Start with the packet, not the condom
Before you open anything, run three checks in order: read the expiry date, squeeze the packet for an air pocket, and look at your hands. Condoms are single-use items (Brook). A packet that fails any of these checks is not a spare you can set aside for later. It is a discard. The whole routine takes under a minute and happens before the wrapper is torn.
Where the date is
The expiry date is printed on the sealed packet, so check it while the wrapper is still intact and before you tear it open. If the date has passed, the packet does not go into use. This is the one check you can do without touching the condom itself. Is why it comes first: a packet that is out of date never needs the squeeze test.
- [ ] Find the expiry date printed on the sealed packet before opening it.
- [ ] Confirm the date has not passed.
- [ ] Set aside any packet whose date has passed without opening it.
- [ ] Only move on to the squeeze test once the date check is clear.
The squeeze test
With the packet still sealed, squeeze it gently between your fingers. You are listening and feeling for the small cushion of air that tells you the wrapper is intact. An air pocket means the seal is holding and the condom inside has not been exposed. A packet that feels flat, soft, or gives no resistance has lost that cushion, and you should not open it for use.
This is a pass-or-fail check, not a maybe. If you are unsure whether you felt air, treat the packet as failed and reach for another one. The squeeze costs a second; using a packet you are unsure about costs the protection you were relying on.
Opening without damaging the condom
Tear away from the condom, never toward it
Open the packet by tearing along the serrated edge, working the tear away from where the condom sits inside. Do not use your teeth, scissors, or a fingernail to start the tear — any of these can catch the latex through the wrapper. Once the packet is open, take the condom out by the rim rather than dragging it across the torn edge.
If the wrapper resists and you find yourself pulling hard, stop and start the tear again from a different point on the serrated edge. A wrapper that rips unevenly is more likely to have caught the condom on the way open, and a condom that has been nicked at the wrapper stage is not one to use.
Nails and jewellery are the real snag risk
Long fingernails, rings, and sharp-edged jewellery are the most common way a condom gets damaged before it is even on. Check your hands before you open the packet, not after. If your nails are long or you are wearing a ring with a raised setting, either remove the jewellery or take extra care to handle the condom by the rim only.
Safety note: A condom that has been snagged by a nail or a ring setting can fail without any visible hole. If you are not certain the latex was untouched while opening and handling, discard that condom and use a fresh one. Do not try to inspect or stretch a suspect condom to test it — the handling itself adds risk.
Rolling it on the right way
Which way it unrolls
Hold the condom at the tip of the closed end and check the roll direction before it touches the body. The rolled rim should face outward, so that the condom unrolls down over the penis. If the rim rolls inward, the condom is inside out — set it aside and start with a fresh one rather than flipping it over.
A condom that has been placed the wrong way round and then flipped has already made contact with the body at the tip, and it is not a condom to reuse. This is why the direction check belongs before contact, not during. Pinch the tip to leave room, then roll the rim down the shaft in one direction.
What to discard, and when
Discard any condom that fails a check at any stage: an out-of-date packet, a packet with no air pocket, a wrapper that tore unevenly, a condom that may have caught a nail or ring, or one that went on inside out. A damaged condom is not usable, and there is no repair or re-check that makes it safe again. Condoms are single-use, so a condom that has been opened and handled is not put back in the packet for later (Brook).
If you are unsure at any point, the safe move is always the same: discard and start fresh with a sealed packet that passes the date and squeeze checks. That is the whole pre-use routine — date, squeeze, hands, direction — and it is complete once you have run it.
Where to go if you need more
For broader information on condoms as birth control and STI protection, Planned Parenthood’s condom page covers the basics (Planned Parenthood). For background on sexually transmitted infections and why barrier protection matters, the CDC’s STI overview is a reliable starting point (CDC). If you have a latex allergy, non-latex options exist and are worth checking before you buy (Wikipedia).