How To Store Weed: A Complete Guide

Whatever your level of cannabis consumption and expertise, everyone needs to know how to store weed properly. 

If you’re protecting your marijuana from greedy housemates or saving some of your crop to smoke later on, marijuana storage matters. We’re going to show you the best way to store marijuana, whatever your situation. 

Avoid mold, preserve the flavor and potency of your stash, and ultimately enhance your overall marijuana experience with our guide to storing cannabis properly.

Why do you need to store your cannabis properly?

After the journey of germinating your seeds, watering your plants, cropping, correct cannabis storage protects your treasure.

Proper marijuana storage is essential to avoid problems like mold and powdery mildew, don’t jeopardize your stash by incorrectly storing it. 

Correctly storing cannabis preserves the flavor, effects, and trichomes, meaning that you can keep your marijuana for later.

Anyone who’s left a joint half-smoked, forgotten about, and then tried to light it up later only to have to throw it away knows that storage saves. Putting your joint away well for next time avoids this.

If you live with people who are always running out of smoke, proper marijuana storage can keep your stash safe. By sealing your buds in an airtight container, you reduce the smell given off and keep your cover.

For how long can you store marijuana?

We know that storing it properly is essential—but how long can you store marijuana? Cannabis starts to lose flavor and degrades a little over time. 

If you’ve ever left a joint lying around somewhere and found it a few days later, you know how dry it can get. The same is true for cured marijuana buds when not stored properly. As well as being harsher to smoke, the cannabis starts to lose its taste and freshness.

Storing marijuana in a suitable container in the right environment preserves the trichomes, the taste, and the potency for longer. 

Suppose you store your stash of cured buds well in an appropriate container in a suitable environment. In that case, the consensus is around 18 months before the buds start to lose significant amounts of flavor and potency. Saying that, some people keep cannabis for years with no complaints.

How to keep your marijuana fresh

The sweet spot for storing marijuana is not to have the bud too dry; otherwise, it loses flavor and freshness. On the other hand, if it’s too damp, you run the risk of mold and mildew setting in and destroying your stash.

The best way to store cannabis is to test it before you store it. There are a couple of ways to test the dryness of your cannabis before putting it into storage. The first one is the grinder test. Grind up a small bud and check the consistency of the marijuana. You want it dry enough that it grinds up easily, but not so much that it turns to dust. 

The second test is the light test, which can be performed directly after the grinder test. Simply light a bit of your cannabis and see how it burns. If it stays lit, then you’re good to go. 

For how to properly store marijuana, the main priority is to make the container as airproof as possible. This action will prevent the bud from drying out even more and preserve the flavor and quality for longer. For this reason, a lot of cannabis enthusiasts choose containers with some kind of locking seal. 

Including a hygrometer or humidity-pack in the container preserves the humidity of your marijuana, helping to preserve it. Maintain the temperature around 60–70°F. 

9 tricks on how to store weed

You’re looking for just the quick-tips on how to store your cannabis properly, here we go.

1. Make sure your cannabis is cured enough before you store it

Remember that you want some bounce left in your buds, but you don’t want them wet—this preserves the flavor and the terpene profile.

2. Disinfect your storage containers

Clean and sterilize whatever containers you’re using for storing cannabis and allow plenty of time for them to dry before use.

3. Use glass containers

Glass is durable and holds a neutral charge so that it won’t strip the trichomes from your buds. A large part of how to store weed well is using a container that offers your buds protection—glass is an ideal material.

4. Include Boveda packs or a hygrometer to maintain humidity

Humidity is an important factor throughout the process of growing cannabis and also in long-term marijuana storage. Popping a Boveda pack, a humidity-pack, or a hygrometer in the container keeps the humidity steady and gives you better buds.

5. Store marijuana somewhere dark, cool and dry

Storing cannabis in these conditions prevents mold, protects it from UV rays, and stops it from sweating. A steady temperature of around 60–70°F is perfect to not dry out your flowers or cause mold. A dry environment is also important in mold prevention.

6. Use the right sized container

Overfilling your stash spot can increase mold risk, and having too much space means more air, and the cannabis dries out. Choose a container that you can fill around 50–75% of the way.

7. Keep strains separate

Different varieties of cannabis have some incredible flavors. The last thing you want is to lose all that by mixing strains. The best way to store cannabis and preserve the unique tastes and aromas is to keep each strain in a separate container.

8. Use an airtight container

The best thing you can do is store cannabis in an airtight environment. Not only does that slow down the natural decay of marijuana, but it stops it from letting that tell-tale aroma loose in your place.

