---
title: "Does Bottled water expire? Does not expire"
description: "The water does not expire. The date is about the plastic, and in some places about the law. What actually changes over time, whether it matters, and how to store it."
url: https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/bottled-water/
site: "At One Place"
---

# Does Bottled water expire?

**Does Bottled water expire?: The water does not expire. The date is about the plastic, and in some places about the law.**

Indefinite for the water; 1-2 years before the plastic starts affecting taste

Water is not a growth medium on its own and sealed bottled water does not go off. What changes is the container: polyethylene terephthalate is slightly permeable, so over a year or two the water picks up flavours from the surrounding air and from the plastic itself, and a bottle stored next to cleaning products will taste of them. Some jurisdictions have required a date on all packaged food and drink, water included, which is where a great deal of the confusion comes from. A bottle left in a hot car accelerates the plastic side of this considerably.

## How to store it

- Cool, dark, away from solvents and cleaning products. Plastic breathes.

## How to tell it has gone

- Off or plastic-like taste. Cloudiness in a sealed bottle means the seal failed.

> "Use by" and "best before" are legally different. Use-by is a safety date and should be respected; best-before is about quality, and food is usually fine well past it. Where the two diverge matters, the page above says which applies.

## Common questions

### Does Bottled water expire?

The water does not expire. The date is about the plastic, and in some places about the law.

### How long does Bottled water last?

Indefinite for the water; 1-2 years before the plastic starts affecting taste

## Related pages

- [Does Honey expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/honey/)
- [Does Salt expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/salt/)
- [Does Sugar expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/sugar/)
- [Does Vinegar expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/vinegar/)
- [Does Vanilla extract expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/vanilla-extract/)
- [Does Eggs expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/eggs/)
- [Does Medicines expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/medicines/)
- [Does Milk expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/milk/)
- [Does Sunscreen expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/sunscreen/)
- [Does Frozen food expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/frozen-food/)
- [Does Canned food expire?](https://atoneplace.net/does-it-expire/canned-food/)

## Sources

- US Food and Drug Administration — FDA (https://www.fda.gov/) [Public domain (US Government)]