coconut Oil:  1-1/2 to 2 years before becoming rancid.  

Conditioner, hair:  3 years unopened; 12-18 months if opened.  May become rancid if conditioner contains oils and is exposed to heat. 

Dish Detergent, Liquid or Powder:  1 year unopened; 9-12 months opened.  

Fabric Softener, liquid:  2-3 years unopened; 1 year opened.

Fabric Softener sheets:  Indefinite though may gradually lose their scent. 

Hydrogen Peroxide 3% (as sold in drug/retail stores):   Good for 1 year unopened but only 30-45 days once opened.  (?!  Yes, it's true!)  It may still fizz but loses its strength over a period of time.  The older it is, the weaker it becomes.  It also loses its potency with exposure to light, which is why it comes in dark brown bottles.  It can last longer if stored in a cool, dark place, but once it begins to lose its fizz, toss it or use it up. 

Isopropyl (Rubbing) Alcohol:   Approximately 1-2 years.  There is a belief that this stays good forever; however, that is untrue.  It eventually oxidizes via air exposure and turns into acetone.  Refer to expiration date on bottle.  

Laundry Detergent, Liquid or Powder:  Unopened up to 1 year; opened 6 months.   

Lemon Juice, fresh:  2-4 days; 3-5 months if frozen. 

Lemon Juice Concentrate: Up to 6 months in the fridge; 1 year if frozen.

Nail Polish remover, acetone based:  1 year unopened; 6 months, opened. 

Nonchlorine Bleach (i.e., Clorox2):  Up to 1 year unopened, 6 months when opened (contains hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient).  

Olive Oil:  2 years unopened, 1 year after opening.  Will become rancid.  Olive oil becomes cloudy when refrigerated. 

Oxygen Bleach (OxiClean):  Indefinite if kept in sealed container. 

Shampoo:  Unopened 3 years.  Opened 12-18 months.  May possibly become rancid if it contains certain oils. 

White Vinegar/Cider Vinegar:   Indefinite.  This is why vinegar is used as a preservative for canning. 

Washing Soda (soda ash):  Indefinite.  However, again, if exposed to damp or humid conditions can clump and degrade.  *Note, this is different from baking soda and is used specifically for laundry.  *

For a list of 77 items and their expiration dates, check this link:  http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/surprising-expiration-dates-10000000676079/print-index.html

Homemade Clorox Cleanup

I love Clorox Cleanup.  It cleans, it whitens, it disinfects, and it leaves a nice smell that is more than just the smell of bleach.  What I don't like is the price.  

I found a great recipe to make this wondrous cleaner at home at the blog HERE.  I modified the ingredient amounts just a little bit, but otherwise the recipe is just the same.  Best of all, it works just as well as the original product, but at a fraction of the cost. 

You will need: 

1 empty spray bottle 

1/2 Cup bleach

2 tablespoons dish soap 

Water*

Pour bleach into empty spray bottle.  Fill the bottle almost all the way full of water, leaving about 1 inch of room.  Then add the dish soap.  Insert the sprayer, seal the bottle, and then gently tip the bottle back and forth about 20-30 times to mix the ingredients.  If you add the dish soap and then pour in the water, your ingredients will bubble out, so it's best to fill the bottle then add the soap.  

*We have hard water, so it always requires a bit more cleaning ingredients than most recipes establish.  If you have relatively soft water (i.e., with very little mineral content), you might be able to reduce the bleach to 1/4 cup and the dish soap to 1 tablespoon.  

That's all it takes!  Now you can clean, freshen, and disinfect your counter tops, sinks, and bathrooms, but without all the expense! Happy cleaning!

Get More Out of Your Disposable Razor

Denim and disposable razors?  One of these things is not like the other.  That is because an old pair of jeans can be used to extend the life of your disposable razors!

Normally, when you shave, you do so in a downward motion, pulling the razor across your skin, and the hair is shaved off at the skin surface.  This works great for a close shave, but eventually your razor begins to do more harm than good, and it gets tossed.  The reason is tiny burs and nicks form on the edge of the razor blades, and eventually they will not cut as closely and sometimes won't cut at all. 

There is a method that can extend the life of your razor for quite a long period of time.  Once your razor is starting to lose its ability to provide a close shave, then you can use this method to restore its sharpness. 

How?

You will need an old pair of jeans or a length of denim.  It doesn't have to be fancy.  We like Gillette Razors Gillette Custom Plus Disposable Razor - 52 ct. - Shaving & Hair (Google Affiliate Ad)  and Bic Soleil Razors. 

Use this method:  You will PUSH the razor up the leg of the pant about 10 times, and then turn your hand around and PUSH the razor down the leg of the jeans 10 times.  This is the exact opposite motion you normally do when you shave.  Apply just enough pressure to have the blades touch the surface firmly but not enough that the center of the blades bend.   

You may repeat this process any time you need a sharp edge for your razor.  This even works for the razors with the smoothing strip across the top.

We've been able to extend the life of our razors 3 months.  This is particularly true for the disposable cartridge type razors such as the Mach 3 and Fusion types.  Even if you choose to not take this to the extreme of 3 months, it will get you a close enough shave until you can purchase more razors!

Homemade Fabric Refresher Spray Like Febreze

I love deodorizing sprays like Febreze, particularly for those days when you walk in the house and can smell everything that just happened in the last 24 hours and some that were even further back than that.

What I don't like is the price!  Depending on where you shop and whether you have coupons, the price is between $3.00 and $5.00 for one bottle.  

There's a much less expensive alternative that works just as well, and you can make it from ingredients you probably have sitting around.  I love using these homemade versions to spray around the house, on the carpets, couches, bedding, and to just randomly squirt throughout a room.

Here are my two versions.  

Homemade Febreze

1 part liquid fabric softener (I like Gain) 

1 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol  

2 parts water 

Homemade Febreze Recipe #2 

1 part liquid fabric softener  

1 part isopropyl or rubbing alcohol 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

2 parts water 

I use 1/2 cup Gain, 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol, and 1 cup water, but I have made a larger quantity using the same ratios.

Mix well and pour into spray bottle, then spritz wherever odors are evident.

NOTES:
The rubbing alcohol is needed to perform two functions.  The first is to act as an antibacterial.  The second is that it allows the water in the solution to evaporate faster so that splotches of water, resulting in  water circles, are not left on items sprayed.

For the second recipe, the baking soda is, again, optional.  In my experience, it can leave a white, powdery residue on items when dry, but it does help with deodorizing properties.

I hope this economical version is pleasing, and I'd love to know what has worked for you.