Unless you work as a drug test technician, you may not think much about urine samples on a daily basis. However, if you’re ever asked to provide a urine sample for testing, you’ll need to know how long they last. These tests are generally used to detect drugs and/or alcohol in your system; this is because these substances can be detected in your urine after ingestion. If someone asks you to give them a urine sample, it means that they want to test the impact of drugs or alcohol on your body. Depending on the company that administers the test, the length of time that your sample must remain un-refrigerated will vary slightly. That said, keeping track of those details can help ensure that the results are accurate and valid for the type of testing being done. Keep reading for more information about how long does a urine sample last.
How Long Does a Urine Sample Last
The length of time a urine sample lasts depends on a number of different factors, including the temperature and humidity of the storage environment. Generally speaking, urine will last anywhere from a few days to a week if stored in a cool, dry place. If it’s stored in a warmer or more humid environment, it may only last for a day or two.
How Can You Freeze A Urine Sample?
- Place the hot box, which is typically made of steel, onto a flat surface and use both hands to secure the inner heater container in place.
- Press down on the inner heater until it makes a “clunk” noise — then set it aside. Attach your car keys to the outer heater – or wrap them around an object (like a cell phone) that was previously attached. There should be two plungers; attach one and lock your car, then attach the second to prevent it from accidentally becoming detached.
- The next step is to take out all objects from inside of your pockets such as coins keys and other things that you habitually must have in there throughout daily routines. Press down on the outer heater so that it’s no longer locking – now empty the heater into the toilet tank bottom with the last plastic bag of pee left attached at the bottom starting from the tip with inserted tissue paper inside the bowl which begins at no heating stage when you depart with pre-packaged ice packed on to your key.
- Immediately after emptying the pockets, carefully detach your keys from the outer heater by pulling them through the lowest rotating piston pin.
- Locate and carefully remove the rubber “drip bars”. Pull them through the inner container to avoid contaminating your samples by touching them with bare hands. Soak them to soften so they can slide more easily out over the handle and then the lower liner is incorporated into the heating chamber / inner container.
- There should be a square-shaped rubber clamp at the bottom of the inner changer that is slightly askew on your outer heater base unit as shown in these pictures below; this clamp prevents air leakage/space existing inside the heating chamber that could result in space left where heated samples are not held tight enough to prevent contamination of substances but still allowed to evaporate and dry out over time.
- Now comes the upright part of all this — coming out of the cups and being sucked up through the needle and into your it was supposed to be staying, but now instead it’s on a table getting fumbled with by people that don’t know what they’re doing. But unfortunately, this is not where you come to a complete stop when dealing with people like this.
How Can Fresh Urine Be Used For Drug Testing?
- It can be frozen at any time – a urine freeze-dried drug test is indicated for a first-time inpatient stay for mental health evaluation or when the patient refuses to follow instructions (i.e. refusal).
- Urine samples can be diluted with normal saline solution and can be used as a first-time sample in outpatient settings. For an alcohol detection test, the dilution ratio is 7:1, while for a marijuana detection test it is 3:1.
- For urine samples that have not been frozen, the recommended dilution ratio is 8:1, which reflects that it will be ready within 15 minutes after administration of the sample if stored at room temperature and kept refrigerated before testing. For example, let’s say you are asked to provide a urine sample at home and you have got 1 gallon of your own pee available at home; this would hold enough amount of urine for two samples; one on the first day and one on the second day (8:1).
- Freezing does not affect the accuracy of testing results or lower their sensitivity; freezing simply reduces the duration of analysis by approximately 10%. It takes less time to recover from freezing as compared to using refrigerated solutions or solutions produced under reduced pressure where it takes about 30 minutes to recover from each freeze cycle (which means 2 cycles per 24 hours).%. The freezing process does not alter the composition of urine; however, it will reduce its volume by approximately 10%.
- Urine samples must be kept at room temperature (20 C) or below. Whenever you are required to provide a urine sample, you should carry and arrange it as per instructions of the institute/company conducting the test so as to ensure that your sample can be preserved for a sufficient period of time.
Can You Store A Urine Sample At Home Before Taking It In For A Drug Test?
1. Urine Tests
First, you need to keep in mind that there are two types of drug testing that can be done. One is a urine test, which uses a swab to look for the presence of substances in your body. For this type of test, you will usually be asked to provide a sample at an approved collection facility, such as a doctor’s office or the police station. Some urine tests are only administered at certain times of day, and that may mean that you will have to schedule your time for the test around when you will be able to have it done. On the other hand, there are also blood tests that look for substances in your blood.
2. Urine Stains
Urine stains aren’t typically used in normal testing situations because they aren’t useful unless they can be linked back to the person who produced them (i.e., someone whose DNA matches the sample). Some companies will supply a urine sample to you at home, but that’s not the only kind of testing you can be asked to do. For instance, there are some companies that only offer you an online urinalysis test.
3. Home Urine Tests
Of course, it’s possible that employers or other organizations might ask you to provide samples at home so long as they have requested your Social Security number and other personal information beforehand; such samples would more likely be used by private investigators or other professionals working in the background investigation industry. Under those circumstances, it’s best if you can tell them exactly how long a urine sample last when stored at room temperature with no refrigeration before use for drug screening purposes!
4. Alternatives To Urine Test Samples
There are other less invasive methods that can be used as alternative tests than simply giving someone your pee for evaluation; however, these may be more difficult for some people than others (if you feel apprehensive about this). For example, if someone is concerned that their urine test contains elevated levels of hormones from birth control medication or steroids, then they may opt for another kind of test instead.
Final Words
If you’re ever asked to provide a urine sample for drug testing, you’ll want to know how long it will be before you can safely dispose of the sample. Luckily, most drug testing facilities provide instructions as to how long a sample must be refrigerated before it can be discarded. Because drug testing facilities are different, you should check with the testing facility that you’re using to determine how long a sample must be refrigerated. From there, you can decide when to dispose of the sample. If possible, don’t try to re-freeze the sample once it has been thawed out. Instead, keep the sample un-refrigerated until you are ready to provide it to the testing facility. By doing so, you’ll ensure that the sample has the best chance of producing accurate test results.
