If your next big project will be cleaning out your garage or basement, you’ll probably be faced with lots of decisions – about whether to hang onto that half-full can of paint that you used on the bedroom walls, about whether those never-opened tubes of caulk you bought on sale two years ago are too old to use, about whether the glazing compound you opened this fall will be good when you finish the rest of your windows next spring….  In other words, you’ll need to decide when your materials are too old to use anymore.

In part, your decision may depend on the storage conditions.  Paint, for example, may be good if it was left over the winter in a heated basement, but not if it was stored in an unheated garage where the temperature fell below freezing.  Other materials have a short “shelf life,” even under the best of conditions.  To help you decide whether to “keep or toss” those cans and containers, here’s a general guide to how long common materials will last: (Read the rest….)