That’s because the
dark glass keeps the light out, preventing the light from “tarnishing” (i.e.,
oxidizing) the silver particles suspended in your colloidal silver solution,
which in turn lead to the silver particles falling out of suspension and
coating the bottom of your storage container.
But is it really
necessary to store your colloidal silver in dark glass bottles? The answer is this: It depends upon how much light your batches
of colloidal silver will be exposed to, over time. Here’s what I’m talking about…
Hi, Steve Barwick here, for www.TheSilverEdge.com...
If you’re a “prepper” and you’re planning on making and storing
colloidal silver for the long-term, it’s important to know that just about all
experts recommend storing colloidal silver in dark glass bottles, such as amber
glass bottles (pictured above) or even cobalt blue bottles.
While the dark amber or cobalt blue storage bottles are the
most popular, just about any dark-colored glass jar will work. I’ve used empty wine bottles, for
example. Some people use empty beer
bottles. I’ve seen people use empty Ovaltine
jars.
If you don’t have a lid to cover your dark-colored bottle or
jar, you can always use some Saran Wrap and secure it around the top of the
glass container with a rubber band.
Or, you can purchase amber glass or cobalt blue glass
storage bottles with plastic lids through some of the online vendors I've
listed in my previous article, Online Sources for Glass Containers for Making, Storing and Using
Colloidal Silver.
Some of these
companies even have dark glass pump spray bottles and nasal spray bottles in a
variety of sizes, as well as dark glass bottles with ear droppers!
Making a “Dark Glass” Storage Container
But frankly, if you don’t want to spend the money on dark
glass storage containers, all you have to do is wrap some black electrical tape
around a clear glass jar, such as a Ball canning jar or a Mason jar. And voila! You’ve got a dark glass storage container.
Some people even go to the trouble of spray painting the
outside of their clear glass storage jars with black spray paint to keep the
light out. (But never the inside!)
Those methods are fine.
However, I’ve found that it’s much easier to take a child's brown paper
lunch sack and place your clear glass jar full of colloidal silver inside the paper
sack. Then, simply put the paper sack
inside a dark cabinet. It works just as
well as using a dark glass storage jar!
Why Dark Glass?
The general idea of using dark glass bottles for storing
colloidal silver is to keep bright light off the tiny silver particles that are
suspended in your solution.
After all, silver tends to "tarnish" (i.e.,
oxidize) when it's exposed to bright light for a prolonged period of time. And once the tiny, microscopic silver
particles in your colloidal silver solution begin oxidizing from excessive
exposure to light, they lose their electrical charge, and then precipitate out
of suspension, coating the bottom of the storage bottle.
This, of course, is your sign that the potency and
effectiveness of your colloidal silver solution is being depleted. (See my article How Long Will Homemade Colloidal Silver Last Before It Begins to Lose Its
Potency?)
But brief, short-term
exposure to light generally doesn’t cause the silver particles to oxidize. It’s long-term
excessive daily exposure to bright light that causes the problem.
For example, sitting a clear glass jar full of colloidal
silver out on a well-lit kitchen countertop day-after-day will most certainly
expose the silver to too much light, and ultimately the silver particles will
begin to precipitate out of suspension and coat the bottom of the container.
That’s why commercial bottled brands of colloidal silver you
buy at the health food store almost always come in dark glass bottles. It’s to
keep bright light out and thereby prevent precipitation of the silver
particles, and concurrent loss of potency.
But you have to keep in mind that the bottles of colloidal
silver sitting on the shelf in a health food store are being exposed to bright
light most of the day. So dark glass
bottles must be utilized, to help
protect the colloidal silver solution from excessive light exposure.
Is Dark Glass Really
Necessary?
Can Clear Glass Be
Used?
This may not be
the case at all, however, when you’re storing your homemade colloidal silver at
home -- particularly if can store your colloidal silver solution in a dark
cabinet that’s rarely opened.
In a dark cabinet that’s rarely opened, your colloidal
silver solution simply won’t be exposed to bright light for prolonged periods
of time.
So while dark glass bottles are highly recommended, they’re not absolutely necessary. If you can keep bright light away from your
stored bottles of colloidal silver, you can indeed store them in clear glass containers for many months
at a time, even up to a year or more.
I’ve done so on many occasions. In fact, nowadays after I
make a batch of colloidal silver in a one-quart clear glass Ball canning jar or
Mason jar, I don’t even bother to pour it into a separate dark glass storage
container any longer. I just put the lid
on the clear glass production jar, and pop it into the dark cabinet that sits
high above our kitchen stove, which nobody gets into but me due to its
height.
Indeed, at any one point in time I have over a dozen completely
clear, quart-size clear glass jars (i.e., canning jars) of colloidal silver
stored in that dark cabinet above my kitchen stove, and they've been there for
many months, and are just fine.
This works perfectly for me, and I’ve never had a problem
with a batch of colloidal silver “going bad” before its time.
Must It Be a Glass Bottle,
Or Will Plastic Bottles Work?
Glass jars are generally recommended for long-term storage
of colloidal silver because cheap plastic jars tend to accumulate static
electricity over time, particularly in the winter months.
