5 Tips On Storing Your Colognes And Perfumes.

I was doing it completely wrong! I’m a creature of habit and convenience, so you’ll find that I try to make things as easy as possible for me (functional). Finding my modest collection of everyday colognes in the bathroom wasn’t surprising, however after a brief chat with the lady at the fragrance counter at the department store, I learned that I was doing it all WRONG!

With me it was about convenience so placing my colognes on top of the toilet (only freeish space left) and having most of their lids discarded (no time to open lids, then hit the pump spray), meant that after I took a shower and/or shave I could reach for the scent of the day. I also figured that since I usually go take a peek at myself before leaving the house in the bathroom, this would be a good spot to hit a spritz as well. Convenience!

Here’s why you should NOT do as I did.

My 5 Tips On Storing Your Colognes And Perfumes.

1. Keep the bottles away from direct sunlight. Our bathroom window faces west, so you get the full blast of the afternoon sun.. well, during the summer months. Sunlight can degrade the quality of the fragrance – dark bottles can withstand the direct light better than clear ones,
2. Don’t expose the bottles to heat! I take VERY hot showers and I’ve been known to use up all the hot water. I do ALL my thinking in a nice long hot shower, so I was exposing my colognes to some real heat. When my girls complain, I tell them I had to wash my hair (yea I shave it 2 times weekly… jokes)
3. Store in a cool/dark place, but the most important tip is to make sure the temperature is consistent. * room temperature may end up being the best at which to store your fragrances to maintain it’s quality. Excessive humidity will break it down as well.. notice how bad my storage method in the bathroom was for my stuff?
4. Because fragrances can be affected by light, air, humidity, and temperature changes, it should be kept sealed in its protective bottle as much as possible. So keep that lid on and don’t do as I did and toss them out.
5. NO… fragrances must NOT be shaken before an application to ensure that the ingredients are properly mixed! Fragrances are designed to remain evenly mixed… shaking them only incorporates air throughout the fragrance, accelerating its breakdown.

Bonus tip! When we travel I usually do most of my cologne shopping when we hit any duty-free zones, so I usually pack some bubble wrap to help protect them on the journey home in my luggage. You can get sheets of bubble wrap at the dollar store.