Package Dating

[marvholly]

Ran into this article on the shelf life of common household items: A Shelf Life You Didn't Realize. Found it interesting.

I do not agree w/all of it. Appears they forgot things like TP & tissues. Also, I know from studies at my former work that bleach is actually good 6-12 months, I have shave cream that is >7 y/o and experience tells me soy sauce & pasta are good MUCH longer. I do agree about the nail polish.

[justinblake]

So most of the items listed have a longer shelf life than what they wrote? Maybe they just want to be on the safer side?

[marvholly]

Yes, most items do tend to have a true longer shelf life than dated. I suspect mfg are playing CYA.

Story:
I was in a drug store. Had 100 count aspirin on sale. Bottles had a 6 month expire. Checked the 300 count which had 18 month expire. Asked about this at pharmacy and was told that "they" expected me to use the 100 count MUCH faster than would be reasonable for the 300 count.

[snafu]

I understand that eye make-up is quickly contaminated with bacteria. What's the worst thing that could happen if you used bleach that was more than 6 months old? It's ok to use common sense.