My neosporin was expired in 2004...

[Neoma]

Everyone do yourselves a favor, and clean out your expired junk this New Years. More than half of mine was full of expired crap I didn't use much.

[Scuba]

1. Good advice. How about those smoke alarm batteries too?

Some folks target spring and fall equinox for "cycling stock". Anytime is good, thanks Neoma for the reminder.

[progressoid]

2. I have a nurse friend that doesn't pay attention to the expiration dates.

Also, my Physician sister-in-law says the same thing. Unless it has to be refrigerated, they say it lasts well beyond their expiration dates.

[sendero]

6. This is true...

... if it was stored at room temp it is still good, maybe slightly reduced in potency but still quite effective.

[Populist_Prole]

3. Heh heh! I've got a tube of Neosporin from the 1990's

I use but a few little blobs a year even a medium sized tube lasts forever. I guess that's why the abrasion/cut on my belly continues be infected. I just didn't figure that stuff would "wear out".

[Neoma]

4. Haven't found anything from the 90s yet...

[fleur-de-lisa]

5. For some things, expiration dates don't seem to matter . . .

I have a tube of opthalmic ointment (for pink eye) that's almost 15 years old. My cat gets an eye infection once or twice a year. I use the 15-year old, human eye ointment on him. Works like a charm! A couple of dabs a day for a few days and he's fine. Plus, no need to chase him down, pack him into the carrier and take him to the vet.

I thought I was getting a case of pink eye a few weeks ago. I used the same 15-year old tube of ointment. Pink eye averted!

[Brother Buzz]

7. Does Percocet have a shelf life?

My stash is ten years old and still works when I need it, albeit a whopping half a tab at a time.

[rug]

8. Now it's Paleosporin.

[harmonicon]

9. That's nothing.

I've still got tubes of protosporin around this place. I never even felt that sporin was as good, expired or not.

[pipi_k]

10. It's a losing battle

here.

Mr Pipi has meds that are older than some of our grandkids (the oldest is 27).

He insists they're still good.

OTOH, don't even try to give him milk that is 3 or even 4 days before its "sell by" date.

[femmocrat]

11. I think I have some teething ointment from the 1970s somewhere. LOL

I'm sure all their baby teeth have come and gone by now.

[LeftofObama]

12. I just checked the date on a bottle of lemon juice that I needed

for a recipe. It expired March, 2009.

[Kennah]

13. Thank God Twinkies have no expiration date

[Kennah]

14. PopTarts box says "Better if used before ..."

I guess that means they don't expire. Cool!

[Scruffy Rumbler]

15. And thus the Zombie Apocalypse began! nt