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Anonymous
The way to keep it "fresh" the longest would be as follows:
1) Don't mix it all at once. Mix only what you need. The chemicals will be exposed to oxygen during mixing, and also to the dissolved oxygen in the water. Concentrate lasts longer than mixed developer.
2) Keep the developer with as little headspace as possible (headspace is the air at the top of the bottle.) One way to reduce headspace is with an Accordion type bottle. Another is simply to use smaller and smaller bottles.
3) Use a glass bottle if you can. All plastic bottles are somewhat permeable to oxygen. Though they are "airtight" a small amount of oxygen can and will diffuse through the plastic over time. A glass container won't do that. Unfortunatley, you can't get a glass accordion bottle, so the best thing would be to use a glass bottle that is as small as possible, but still has enough volume to contain the remainder of the developer.
If you are really serious about this, keep it in a cold, dark, place. A mini refrigerator is great. Cold slows down chemical reactions, making the developer last longer. However, be safe: don't keep it in the same fridge as food.
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