And the static electricity on the plastic storage bottle can
end up drawing the silver particles in your colloidal silver solution to the
sides and bottom of the plastic jar where they’ll “stick” and begin to coat the
plastic. This can dramatically deplete the
potency and effectiveness of your stored colloidal silver solution.
In fact, I haven’t had a single problem with static
electricity (or anything else, for that matter) affecting the potency or quality
of the colloidal silver stored in these wonderful little plastic beverage carafes.
And since each carafe comes with a plastic lid that includes
a handy pour spout, and closeable plastic flap, they’re extremely convenient
for pouring colloidal silver.
As
an experiment, I’ve purposely brewed up several batches of very high potency
colloidal silver – up to 50 ppm -- and stored these solutions in these clear
plastic beverage carafes for up to eight months in my kitchen and bathroom cabinets,
and have not seen any precipitation whatsoever of the silver particles.
Admittedly, the beverage carafes are a bit pricey, around
the $10 apiece range. But the high
quality of the plastic, and the convenience of the carafe style with a
pour-spout lid makes the extra money worth it, to me.
I now keep a one-quart clear plastic carafe full of
colloidal silver stored in the dark cabinet under my bathroom sink, which I use
to refill the little 8-oz. amber glass pump spray bottle and 2-ounce amber
glass nasal spray bottle I keep on my bathroom counterop.
I also keep one of these clear plastic carafe’s full of
colloidal silver in a dark cabinet in the kitchen, which my wife Kathy and I
use to fill our little shot glass with colloidal silver each morning for our
daily maintenance dosage.
These clear BPA-free plastic beverage carafes are just plain
handy, particularly because of the pour spout and closeable flap.
However, for my truly long-term preparedness colloidal silver storage, I do still use the clear
glass Ball canning jars or Mason jars, and keep them in a dark cabinet as
described earlier.
The BPA-free plastic carafes are often available at Walmart. And sometimes you can find them at specialty
stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond. You
just have to shop around until you find one.
Make sure it says BPA-free right on the label. And make sure it has the handy pour spout lid
with a closeable flap.
At Bed, Bath & Beyond I’ve found them in the one-quart
size. And at Walmart I’ve found a completely
different brand (Tritan) in the larger 60 ounce size.
And I’m told Rubbermaid makes an even larger one-half gallon
BPA-free plastic storage carafe, which is often sold online
at Target.com for about $10.00.
Experimental?
So if you’re experimental-minded like me, you might try
storing a few quarts of your homemade colloidal silver in clear glass jars,
making sure to keep them in a dark cabinet that’s not opened very often. Then, simply check them once every month or
two for precipitation of the silver particles.
And if you like the idea of using the clear, BPA-free
plastic beverage carafes like those I’ve described, you can give them a try
also.
I’ve found the beverage carafes to be great for under-the-
counter storage in the kitchen or bathroom, where you might use them to refill your
smaller containers of colloidal silver from time-to-time, such as pump spray
bottles or nasal spray bottles.
Naturally, if you see precipitation of your silver particles
taking place when storing your homemade colloidal silver solutions in clear
containers – whether plastic or glass -- then I'd definitely recommend switching
back to using dark glass storage containers.
Obviously, the precipitated silver would mean someone is
getting into your cabinets or leaving the doors open more often than you might
realize, and exposing your stored colloidal silver to excessive levels of light.
But from what I’ve discovered over the past year or so about
storing homemade colloidal silver in clear glass containers, as well as in the high-quality,
BPA-free plastic beverage carafes, this is rarely a problem as long as you store your containers in a
dark cabinet where exposure to light is strictly limited.
Yours for the safe, sane and responsible
use of colloidal silver,
Steve Barwick, author
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
The Ultimate Colloidal Silver Manual
Helpful Links:
Important Note and
Disclaimer: The contents of this Ezine have not been
evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Information conveyed herein is from sources deemed to be accurate and
reliable, but no guarantee can be made in regards to the accuracy and
reliability thereof. The author, Steve
Barwick, is a natural health journalist with over 30 years of experience
writing professionally about natural health topics. He is not
a doctor. Therefore, nothing stated in
this Ezine should be construed as prescriptive in nature, nor is any part of
this Ezine meant to be considered a substitute for professional medical
advice. Nothing reported herein is
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. The author is simply reporting in
journalistic fashion what he has learned during the past 17 years of
journalistic research into colloidal silver and its usage. Therefore, the information and data presented
should be considered for informational purposes only, and approached with
caution. Readers should verify for
themselves, and to their own satisfaction, from other knowledgeable sources
such as their doctor, the accuracy and reliability of all reports, ideas,
conclusions, comments and opinions stated herein. All important health care decisions should be
made under the guidance and direction of a legitimate, knowledgeable and
experienced health care professional.
Readers are solely responsible for their choices. The author and publisher disclaim
responsibility and/or liability for any loss or hardship that may be incurred
as a result of the use or application of any information included in this
Ezine.
Copyright
2012 | Life & Health Research Group, LLC | PO Box 1239 | Peoria AZ
85380-1239 | All rights reserved
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