Storing pysanky that haven’t been emptied is problematic, as they are sensitive to not only light, but heat and motion. If you don’t wish to empty your pysanky, you should probably not varnish them until they have dried out completely. 

In the past, the natural varnishes (e.g. shellac) used were air permeable, and allowed pysanky to dry out.  THIS IS NO LONGER TRUE. Modern varnishes are actually a non-permeable plastic coating and should not be applied to full eggs!!!!

Some  points to keep in mind:

1. 1.Store the eggs in a dark place.  As noted before, light will fade the colors. 
   

2. 2.Store the eggs in a cool place.  As eggs age, the white and yolk begin to decompose, and they produce gases, notably hydrogen sulfide, when they do so. Heat will cause the gas inside the egg to expand, and this can sometimes cause cracks (with resultant leakage) or explosions (with flying debris).  In either case, the smell can be horrendous!
   Varnished eggs trap gases.  Gases can usually escape through the pores of an unvarnished eggshell. Conversely, unvarnished eggs which have small cracks (that were either missed during candling or occurred during the pysanka making process) are much more likely to leak than explode.
   The egg contents will usually rot and dry up over time.  If the egg breaks open before the contents have dried up, it will stink.  Eggs stored in a cool location are somewhat less likely to rot.
   

3. 3.Do not expose pysanky to extremes of heat or cold.  Heat can cause expansion of gases, as noted above.  Cooling the pysanky too much can cause it to “sweat” when it warms up again, i.e. to cause condensation to form.  The condensation can wash away the dye from the surface of the shell and ruin the pysanka.
   Additionally, and egg’s contents–the white and yolk–are largely composed of water.  Unlike most other substances which contract when they cool, water expands. A fresh full egg which is frozen or cooled too much might over-expand and break. 
   

4. 4.Do not shake or agitate the pysanky.  Doing so can stir up the gases and cause leakage or eruption.  It is useful, though, to carefully turn the egg every once in a while, so that the egg contents don’t dry in a lump in one spot and turn your pysanka into a Weeble (an egg that will stand only in one position).  One way to avoid this outcome is to turn the egg on a regular basis while it is drying; this will prevent the contents getting stuck to one particular place on the shell.
   

1. Weeble toy and weeble pysanka
   
   
   

5. 5.Do not store unemptied pysanky in air tight containers; it is best if air can circulate around the eggs.  Paper egg cartons are good for this for this. 
   
   
          

   

   
   
   Avoid styrofoam (plastic) cartons or any boxes or containers that seal tightly, like Tupperware or plastic shoe boxes.
   

6. 6.Keep in mind that even if you do everything right, things can still go wrong.  You may wish to space out newer pysanky in their cartons, keeping them far apart.  Should one egg explode, it will spatter egg contents over all the adjacent eggs.  If they are varnished, the egg “goo” can usually be washed off; if they are not, the goo will ruing the dyed shells. (It is worth it, for this reason alone, to give your unvarnished pysanky a light coating of vaseline/petroleum jelly.)
   A leaking egg might ooze through to adjacent compartments, either soaking through the cardboard dividers or flowing over them. 
   It might be worth loosely wrapping pysanky with tissue before placing them in their slots to protect them from their neighbors.
   

7. 7.Never store pysanky loosely in a box; if accidentally moved, they can bump together and crack. Make sure they are somehow restrained and kept apart, e.g. by wrapping them in paper towels or tissue.
   
   
   

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