Commercial Laundry Detergent--how long to keep?

**SaucyCranberry** · 01-30-2008, 10:06 PM

OK, stockpile queens, I'd love your input. How long is too long to keep liquid laundry detergent? Opened and unopened? I can't help but think some active ingredients have an expiration. I would also imagine powder has a much longer shelf life.

(As a funny aside, when I lived in S Korea a few years ago, and had our w/d on an unheated deck of the apartment, I learned that liquid laundry detergent will freeze up like a slushie, but fabric softener seemed unaffected by the very cold winters. And the powder was useless in the summer, because of clumping in the damp humidity. I alternated powder/liquid by season. My memoirs will be called "Tide Freezes, Downey Doesn't".

**Jskell911** · 01-31-2008, 05:56 AM

Found this online:

Shelf Life of Laundry Products
Generally, laundry products do not have a limited shelf life. Some powder products may pick up moisture from the atmosphere. While this could delay their dissolving performance, once in solution they still perform their functions.

**frugalchick** · 01-31-2008, 07:36 AM

I have had bottles of liquid as long as 2 years, and they seemed to do okay. I don't know about the powdered....... sorry........

**IntlMom** · 01-31-2008, 09:35 AM

really, I would not even give a thought to the shelf life of detergent. I would use it after a really, really long time!

**Holly** · 01-31-2008, 10:39 AM

I've kept it for a couple years and then used with no problem.

**nuisance26** · 01-31-2008, 01:01 PM

~I think softeners don't freeze because of the oil in them. I've kept liquid detergent for over a year too, no problems. Of course I only use 4 gallons a year so it's not something I have to stockpile. I can always hit a $2 or less sale.~