I daily get rubber bands, I collect them and store it in one of shelves so that I could use them later.
At certain times, when I require it for use, they would have changed their form to a sticky- type band which makes me throw the entire collection to waste pit. When widened, they will break up.
Ultimately, I will have to go for other means. Is there any hack to prevent this so that I can start stocking it again?
Office purpose rubber band I mentioned is this one:
Rubber-band get sticky because they oxidize. A similar question was asked on physics:
Is there any way to increase a rubber-bands lifetime?
It has a very good answer, but to summarize it: "Keep them in a dark and cool place (away from light and oxygen as much as possible)".
Rubber bands become brittle with age due not so much to oxidation but rather to evaporation of volatiles in the rubber/plastic material they are made of. These volatile parts of their plastic/rubber components are what keep them soft and flexible, and the loss of them causes them to become stiff and break as they age.
Keeping rubber bands in unopened or otherwise airtight packaging and then storing the package in cool locations will slow this evaporation and thus aging/brittleness. This is why rubber bands don't normally go bad in their original package but do so when stored loose after opening. You see the same behavior in the rubber (paper) pickup rollers inside laser printers which become less soft/flexible and 'sticky' to paper over time inside a printer, but stay 'fresh' for years while sealed inside their original packaging prior to installation.
I have not tested this yet, but sealing rubber bands inside an airtight freezer bag (with the air squeezed out) and then storing this in a freezer will probably slow or stop any evaporation of these volatiles if long term storage is desired. In general, colder temperatures slow or stop many chemical and physical processes, which is why freezers are good for food preservation.
Keep them under water in a sealed container.
Water will retard the outgassing of volatile solvents in the rubber and help keep them supple for a longer period of time.
Has anyone considered storing your rubber bands in a refrigerated jar covered in mineral oil to keep them fresh and pliable?
Non-latex rubber bands are suppose to last longer. You can find them online and at some brick-and-mortar stores.
Put them in a zip lock bag and put it in the FREEZER - I'm still using rubber bands bought 8yrs ago.
Store rubber bands in any container but shoot some butane or propane into the container to replace the oxygen in the air.
Add baby powder or talcum powder to the (box, bag, etc.) that the rubber bands are stored. Rubber glove makers have been doing this for decades.
