Mar
Kick the Crave
Pros and Cons of Storing E-Juice in the Fridge
For any heavy-duty vaper out there, you might be likely to spend a good deal of money on e-liquids each month. In order to enjoy the most satisfying vape possible, you’re going to want to invest in premium e-juices that are made by trusted brands that follow good manufacturing practices. That’s where things can get expensive. For instance, if you’re going through 30mL of juice every ten days, it could make a nice dent in your wallet in the long run to maintain your hobby.
With so much emphasis on purchasing high-quality e-liquids, it’s no surprise that most vapers go to great lengths to properly store and maintain their bottles of juices. If you’re the type of vaper who stocks up on larger bottles in order to save some cash, you might have a good amount of e-liquid that isn’t going to be used for at least a couple of weeks. Therefore, knowing how to store it properly is crucial.
Many people wonder if they can keep their e-liquids in their refrigerator when they’re not using them. Because e-liquids contain flavoring ingredients, and because refrigerators are where foods are stored, it’s not hard to figure out why these vapers have considered this storing method. However, as you’ll see, the refrigerator is going to change your e-liquid in a variety of ways, ultimately affecting your overall vaping experience.
.
What E-Liquid Consists Of
To understand how the conditions of your fridge alter your e-liquid, we have to understand what vape juice is. It mostly consists of a base that’s made of a blend of vegetable glycerin (VG) and propylene glycol (PG). Both of these ingredients are derived from alcohol and have low freezing points, meaning that they’ll never freeze into a solid when exposed to low temperatures.
E-liquid also contains about ten percent flavoring ingredients as well as a certain amount of nicotine that varies depending on the vaper’s nicotine-related needs.
Now that we got that cleared up, it’s time to answer the million-dollar question. What happens when you store your e-liquid in the fridge?
Flavor Changes
Have you ever put a bottle or jar of honey in the fridge? If you have, you’ve likely noticed that the sugars in the honey crystallize, making it very difficult to pour into your cup of tea. While not as extreme, this is what happens to your e-liquid when you place it in the refrigerator for storage.
E-juice has a good amount of sugar. VG has a naturally high level of sugar, while the flavoring ingredients themselves tend to be very sweet. This means that the sugar molecules will likely crystallize the longer they sit in the refrigerator. As a result, the sugars become separated from the rest of the molecules, resulting in a flavor that’s oddly lacking in sweetness.
Also, because of the process of oxidization, your flavor will become increasingly weaker the longer it sits in your refrigerator. That’s because it’ll be exposed to the light inside your refrigerator which disturbs the molecular integrity of your e-liquid. It forces certain molecules to evaporate, meaning that your juice will lose its boldness and its complexity. Unless you’re one of the very few vapers who doesn’t like a strong flavor when they vape, this is bad news.
Condensation
The environment of your refrigerator encourages condensation to take place inside of your e-liquid bottle. Condensation results in a moist environment that acts as a safe haven for bacteria. We really don’t need to explain why this is a bad thing for your liquid.
Consistency
As we said earlier, vape juice contains PG and VG, two alcohol-based ingredients that prevent your e-liquid from freezing into a solid mass. However, when exposed to low temperatures, your liquid will become thicker as certain other molecules do freeze.
If your priority involves massive, dense clouds, you want a thicker e-juice. The juices that’re designed for cloud-chasing have higher levels of VG because this ingredient is more viscous, making clouds denser. Putting your bottle of e-liquid inside the fridge also makes it more viscous, meaning that it will likely give you thicker clouds. While fog-loving vapers might see this as a good thing, there really are better ways to ensure that your liquid is conducive to your cloud-chasing endeavors.
Temperature
Needless to say, a cold refrigerator will lower the temperature of your e-liquid. If you take your e-liquid straight out of the fridge and pour it right into your vape tank, your tank will contain juice that’s cool rather than room temperature. This means that your vape battery will have to work harder to warm it to the right temperature, ultimately compromising your battery’s function over time.
Best Practices for Storing Your E-Liquid
We really don’t recommend storing your vape juice bottles in the fridge. For proper storing methods, check out this guide below:
Use Glass Bottles
Glass bottles are far better than plastic bottles because they aren’t as conducive to oxidization. They also help maintain the right temperature of your e-liquid.
A Cool, Dark Environment is the Way to Go
A closet or a cabinet is the perfect place to store your e-liquid. This type of environment allows the perfect level of oxidization to occur.
Steeping is Key
Before opening up your new bottle of e-liquid and pouring it into your tank, allow it to simply steep for a week or two in a dark, cool place. This will improve its flavor as well as its nicotine hit.
Give ‘Em a Shake
During the steeping process, shake your bottles gently once each day. This will speed up the steeping process and encourage the molecules to interact with each other, ensuring a fuller, more satisfying flavor.
Label Those Dates
If you tend to buy a lot of e-liquid at a time for later use, make sure that you mark the date on each bottle. This way, you’ll make sure that you use each bottle before it’s no longer fresh.
Store Your E-Juices Right
While placing your e-liquid bottles in the fridge really isn’t a good idea, there are plenty of storing techniques that will allow you to get the most pleasure out of your juice collection.
