You probably know at least one person who casually leaves their e-liquid bottle open. Usually, they probably just forgot about it, maybe because they were running an errand, but more commonly it’s just because they felt too lazy to close it. Whichever the case, leaving your e-liquid bottle open for too long isn’t good.
Leaving your e-liquid bottle open for too long can have negative effects on your juice. However, this doesn’t mean that you should instantly throw it away if you have one lying open at home. There’s a quick process that you can follow to test if your e-liquid is still good to consume. But before you do, it would help if you first understood why the quality of your e-liquid gets bad when left open.
What is steeping?
Steeping is a method of improving the taste of e-liquid by storing it in an environment with an ideal amount of oxidation. Most vapers steep their e-liquid after purchase, hoping to improve its quality. Steeping is comparable to aging a bottle of wine, as you’re essentially storing your e-liquid for a specific period to bring out its best flavour.
However, it is a different issue when you leave its bottle cap off for too long, leading to over-oxidation. When this happens, your e-liquid will leave a vinegar-like flavour, and its nicotine content will lessen.
How does oxidation work?
Oxidation starts once oxygen enters your open bottle of e-liquid. When your e-liquid has been exposed to oxygen, its molecular composition changes. Some molecules evaporate, leaving other types of units to have more substantial concentrations. This can weaken the flavour or the nicotine content of your e-liquid.
How to test your e-liquid?
E-liquids can be expensive to certain people, and for sure, you wouldn’t want to just throw it away. If you have one or two bottles of e-liquid with an open cap lying around your home, you’ll need to test if these are liquids are still “vapeable.”
Here’s a quick process that you can follow:
1.See if your e-liquid still has the same colour as it did when you bought it or not
2.If yes, smell your e-liquid to assess if it holds the same flavour profile or not
3.If yes, try putting a good amount on your vape pen and see if it produce vapor or not
4.If yes, try vaping a few amounts and see if it tastes well or not
5.If yes, assess if you still get a good amount of nicotine
If your answer to the last question is yes, your e-liquid is still in its good condition, and you can still consume it. If you’ve answered no to the second question already, then your e-liquid has probably been over-oxidized. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t now use it. The content of e-liquids does not decompose, meaning that it is still safe to consume. However, know that you won’t get the same quality flavour and amount of nicotine from it when it’s been over-oxidized.
Conclusion
There’s no harm in trying to steep your e-liquid to get an improved quality of taste. However, doing the wrong process will only leave your e-liquid with a poor taste and less nicotine content. Remember not to leave your e-liquid bottle open for too long, as it will over-oxidize and will affect the overall quality of your product.