--- title: 77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know description: A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods canonical: https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-02-06T20:40:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:42:40.893Z og:title: 77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know og:description: A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods og:url: https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0753c041b77ec4ac/69877e162dce0123f29dd69c/windex-coke.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: windex-coke og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know twitter:description: A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0753c041b77ec4ac/69877e162dce0123f29dd69c/windex-coke.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know ## Video: The Business of Beauty Boxes [Watch (HLS stream): The Business of Beauty Boxes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/IQpOq2SG.m3u8) (3:16)  _Published 2012-02-16. Mail subscriptions to sample boxes are boosting the beauty industry. Watch these YouTube beauty mavens "unbox" their products_ by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Feb 6, 2015 8:40 PM UTC  Keate Barker by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Feb 6, 2015 8:40 PM UTC Certain items in your house practically scream “toss me” when their prime has passed. That mysterious extra white layer on the Cheddar? A sure sign it needs to be put out of its misery. Chunky milk? Down the drain it goes. But what about that jar of olives or Maraschino cherries that has resided in your refrigerator since before the birth of your kindergartner? Or the innumerable nonedibles lurking deep within your cabinets and closets: stockpiled shampoo and toothpaste, seldom-used silver polish? How do you know when their primes have passed? With help from experts and product manufacturers, _Real Simple_ has compiled a guide to expiration dates. These dates are offered as a rough guideline. The shelf lives of most products depend upon how you treat them. Edibles, unless otherwise indicated, should be stored in a cool, dry place. (With any food, of course, use common sense.) Household cleaners also do best in a dry place with a stable temperature. After the dates shown, beauty and cleaning products are probably still safe but may be less effective. [**Food**](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/surprising-expiration-dates/page2?xid=time-rs) **Beer**Unopened: 4 months. **Brown sugar**Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place. **Chocolate (Hershey bar)**1 year from production date **Coffee, canned ground**Unopened: 2 years Opened: 1 month refrigerated **Coffee, gourmet**Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) Ground: 1 week in sealed container **Coffee, instant**Unopened: Up to 2 years Opened: Up to 1 month **Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)**Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date. Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected. **Dried pasta**12 months **Frozen dinners**Unopened: 12 to 18 months **Frozen vegetables**Unopened: 18 to 24 months Opened: 1 month **Honey**Indefinite shelf life **Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)**Unopened: 8 months from production date Opened: 7 to 10 days **Ketchup**Unopened: 1 year (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) **Maple syrup, real or imitation**1 year **Maraschino cherries**Unopened: 3 to 4 years Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated **Marshmallows**Unopened: 40 weeks Opened: 3 months **Mayonnaise**Unopened: Indefinitely Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) **Mustard**2 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) ### 7 Foods That Taste Better Now Than They Will All Year  Kale: The cold-weather king, bitter kale is made mellower by the bitter cold. It can thrive in temperatures as low as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, Casanova says. Getty Images  Brussels sprouts: If you still think you hate Brussels sprouts, try them now. They're sweeter than summer sprouts, she says. (Failing that, of course, try frying them with bacon.) Getty Images  Kohlrabi: "Cabbage turnip" in German, this knotty, weird-looking root vegetable is a survivor. "Kohlrabi does not like hot summer temperatures at all, but thrives in cool weather," Casanova says. "Transplants can be put out six weeks before frost with an expected harvest in only a few short weeks." Getty Images  Mustard greens: The peppery plant kicks its way through the winter, and always tastes sweeter when it's nipped by frost. Getty Images  Parsnips: Yes, even foods that aren't green can withstand the cold. The pale parsnip, which looks like a yellow-white carrot, is best harvested after a hard frost, Casanova says. Getty Images  Cabbage: It may look like a delicate flower, but some types of cabbage can survive temperatures as low as 26 degrees, Casanova says, making it ideal for a winter harvest. Getty Images  Collards: "They grow best in full sun, tolerate partial shade, are rich in vitamins and sweetened by frost," she says. Getty Images **Olives, jarred (green with pimento)**Unopened: 3 years Opened: 3 months **Olive oil**2 years from manufacture date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) **Peanuts**Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container **Peanut butter, natural**9 months **Peanut butter, processed (Jif)**Unopened: 2 years Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months **Pickles**Unopened: 18 months Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft. **Protein bars (PowerBars)**Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package. **Rice, white**2 years from date on box or date of purchase **Salad dressing, bottled**Unopened: 