Care & Storage
HOW TO KEEP WHAT YOU BUY
Care & Storage
Most of what we sell is natural, sealed, and sensitive to two things: heat and light. The Gulf supplies both in quantity. Keeping these goods well is mostly a matter of where you put them.
Spices and blends
Keep sealed, in the dark, away from the cooker. Heat drives off the volatile oils that carry the aroma, and light bleaches the colour. Do not decant into clear jars kept on an open shelf — it looks well and destroys the spice.
Ground spice is at its best within six months. It does not become unsafe after that; it becomes quieter.
Pantry
Oils: cool, dark, tightly closed. Honey: room temperature, never refrigerated — crystallisation is natural and reverses in a warm water bath. Dates: sealed; refrigerate in summer.
Coffee and tea
Sealed and opaque, at room temperature. Not the fridge — coffee absorbs the smell of everything around it and condensation ruins it. Grind as close to brewing as you can manage.
Perfume and cologne
The single worst place for a fragrance is a bathroom windowsill: heat, steam and light together. Keep bottles boxed, upright, in a cupboard at stable room temperature.
Do not shake. Do not leave a bottle in a parked car — interior temperatures here will alter the composition permanently within a single afternoon.
Unopened and stored properly, a fragrance holds for years. Opened, expect the top notes to soften first; the base will outlast them.
Body mist
The same rules, with less ceremony. If you carry one in a bag, keep it out of direct sun.
Bakhoor and oud
Keep sealed and cool; the resin softens and fuses in heat. Burn on a low, indirect coal — direct high heat scorches the wood and turns the smoke acrid. Ventilate the room afterwards rather than during.
Candles
Trim the wick to about 5 mm before every burn. On the first lighting, let the pool of wax reach the edge before extinguishing, or the candle will tunnel for the rest of its life. Never burn for more than four hours at a time, and never leave one unattended.
If anything arrives in a condition you did not expect, write to Hello@hamdanhouse.com within 48 hours with photographs. See the Refund Policy.