Is it true if you keep batteries, coffee, film and glow sticks in the freezer they will keep longer? How much more of a life time would they have? How come you don’t see this trick written on the directions?
Well, if your coffee goes bad faster, Folgers will get some more money out of you when you buy a new can!
Seriously, I think this true for film and batteries, although I can’t quantify how much longer you’d get out of them. Personally I don’t use either enough to have tested it out myself.
My uncle was a photographer, and he had a little mini-fridge that he used solely for film and chemicals used in developing film. Whether this is because it really helps or because people simply believe it helps is not something I can answer for you though.
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Since this is a question that likely has a factual answer, I am moving it to General Questions.
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I have a friend who does lots of screen printing and uses a special flatbed camera to obtain images from original artwork he has created.
The problem for him is that to buy many of the chemicals it only makes sense to do so in amounts that take him months and months to use - well beyond the shelf life on the containers.
He found just by practical experience that just about all of this stays useful for far far longer by putting them in a fridge, this is especially true of his photographic materials.
As for batteries, I would imagine (I am an EE) that shelf life would be increased as the chemicals reactions which are part of the internal electrical leakage would be slowed down.
A general rule when buying dry cell batteries is to obtain them from a source with a high turnover as they will have been in stock for less time.
Cold slows down chemical reactions, so in general putting something in the fridge will slow down any chemical degradation. This is the reason for putting food in the fridge 
I’m not sure what happens with film, but batteries will last longer if you store them in a cold place, as casdave speculated. Of course, you don’t want to freeze the electrolyte, so don’t get carried away …
You should warm batteries up to room temperature before you use them, to maximize available capacity.
Arjuna34
Consumers Reports ™, in their latest test of batteries, said that they are performing a long-term test to determine whether batteries last longer if stored in the freezer. I have not seen those results yet (must be a really long test).
It does feel like it should make a difference. And it keeps them from being lost in a drawer.
Arjuna34 said:
According to my photography professor from a few semesters back, this does apply to the emulsion on film before and after it has been exposed.
Dr. P.
I always keep my film in the freezer or refrig. Long term supply in the freezer and one or two rolls in the refrig. for more immediate availability. Haven’t bought any recently, but larger camera stores always kept the “professional” film such as Vericolor under refrigeration. Just be sure to bring it to room temerature before opening the package. Otherwise you may get condensation on the emulsion. Not good!
Agree. But condensation is bad on a battery. So my advice is to seal the batteries in a zip-lock™ bag before placing them in the refrigerator.
Here’s what I’ve heard.
Glow sticks Haven’t a clue.
Batteries Epeepunk* mentioned Consumer Reports. I remember about 10 years (or more) ago in one of their battery test issues they said that general purpose batteries lasted longer in the fridge (I don’t think they advised the freezer, though), but that alkalines did not.
Coffee This is trickier. I’ve heard that it’s not a good idea if you take the beans/grounds out of your freezer and put them back every day like most people do to make their morning joe. Condensation builds up during this cold-warm cycle, and you eventually end up with soggy, tasteless beans/grounds. I store my extra cans of ground coffee in the freezer until I’m ready to use them; when I need a new can I take it out and it keep it out.
Film I think the concensus of other dopers is right: refigeration helps – but just how cold you want to get (freezing?) is the real issue.
- Epeepunk… hey, are you a fencer? I fenced epee for six years.
Film says on the instruction sheet it lasts longer if frozen.
Coffee says refrigerate after opening. I always freeze it, because I buy the large economy size and just brew it for myself, so it wouldn’t stay fresh otherwise. I split it into several smaller containers and have only one open, to avoid “freezer burn” from air in half empty containers.
Batteries also last longer when cold. I know this from car batteries. They won’t crank your car as well when cold because they produce less amperage. But the same effect means they won’t “leak” as much into the atmosphere when cold. Probably the dryer winter air conducts a little less, as well as any chemical reaction slowing in the cold.
Although film formulation has changed quite a bit over the years (so my knowledge may be somewhat out of date), part of the aging process in film is that the different pigment layers lose sensitivity at different rates. Although this can be compensated for somewhat in the developing, you want the sensitivities to be within a specific range. Consumer grade film is delivered with a sensitivity bias towards the color which degrades the most. The expiration date is calculated to be the time at which that color has become degraded to the point where it would be noticed by fairly non-critical consumers.
Professional photographers are immensely picky about color balance so films for pros are produced with the color balances spot on. Refrigeration keeps the pigments from degrading until the film can be used.
Glow sticks, once activated will stay longer in the fridge. As kids my sister and I use to go to a skating ring. As was the thing to do, we got the sticks to wear as we skated around. We found out that if they were put in the freezer right when we got home we could use them the next day, if we went back.
As I recall, the general rule of thumb is that lowering the temperature by 10 degrees Farenheit will halve the rate of reactions.
So in general something will last twice as long at 60 degrees as at 70 degrees, and four times as long at 50 degrees… etc.