Do detailing chemicals go bad?

[imported_badfish]

Just wondering if I should toss the stuff that I haven`t used up in the last couple of years. If this stuff doesn`t go bad then I will keep it.



Thoughts?

[mbkintner]

Shelf life varies from product to product. If you list out the products you have we may be able to give specifics.

[JasonD]

The environment in which they were sitting makes a difference too.

[Big Leegr]

Some mfg`s say their stuff should be used in as little as 2 years. Some 5 years. I have some stuff that`s older than that that still works. (I also bought a wax that separated in less than a year that won`t reconstitute. Never even got to use it! :( )



General rule of thumb for me is if you can "shake it back into shape" then it probably should still work.

[imported_badfish]

Thanks for the input. All of the products I have right now are Poorboys. Most have separated but It seems I was able to shake them back together yesterday. I will have to check today to see if the separated again. If they did I will probably toss them and buy new.





Thanks again!

[Big Leegr]

The polishes/SSR`s from PB don`t seem to separate too fast. The ProPolish, SSR1 (a little) and the QD+/QW+ seem to separate faster. I`ve got some that I`ve used that are over 2 years old and they still work well (After shaking before/during use).

[Accumulator]

Never tried PB`s stuff, but I use very old products all the time. Even if they separate repeatedly, as long as they work OK after I shake them up I don`t mind.

[metropolitandet]

Any solvent based waxes that seperate can also evaporate over time.

[Bunky]

What about car wash concentrate? I have some pretty old stuff but it seems to work fine.

[JohnLINY]

I have 1 Grand Blitz Wax that is 4 years old and is perfect. Used it on my lawn tractor last weekend. Makes the Deere Green look good.



I have some old 3M Machine and Hand Glaze that looked ok after I shook it up a bit. Didn`t use it on any cars yet.

[bsdsys]

I have some PB`s PwC, SSR2.5, SSR1, Natty`s Original, 4* UPC, 4* UPC, Klasse AIO, and Klasse SG. I bought these products about 2 years ago and they work perfectly fine. I do shake them up before and durring using them but haven`t noticed any seperation. Like others have said, it depends on the product and if you can shake it back to life without losing any performance of the product then I would say it is still good.



They sit in a walk-in type closet dedicated to detailing supplies until I move. That`s the environment my products have been in and until I get a garage that is where they will continue to be stored.



Bryan

[Accumulator]

What about car wash concentrate? I have some pretty old stuff but it seems to work fine.





All my old shampoos seem fine, and some of those are *OLD*. I use them now and then for the nostalgia factor (smell, etc.) if I`m not worried about needing the lubricity of my "good" shampoos.



A while ago Joe/SuperiorShine used some Meguiar`s products from the 1960s (!) and they still worked OK. When it comes to polishes/LSPs/etc. if it`s not dried out it oughta be OK. It seems like dressings and QDs are the things that go bad for me, especially natural dressings for things like leather.

[Imatk]

I have some Z2 pro that I just pulled out... it`s about two years old... it`s hardened like a rock :)