How long does a wax last in its container?

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AMarkham40

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I was going through my detailing supplies and came across a container of Poorboys Natty's Paste Wax a bought about 3 years ago and never used. Is it still ok to use? I wasn't sure if waxes had a shelf life.
 
I hope not. I bought some PB Natty's Red paste wax this year that even if I wax both cars once a month, it'll take me three years to use it all. I'll be interested to hear what people have to say.

Mark
 
I would think that as long as the wax or any product has not been kept in extreme conditions such as heat and cold they should last for a number of years. I would use the PB red without worries if it has been stored properly.
 
Ive got some paste waxes that are more than 3 years old, just keep it sealed and out of high temp swings.
 
I have some plain old Carnauba wax that is 40 years old and it is still perfectly fine. And it has been on a shelf in my garage, which gets up to 140 degrees in the summer.
It is Harly Wax. I also have a couple of bottles of Meguiar's Cleaner wax liquid that is OK too. It was purchased at PepBoys in 1977 and it was $2.29 back then.
 
I have some paste waxes I bought 22 years ago and they are still ok. I have some liquid waxes I stored in the hot garage that dried out, though. Drying out seems the only problem.
 
Does anyone know if it would last longer or be better in a refrigerator then in the heat and cold of a garage?
 
I've heard paste waxes last longer in a frig, but liquids don't. Idk if this is true or not.
 
My favorite wax from years ago was Classic Slipstream, a hard paste wax which was discontinued in the late 70's. Kinda similar to today's Collinite's hard paste, but it had pretty fair cleaning properties. When I heard the news of its demise in 1980, I went around and bought up all the cans I could find. I'm now down to my last tin, so it's been 30 years. I never allowed it to freeze and never had an issue. My bigger problem was rust on the inside of the lid.

Bill
 
I keep my waxes in zip-lock bags to seal out the air. Air and temp swings are a waxes worst enemy.
 
Your fine :xyxthumbs: we still have the Natty's paste wax before the VOC laws and we use that when were playing around on Steves 442. Like many others have said the extreme temp changes are the enemy, also keep it out of the sun in a cabinet or something and they will last you a very long time :buffing:
 
Providing these products are kept in a reasonable environment they'll pretty much last as long as you own them. They can't be expected to survive freezing temperatures and need to be sealed tightly. I think leaving a container partly open does the most harm as it allow the product to dry.

Now, no manufacture will put this in writing but I think I can safely attest to some of my products are 20+ years old and still work well. Products that I've unknowingly allowed to freeze, some repeatably by accident, do fail and must be discarded.

From time to time I also shake the liquids in case there's some separation that's gone on. While this might not be needed it's been working for a long time. :props:
 
Ive lost a couple bottles , one got blackish mold on the top and the other clumped up really bad like cottage cheese.

You can tell when they are bad.
 
Thanks guys. I just took the Natty's out and looked at it. It has shrank a little because the cake of wax is jiggling around slightly in its container. Looks to be ok though.
 
My Natty's Blue has shrunk like this but I just rub it with an applicator and it melts into it and applies just fine. I have been buying very old tins of wax from yard sales and flea markets, some of the manufacturers went out of business in the 70's and the wax inside of the can is still in perfect condition but I believe that these perfectly preserved waxes had never been opened before I got a hold of them.
 
I have a small (12 Bottle) Wine refrigerater. I keep this fridge at 60 degrees. I expect these waxes to last longer than me. I had considered using one of the cheap type cube or undercounter fridges $79- about $129. I put a temp recorder in one of the cheap fridges and found it would not get above about 42 degrees and when left unopened for a day or two would often drop below 28 degrees sometimes for several hours at a time. While beer and pop will survive these low temps and extremes I am not going to gamble my expensive waxes.

This little wine fridge, carefully shopped cost me $139.00 shipped. It is thermoelectrically cooled (No compresser) and costs about a nickel a day to run.

If you are serious and have expensive waxes I recommend a wine cooler or, a cool and dry basement.
 
If I ever figure out how to use a digital camera for uploading purposes, I'll post a pic of my collection of products that begins in the 50's. Lids on tight, kept in my basement, all usable today.
 
I've got some stuff that is extremely old and it's all perfectly fine... I'd say as long as it hasn't noticeably separated out into its components and won't reconstitute, it'll be just fine.
 
I have some 1 gallon containers that I leave the hand pump on the gallon in my house stored. Is that considered a sealed container to last for years?
Thanks guys
 
I just have liquid wax and sealants. I keep all of them in my house. Can I get 5 to 7 plus years on them if I keep them inside and shake them every few months?

thanks for the info

Jeff
 
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