Shelf Life Of Chemicals

[Marc08EX]

I know that waxes and polishes have an average shelf life of 3-5 years. The polishes are very viscous liquids and I've read that the viscosity goes down or the product becomes thin when the products go bad. Now my question is for the low viscosity or thin products such as APC, wheel cleaners, degreasers, etc. What are the shelf lives of these products? The reason I'm asking is because I bought 2 5L jugs of the Sonax wheel cleaner. This is a very expensive wheel cleaner and I don't want the product to go bad lol! I'm just a detailing enthusiast or weekend warrior.

Thanks in advance!

[slickooz]

I don't think you should worry, it should last easily over 5+ years.

[C. Charles Hahn]

You should be fine, even with waxes/polishes... I've got a few bottles of Meguiar's polishes that are as old as I am and they're still good. In fact the first bottle of wax I ever bought (back in 2001 -- Meguiar's Gold Class liquid) is still on my shelf and the product is still good inside it.

As long as they aren't allowed to freeze or bake in extreme heat and they still reconstitute when shaken, they're still fine as far as I'm concerned.

[oldmodman]

I have two lifetimes supply of product.(but that won't keep me from buying more)
I bought most of it in gallon or larger jugs.
I transfer a small amount to a little plastic squirt bottle and store the rest. And just before I screw on the cap I put a plastic tube into the large bottle and force out all the air with dry nitrogen. I do not put the tube into the product, just in the air space above it. The nitrogen keeps the water vapor and oxygen in the air from interacting with the product. Then I store the containers in the house, which stays at a much more constant temperature than the garage. I have not had any product fail since I started doing this about fifteen years ago.
By the way, this method also allows you to store house paint forever too. It doesn't even skin over.
And it's also great for filling tires.

[Matt S.]

I know that waxes and polishes have an average shelf life of 3-5 years. The polishes are very viscous liquids and I've read that the viscosity goes down or the product becomes thin when the products go bad. Now my question is for the low viscosity or thin products such as APC, wheel cleaners, degreasers, etc. What are the shelf lives of these products? The reason I'm asking is because I bought 2 5L jugs of the Sonax wheel cleaner. This is a very expensive wheel cleaner and I don't want the product to go bad lol! I'm just a detailing enthusiast or weekend warrior.

Thanks in advance!

With products like APC, wheel cleaner, etc, there are no solvents / chemicals that will evaporate. Unless these chemicals freeze, it's really hard to screw them up. I've yet to see any type of product of this kind go bad from sitting, and I've seen bottles of wheel cleaner / degreaser that are 15-20+ years old, still consistent and working fine. It's the waxes and polishes that you need to worry about going bad - but still a good idea not to subject any chemicals to harsh temperatures, whether it be cold or hot.

[BobbyG]

While no manufacture would make this statement, the detailing chemicals we have will last almost indefinitely providing they're sealed tightly, kept out of the sun, and not allowed to freeze...

[Marc08EX]

Thanks for the responses guys!! I really appreciate it. It makes me feel good knowing that the less viscous chemicals have a longer life and it makes sense. I just don't know when I'll finish 10L worth of Sonax hahaha!

I have a problem with the heat lol as I live in Phoenix... Summers here can reach temperatures at 120F and the garage is pretty much an oven. I already brought in all my polishes and waxes so I can store them indoors. I doubt that I'll be bringing in my wheel cleaners/APC/spray waxes

[ScottB]

I too think you will be fine, just keep outside of huge temp swings and close properly between uses.