How to Store Urine for a Drug Test

There are a lot of reasons you might need to store urine for a future drug test. Maybe you asked a friend to step in and provide a clean sample. Or maybe you want to store a clean sample of your own urine for future use. Whether storing your own urine or someone else's, the sooner you can use it, the better. Keep it in an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze pee that you won't use within the hour. Simply bring the urine back to your body temperature to use it at a later date.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Storing Urine Properly

  1. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 1
    1
    Get a sample as close to the day and time of your test as possible. Urine starts to oxidize and decompose as soon as it leaves the body, turning it darker and smellier. The longer the urine sits around, the less plausible it will be to use for a drug test.[1]
    • To seem the most plausible, urine should be fresh and warm.
  2. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 2
    2
    Store urine in a resealable plastic or glass container. Make sure the container is airtight, so that no pee will spill out. Use a plastic container for short-term storage, or a glass container for long-term storage, as plastic can leech other chemicals into the urine.[2]
    • You can also put the container in a resealable plastic bag for an extra layer of protection.
    • If you plan to store the urine long-term, label it with the date you collected the sample.
    • Keep in mind that glass can break if you freeze it or warm it up too fast.
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  3. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 3
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    Keep urine warm in the short term with hand warmers. If you plan to use a urine sample within the hour, store it in a small, airtight bottle, such as a pill bottle. Keep it warm with a hand warmer. Right before you take the test, remove the hand warmer and let the urine come back down to your body temperature.[3]
    • Use a rubber band to secure the hand warmer around the bottle.
  4. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 4
    4
    Refrigerate urine as soon as possible if you plan to use it in more than 1 hour. The sooner you can refrigerate pee, the more viable the sample will be. It's best to refrigerate it as soon as you get the sample, but within 30 minutes will do.[4]
    • Use or freeze refrigerated urine within 1 day.
  5. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 5
    5
    Freeze a urine sample if you plan to use it within a year. If you don't plan to use your urine sample within 24 hours, it's best to freeze it. Keep the urine in an airtight container and use it within 1 year.
    • Sources differ on how long you can freeze urine and still use it. As a rule of thumb, the sooner you can use it, the better.
    • Be sure that you are freezing clean pee. Freezing pee that contains THC will increase the concentration.
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Reheating a Cold Urine Sample

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    Let urine defrost at room temperature overnight. The best way to bring a urine sample to room temperature is by letting it defrost naturally. Microwaving urine could potentially damage the sample and make it unusable.
    • Make sure you use the sample within the day when you defrost it.
  2. Image titled Store Urine for a Drug Test Step 7
    2
    Use a heating pad, microwave, or hand warmers to bring the pee temperature up. Once the urine has reached room temperature, the next step is getting it up to body temperature, or even slightly higher. Wrap the bottle in a heating pad or hand warmer, or place it in the microwave for 10 seconds. If you use the microwave technique, it's a good idea to use a hand warmer to keep the sample warm while you are transporting it.[5]
    • It's best to heat the sample to slightly above body temperature, as it will cool down in the time it takes for you to get to the test.
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    3
    Keep the sample close to your body before using it. Keeping the sample against your body will preserve the temperature. It should be as close to your body temperature as possible. Acceptable temperature ranges for urine samples are between 90 to 100 °F (32 to 38 °C).[6]
    • Try to keep the sample around your lower body, like in between your thighs.
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Warnings

  • Keep in mind that it is illegal to provide a false urine sample. Only go this route if you don't have other options.[7]
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
  • If the testers believe that you provided a false sample, you may have to provide a second sample under direct supervision.[8]
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/how-should-i-collect-and-store-a-urine-sample/
  2. ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/how-should-i-collect-and-store-a-urine-sample/
  3. ↑ https://www.austinchronicle.com/features/2018-04-20/too-hot-for-drug-tests/
  4. ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/infections/how-should-i-collect-and-store-a-urine-sample/
  5. ↑ https://toketitans.com/keep-synthetic-pee-warm/
  6. ↑ https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part026/part026-0111.html
  7. ↑ https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part026/part026-0111.html
  8. ↑ https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/cfr/part026/part026-0111.html

About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 444,207 times.
100 votes - 91%
Co-authors: 4
Updated: December 13, 2022
Views: 444,207
Categories: Drug Testing

Medical Disclaimer

The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, examination, diagnosis, or treatment. You should always contact your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before starting, changing, or stopping any kind of health treatment.

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