When Does Pepper Spray Expire?

For those of you that have had your pepper spray in your purse for years, be warned; it might not be effective because it is expired!

Self defense sprays have an expiration date. Mostly because the canister they are in, can loose pressure. No pressure, means you won't be able to shoot the hot substance toward an aggressor.

The self defense brands WomenOnGuard.com has, Mace and Streetwise sprays, have the expiration dates on the product themselves. Mace hard cases pepper spray, usually have a white little label glued to the backside of the unit. Sometimes they have them under the canister itself. This applies to their soft cases, in which you would have to take it out of the case, in order to see the date it expires beneath it. The Streetwise products have them under their units for both the soft and hard cases, most other brands do as well. For the soft cases, again, you will have to take the canister out of the case, in order to see the bottom expiration date. With the hard case Streetwise pepper units, you would need to pull the keyring, attached to the bottom cap, away from the unit. Doing this will reveal when it expires.

Self defense is very important. Check the expiration date and make sure that your unit is in working condition. If it isn't, replace it immediately!