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How Long Do Spices Last? When You Should Declutter Them

When decluttering spices you may wonder, "how long do spices last?" Here's practical tips and information to know what to keep and what to toss.

Declutter spices mission, on Home Storage Solutions 101 as one of the #Declutter365 missionsuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Today's decluttering mission is to get rid of old spices in your kitchen, along with any that you don't use anymore. We're doing this mission while simultaneously going through the Organize Pantry Challenge here on the site.

While on its face getting rid of spice clutter isn't rocket science, I consistently get questions about when spices expire, if they actually do go bad, and how you can tell.

So what follows is a quick crash course in spices that can help you do this mission quickly in your own kitchen.


Pratical advice for how long do spices last when taking on this #decluttering project in your kitchen {on Home Storage Solutions 101} #declutter #PantryOrganizationuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Spices Don't Go Bad, But They Lose Their Strength & Flavor

Typically, with some exceptions (such as mold or mildew on items, or something similar), spices don't go bad. However, they do lose their strength and flavor with time.

That's why many (but not all) spice bottles have expiration dates, or "best by" dates on them, so you can know whether the spice you want to add to your food will actually taste good, or not.

Different Spices Have Different "Best By" Dates

It is hard to generalize about how long various spices last, because it depends on so many factors, including how the spice has been stored, the type of spice or herb it is, and whether it is fresh, frozen, dried whole, or dried and ground.

This article is focused on dried spices, since that is what typically what many of us keep in our pantry or cupboards.

Typically, as listed in the pantry food storage chart, dried ground spices last for 1-2 years, while dried whole spices last for 2-3 years.

Some people shorten or lengthen those time frames somewhat, but the general rule of thumb is ground spices don't last as long as whole spices.

Before and after of spice cabinet decluttering project. Part of the #Declutter365 missions on Home Storage Solutions 101.use this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

Simple Test For Checking Spices

As mentioned before, the simplest way to figure out when your spices are past their prime is to look at the "best by" date on the bottle.

However, if you can't find it, you bought in bulk and never had such a date provided, or you've transferred your spices to new containers, you can use this simple test to determine if you need to toss those spices, or can still use them.

Take a small pinch of the spice and crush it between your fingers and smell it. If it has no scent, or only a very faint scent, it needs to be tossed. It will not have much taste, so it is pretty worthless at this point.

If it has a weaker smell you could still use it, but I would suggest doing so quickly. In addition, if you do use those spices you may need to add more, potentially double, what the recipe calls for, to get the dish to taste like you'd expect since much of the taste from the spice is gone.

I'll also caution for those discounting the fact that spices do lose much of their flavor with time, that I've heard stories about people who thought their spices were fine despite being old, and then when they finally did buy a new bottle of that spice they were astounded at the flavor they'd been missing before.

Those "best by" dates and rules of thumb of how long spices last are there for a reason, for real!

How To Keep Track Of Spice Dates From Now On

After doing this decluttering mission you may be aggravated with yourself as you find all kinds of extremely old spices lurking around in your pantry or cupboards. Those little jars do cost money, after all!

So to help yourself in the future, resist buying spices in bulk if you find you're throwing a lot of them away. You can't save money on something if you end up tossing it in the trash eventually.

Further, each time you buy a new spice write the date of purchase on the side of the bottle or tin so you can keep track of how long you've had an item without wondering later.

Finally, make sure you're storing your spices properly, because improper storage can lead to quicker deterioration of your herbs and spices.

The short version of proper spice storage is to keep them in airtight containers in a cool, dry, dark space, like inside of your cabinet or pantry. If you do have a spice rack that exposes spices to the light dark bottles that don't let in light are better than clear ones.

The one storage rule I see people violating frequently is that they keep spices too close to heat. Heat, even more than light, deteriorates spices rapidly, so avoid storing your spices too close to your stovetop and oven, or above the stove cabinets (which is actually a common place for people to keep their spices, but not a good one).

You can see lots of real life examples of how and where people store their spices in this article here on the site.

Spice Storage & Organization Ideas On The Site

Here are several articles on the site with spice storage and organization ideas:

spice drawer
Spice Drawer Organization Ideas
storing spices
Ideas For Storing Spices {Part 1}
spices in cabinet
Organizing Your Spices {Part 2}


Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Declutter 365 missions: 15 minute missions for your entire home

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

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Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!


Click here to take me to this year's Declutter 365 calendar

Get This Pantry & Food Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering your pantry and other food storage areas, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space.

Get your 1 page pantry and food decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

Get this pantry and food decluttering checklist and 32 other decluttering checklists for your home {on Home Storage Solutions 101}

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Click here to learn more about 33 Decluttering Checklists Pack


How to #declutter spices in your pantry or kitchen, including tips for how long spices last to know when to toss old seasonings and spices {a #Declutter365 mission on Home Storage Solutions 101} #PantryOrganizationuse this Pin it button to save to Pinterest

First photo courtesy of a reader, Kristin, second photo courtesy of Sherry, third collage courtesy of Sharon, and fourth collage courtesy of Tyuana and Sherry





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