diff --git a/functional-tests/src/lib.rs b/functional-tests/src/lib.rs
index 08eccea9c..6530d16bd 100644
--- a/functional-tests/src/lib.rs
+++ b/functional-tests/src/lib.rs
@@ -265,6 +265,57 @@ bar: baz
         }
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn test_ini_values_as_strings() {
+        let file_path = prepare_temp_file(
+            "test_ini_values_as_strings.yaml",
+            b"the_section:
+  int: 123
+  float: 1.23
+  bool: true
+  date: 2025-01-02
+  timestamp: 2025-01-02 03:04:05
+  utc_timestamp: 2025-01-02T03:04:05Z
+  string: this is a string",
+        );
+        assert!(
+            Command::new(SOPS_BINARY_PATH)
+                .arg("encrypt")
+                .arg("-i")
+                .arg(file_path.clone())
+                .output()
+                .expect("Error running sops")
+                .status
+                .success(),
+            "sops didn't exit successfully"
+        );
+        let output = Command::new(SOPS_BINARY_PATH)
+            .arg("decrypt")
+            .arg("--output-type")
+            .arg("ini")
+            .arg(file_path.clone())
+            .output()
+            .expect("Error running sops");
+        println!(
+            "stdout: {}, stderr: {}",
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout),
+            String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr)
+        );
+        assert!(output.status.success(), "sops didn't exit successfully");
+        let data = &String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout);
+        assert!(
+            data == "[the_section]
+int           = 123
+float         = 1.23
+bool          = true
+date          = 2025-01-02T00:00:00Z
+timestamp     = 2025-01-02T03:04:05Z
+utc_timestamp = 2025-01-02T03:04:05Z
+string        = this is a string
+"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn encrypt_yaml_file() {
         let file_path = prepare_temp_file(
diff --git a/stores/ini/store.go b/stores/ini/store.go
index 83605000e..d8e72990d 100644
--- a/stores/ini/store.go
+++ b/stores/ini/store.go
@@ -4,8 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
-
-	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3"
@@ -56,7 +54,7 @@ func (store Store) encodeTree(branches sops.TreeBranches) ([]byte, error) {
 						lastItem.Comment = comment.Value
 					}
 				} else {
-					lastItem, err = section.NewKey(keyVal.Key.(string), store.valToString(keyVal.Value))
+					lastItem, err = section.NewKey(keyVal.Key.(string), stores.ValToString(keyVal.Value))
 					if err != nil {
 						return nil, fmt.Errorf("Error encoding key: %s", err)
 					}
@@ -78,19 +76,6 @@ func (store Store) stripCommentChar(comment string) string {
 	return comment
 }
 
-func (store Store) valToString(v interface{}) string {
-	switch v := v.(type) {
-	case fmt.Stringer:
-		return v.String()
-	case float64:
-		return strconv.FormatFloat(v, 'f', 6, 64)
-	case bool:
-		return strconv.FormatBool(v)
-	default:
-		return fmt.Sprintf("%s", v)
-	}
-}
-
 func (store Store) iniFromTreeBranches(branches sops.TreeBranches) ([]byte, error) {
 	return store.encodeTree(branches)
 }
diff --git a/stores/stores.go b/stores/stores.go
index bdc026a00..4cd74b2f3 100644
--- a/stores/stores.go
+++ b/stores/stores.go
@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ of the purpose of this package is to make it easy to change the SOPS file format
 package stores
 
 import (
-	"time"
-
 	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
 
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3"
 	"github.com/getsops/sops/v3/age"
@@ -533,3 +534,25 @@ func HasSopsTopLevelKey(branch sops.TreeBranch) bool {
 	}
 	return false
 }
+
+// ValToString converts a simple value to a string.
+// It does not handle complex values (arrays and mappings).
+func ValToString(v interface{}) string {
+	switch v := v.(type) {
+	case float64:
+		result := strconv.FormatFloat(v, 'G', -1, 64)
+		// If the result can be confused with an integer, make sure we have at least one decimal digit
+		if !strings.ContainsRune(result, '.') && !strings.ContainsRune(result, 'E') {
+			result = strconv.FormatFloat(v, 'f', 1, 64)
+		}
+		return result
+	case bool:
+		return strconv.FormatBool(v)
+	case time.Time:
+		return v.Format(time.RFC3339)
+	case fmt.Stringer:
+		return v.String()
+	default:
+		return fmt.Sprintf("%v", v)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/stores/stores_test.go b/stores/stores_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..31ced210a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/stores/stores_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+package stores
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+
+func TestValToString(t *testing.T) {
+	assert.Equal(t, "1", ValToString(1))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.0", ValToString(1.0))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.1", ValToString(1.10))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.23", ValToString(1.23))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.2345678901234567", ValToString(1.234567890123456789))
+	assert.Equal(t, "200000.0", ValToString(2E5))
+	assert.Equal(t, "-2E+10", ValToString(-2E10))
+	assert.Equal(t, "2E-10", ValToString(2E-10))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.2345E+100", ValToString(1.2345E100))
+	assert.Equal(t, "1.2345E-100", ValToString(1.2345E-100))
+	assert.Equal(t, "true", ValToString(true))
+	assert.Equal(t, "false", ValToString(false))
+	ts, _ := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, "2025-01-02T03:04:05Z")
+	assert.Equal(t, "2025-01-02T03:04:05Z", ValToString(ts))
+	assert.Equal(t, "a string", ValToString("a string"))
+}