I moved recently to a basement level apartment and then immediately left for vacation. I have these paint thinners: acetone (plastic bottles; 2L), MEK and xylenes (glass botttles; both >1L) in a closet. I dont think I left the windows open. However, recently the temp outside has risen to about 105F/40/C. Theres nothing alive in the apt now to create a spark or static shock but knowing that as chemicals increase in temp they expand, I worry there might be a problem. On the other hand, the apartment has few windows and the windows that are there are under trees (ie; no direct sunlight); furthermore it is usually cooler in these basement apartments than higher levels. I usually house these solvents in a temperature controlled unit and know leaving them in a closet is not a responsible thing to do. But now I am literally halfway around the world and not due back for 2 weeks. Should I worry? Is there a good chance of something bad happening? Would having the landlord open my windows help?
The boiling points of all three are above 40 C, so assuming they are properly capped, there should be no issues. They are not going to expand enough to be concerned about, if they expand at all. Acetone might build up a very slight pressure upon opening, but that is due to volatility at a higher temperature.
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