Longtime stability of silver-based SERS substrate in the environment and (bio)environment with variable temperature and humidity

•Systematical study of the stability of SERS enhanced response of silver grating under various physical and chemical load is presented. The study of the stability of SERS response of silver grating under various physical and chemical load is presented.•The as-prepared silver gratings provide excellent enhancement and perfect reproducibility of SERS signal.•The substrates were exposed to cyclic temperature, humidity treatments and soaked in the physiological or BSA solutions.•Obtained results indicate that the temperature or humidity treatments affect the SERS efficiency only mildly.•Under the combined humidity and temperature treatments the substrate functionality is worsened strongly.•Soaking of SERS substrate in the physiological or BSA solutions significantly reduces the SERS efficiency and reproducibility.