9. Don’t freeze or refrigerate marijuana 

Freezing cannabis makes the trichomes turn into small ice crystals. The crystals then break off into whatever container you’re using to store the marijuana when you start handling it. Losing trichomes results in loss of THC, CBD, and the flavor of the buds—cannabis storage no no 101.

Best way to store cannabis: choosing the containers

Depending on how much bud you are storing and how long for, different containers are more suited. Someone saving a joint for later in the day wants a different container than someone saving a few ounces for wintertime. 

Whatever your situation and motivation for stashing your buds, we’ll show you the best containers for storing marijuana. 

Is it better to store marijuana in glass or plastic?

The rule of thumb is that glass is much better because plastic creates static electricity; this pulls the trichomes away from the bud. Plastic does not offer any real protection from light, heat, or moisture. 

Bud stored in plastic containers can start to sweat, which leads to mold and eventually dead cannabis. The best way to store marijuana is in glass containers. 

The best way to store cannabis is using a Mason jar or a similar vessel. Otherwise, there are specially designed containers for storing marijuana. Ultimately, even a regular jar isn’t a bad option. Just remember to keep it in a cool, dark place.

Long-term marijuana storage

You’ve finished a grow, and now you’ve got a lot of cannabis left that you don’t need right now. You now need to know how to store weed for a few months. 

First off, glass containers work best for long-term storage. A mason jar’s great if you don’t have a specialized cannabis storage container. Make sure there’s a little bit of moisture left in your cannabis before storing it. Enough moisture that you don’t kill the taste, but not so much that the buds get moldy. 

The best place to store weed is in some kind of drawer, cupboard, or closet. Otherwise, anywhere that is cool and protected from direct sunlight, as UV rays destroy cannabinoids. Only open the container when you need to.

Follow these tips, and your lovely buds should be good for 12–18 months before you notice a loss of flavor and effects. What about if you want to know how to store cannabis for a few days or weeks?

Short-term marijuana storage

Storing marijuana for the short term can be straightforward. A small glass jar works well for keeping a few grams fresh. Half-smoked joints or one-skin joints fit well into old cigar tubes—get these from a smoking shop. 

You can recycle a lot of different containers to store joints. Make sure the container seals well and that you put your blunt out properly, and you’re good to go. Old pill bottles are amazing for stashing half-smoked joints. Specially designed tubes are available to store regular-size ones too. 

On the other hand, cigar boxes are not suitable for storing cannabis as the wood used can influence the taste of your buds. If you’ve got some rainbow-tasting Zkittlez or delicious Blue Cookies, you want to maintain the flavors. If you like wooden boxes, look for cases specifically made for storing marijuana, as they use wood that doesn’t alter the character of your bud.

For storing bud in the short term, any small container that seals well will do the job. Plastic containers and Tupperware are affordable and readily available—if that’s all you have, then fine. Ideally, use glass as it won’t strip the trichomes from your cannabis like plastic.

How to store cannabis without it smelling

Maybe you’re tired of sharing your stash with others, or you don’t want your place stinking of marijuana—learn how to store weed without it smelling. 

The main factor in preventing the smell is to keep the cannabis somewhere airtight. There are several options; a hinge-topped and rubber-sealed glass jar is one. You can buy specialized containers with carbon filters built-in. 

If you’re storing joints, then a Ziploc bag works fine to keep them safe for a few days. For longer-term storage, think about a screw top or hinge-lock glass jar. Make sure any joints are totally out before putting them in a Ziploc; otherwise, you’ll melt the bag.

It’s tempting to use air freshener to cover the smell of stored cannabis. Just make sure you seal away your marijuana properly before you spray.

Stash these ideas

There you have it, a complete guide to properly storing cannabis. You’ve got a better idea now of how to store your stash, so it preserves the flavor better, it doesn’t stink up your room, and it won’t get moldy. 

Use airtight containers wherever possible as they protect your bud from drying out. Keep your stash somewhere dark and cool. Don’t freeze cannabis, and avoid plastic containers.

Now you know how to store weed correctly, visit our store to see our selection of seeds. You can grow as much as you want and not worry about losing your stash to mold. We stock a massive range of seeds, including autoflower and fast versions of many popular strains. 

Whether you’re starting out or a seasoned pro, we’ve got strains to suit everyone. Shopping with us means that you choose fast and discreet delivery to anywhere in the USA. 

Be sure to visit the Homegrown Forum to discuss everything marijuana-related. Got friends who need some tips on how to store cannabis properly? Share this article with them and help out your pals.

About the author: Parker Curtis

Parker Curtis has around a decade of cannabis-growing experience, specialising in soil-less and hydro grows. He’s mastering outdoor, greenhouse, and indoor grows.