Medicine, vitamin bottles for chemical storage?

[Intheswamp]

I was wondering if anybody uses pill bottles to store chemicals in. I'm just getting back into fermenting (not that I ever did much) and I will have a small supply of chemicals. I've read an article that makes sense (I have no idea where it was, though ). It basically laid out the idea that a way to increase the life of the chemicals is to keep air/oxygen from getting to it and a way to do that is to break the packages down in to slightly smaller packages so that when need to use some you don't expose the entire amount to oxygen...some stays packed away while you have your working stock. Being as I know I will be a small-time winemaker I figure it might be good to do this. So, anybody using pill bottles to store small amounts of chemicals in. Wash'em good and go for it? Too much trouble? Thanks for your thoughts!

Ed

 

[Brettanomyces]

Airtight is good in general, but pill bottles aren't that. I use Mason jars to cheaply achieve airtight storage.

 

[mainshipfred]

I use plastic food containers with screw on lids. Pill bottles seem too small to me.

 

[Intheswamp]

A agree that mason jars are very good at sealing things in. I'm not stocking large amounts of chemicals but some of them are sold in larger packages so I want to split them up. The pectin enzyme, acid blend, and tannin are all in small bottles (similar to small pill bottles) so they're good. The k-meta and k-sorbate are both in plastic bags which I'd like to change to bottles. I think I've got some vitamin bottles (I think they're airtight) that would handle half the volume of these two. Side note: The k-sorbate takes up more room than my k-meta.

Also, the Campden tablets need to be bottled being as they're in a ziplock baggie...I think I will split these up and keep them sealed well. Hopefully I can extend their useful life as I'm sure I won't use this entire pack in a year's time.

I may just end up looking for some food containers like Fred mentioned. I'm trying to keep head-space out of the "stored" half of the splits so will need some small bottles. Ah well, I'm probably over-thinking all of this.

 

[Intheswamp]

Hmmm. I might just go the mason jar route as Brettanomyces noted. I've got some 1/2 jelly jars that might work well for the larger volume stuff. All I've got is regular canning rings and lids, no solid lids for them...which might be a little aggravating but no more often than I'll be dealing with them they should work fine.

 

[Scooter68]

Unless the bottle has an airtight seal and you can be certain both bottle and cap are NOT affected by the contents, I'd stay with resealable plastic bags. I typically keep empty containers from my initial purchase of the chemical and fill that from the bigger bags from suppliers. I keep the bigger bag as intact as possible and put that inside a freezer ziplock.
The acids need to be watched as well as K-Meta and of course some like sorbate should be kept in the fridge.

No one rule fits all except the original container is your best bet.

 

[Intheswamp]

That definitely keeps it simple, though I'll have to do something with my sorbate as it's in a non-resealable bag.

 

[Scooter68]

That definitely keeps it simple, though I'll have to do something with my sorbate as it's in a non-resealable bag.

Zip Loc and - here's the "fun" part close all but the last inch and vacuum out the air. Just be careful to not suck out the contents. Refrigerate it. If your sorbate came in a bottle put the bottle in a zip lock and that sealed in the fridge.