12 months after “best by” date Opened: 9 months refrigerated **Soda, regular**Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected **Steak sauce**33 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) **Tabasco**5 years, stored in a cool, dry place **Tea bags (Lipton)**Use within 2 years of opening the package **Tuna, canned**Unopened: 1 year from purchase date Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can **Soy sauce, bottled**Unopened: 2 years Opened: 3 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) **Vinegar**42 months **Wine (red, white)**Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked **Worcestershire sauce**Unopened: 5 to 10 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume) Opened: 2 years [**Household Products**](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/surprising-expiration-dates/page4?xid=time-rs) **Air freshener, aerosol**2 years **Antifreeze, premixed**1 to 5 years **Antifreeze, concentrate**Indefinite **Batteries, alkaline**7 years **Batteries, lithium**10 years **Bleach**3 to 6 months **Dish detergent, liquid or powdered**1 year **Fire extinguisher, rechargeable**Service or replace every 6 years **Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable**12 years **Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered**Unopened: 9 months to 1 year Opened: 6 months **Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)**At least 3 years **Miracle Gro, liquid**Opened: 3 to 8 years **Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble**Indefinite **Motor oil**Unopened: 2 to 5 years Opened: 3 months **Mr. Clean**2 years **Paint**Unopened: Up to 10 years Opened: 2 to 5 years **Spray paint**2 to 3 years **Windex**2 years **Wood polish (Pledge)**2 years [**Beauty Products**](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/surprising-expiration-dates/page5?xid=time-rs)_All dates are from the manufacture date, which is either displayed on the packaging or can be obtained by calling the manufacturer’s customer-service number._ **Bar soap**18 months to 3 years **Bath gel, body wash**3 years **Bath oil**1 year **Body bleaches and depilatories**Unopened: 2 years Used: 6 months **Body lotion**3 years **Conditioner**2 to 3 years **Deodorant**Unopened: 2 years Used: 1 to 2 years For antiperspirants, see expiration date **Eye cream**Unopened: 3 years Used: 1 year **Face lotion**With SPF, see expiration date. All others, at least 3 years **Foundation, oil-based**2 years **Foundation, water-based**3 years **Hair gel**2 to 3 years **Hair spray**2 to 3 years **Lip balm**Unopened: 5 years Used: 1 to 5 years **Lipstick**2 years **Mascara**Unopened: 2 years Used: 3 to 4 months **Mouthwash**Three years from manufacture date **Nail polish**1 year **Nail-polish remover**Lasts indefinitely **Perfume**1 to 2 years **Rubbing alcohol**At least 3 years **Shampoo**2 to 3 years **Shaving cream**2 years or more **Tooth-whitening strips**13 months **Wash’n Dri moist wipes**Unopened: 2 years Opened: Good until dried out _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/surprising-expiration-dates?xid=time-rs) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com)_._ _More from Real Simple:_ * [What Is That Laundry Tag Telling You?](http://time.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/laundry-symbols.pdf?xid=time-rs) * [13 Ways to Make Your House Stay Clean Longer](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/cleaning/stay-clean-longer?xid=time-rs) * [Smart Tips From a Home Fragrance Expert](http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/home-fragrance?xid=time-rs) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/"},"headline":"77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know","datePublished":"2015-02-06T20:40:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:42:40.893Z","description":"A handy keep-or-toss guide to 77 foods, beauty products, and household goods","url":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/","keywords":["Living","Family","health","advice","Cleaning"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0753c041b77ec4ac/69877e162dce0123f29dd69c/windex-coke.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Real Simple","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/real-simple/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0753c041b77ec4ac/69877e162dce0123f29dd69c/windex-coke.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"windex-coke","caption":"windex-coke","creditText":"Keate Barker","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/","name":"77 Expiration Dates That You Should Know"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Nutrition Labels Could Be Getting Makeover","description":"Proposed changes to nutrition labels include removing “Calories from fat” information, and making servings per container easier to read.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/m4cQVltl/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-02-27T15:17:30.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/m4cQVltl.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/","duration":"PT1M25S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Don't lose money in the laundry","description":"Older appliances are very inefficient; newer models save both water and energy.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/ZuPuZyJF/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-06-01T04:27:54.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ZuPuZyJF.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/","duration":"PT2M18S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3699484/expiration-dates-to-know/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The Business of Beauty Boxes","description":"Mail subscriptions to sample boxes are boosting the beauty industry. 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