How to Store Urine for a Drug Test

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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

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  1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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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  1. 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. 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.
  3. 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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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    How do they test the urine in the cup?
    Daniela Castro
    Registered Nurse
    Daniela Castro is a Registered Nurse based in Denver, Colorado. She works at Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center in Denver as a Nurse in the Emergency Department. She specializes in Emergency Care, and also has experience with Senior Living Care. Prior to nursing at St. Luke’s, she worked as a Patient Caregiver at Lincoln Meadows Senior Living. She received her nursing degree from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She received a BA in International Business & Marketing from Oklahoma State University.
    Daniela Castro
    Registered Nurse
    Expert Answer
    After a patient urinates in a cup, a small tube is then placed on top of the cup to transfer the urine to a separate container. The technician then labels the container and sends it to the lab for testing. That way, technicians never have to touch or come in direct contact with the urine.
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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]
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      • If the testers believe that you provided a false sample, you may have to provide a second sample under direct supervision. [8]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what-urinalysis
      2. ↑ https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/what-urinalysis
      3. ↑ https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Urine_samples/
      4. ↑ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/24hour-urine-collection
      5. ↑ https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/24hour-urine-collection
      6. ↑ https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/24-hour-urine-specimen-collection-guidelines
      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

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