Mylar, buckets, and such

[shrink]

Went to Sam's. Got my 50 lbs. bags of sugar, beans, and rice, and boxes of salt.
In the freezer now for 72 hrs. to prevent any weevils.

Now what? I need to store and think I'm going to use Mylar, 02, and buckets.
Is there a certain company you suggest? Best bang for the buck?

[BUSHER]

use the search feature - countless informative topics already out here

[SurvivorFevor]

bought my buckets and lids from from Wally World. Be sure to get only the white buckets with a # "1" in the triangle on the bottom. The number signifies food grade. Don't use the black, blue or green buckets, or Happy Depot buckets to store food even if you are using mylar bags. A bay leave or two inside the mylar also is a good idea to keep out the weevils.

[Wash-a-shore Guy]

If you use o2 absorbers, do you need to put the rice in the freezer?

[koconcept]

I think putting rice in the freezer is to kill any eggs living on the food when you first get it but i could be wrong.

[Ziggenation]

Originally Posted by BUSHER

use the search feature - countless informative topics already out here

If we're going to point out the search feature, I think it would be better to also add the following:

"When you click on the "search forums" button a little pop-up window appears. Click on "advanced search". In the upper left, under search by keyword, click the dropdown menu and change "search entire post" to "search titles only".

This will greatly increase the amount of information you are actually looking for."

[Tbonex3]

I thought that i read the home depot buckets were alright for storage with mylar and o2 absorbers?

[kev]

several members have reported that the freezer will not kill weeveils.

Put the food in the mylar bags, add oxygen absorbers, seal.

List of threads about stockpiling food - http://www.survivalistboards.com/tag...ockpiling+food

Mylar bags - http://www.survivalistboards.com/tag...tag=mylar+bags

Storing food in mylar bags - http://www.survivalistboards.com/tag...+in+mylar+bags

List of threads about oxygen absorbers - http://www.survivalistboards.com/tag...ygen+absorbers

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by SurvivorFevor

bought my buckets and lids from from Wally World. Be sure to get only the white buckets with a # "1" in the triangle on the bottom. The number signifies food grade. Don't use the black, blue or green buckets, or Happy Depot buckets to store food even if you are using mylar bags. A bay leave or two inside the mylar also is a good idea to keep out the weevils.

For the last time, the number does NOT signify food grade. It simply tells what type of plastic the bucket is made out of! A food grade bucket can be #1, #2, etc. And a non food grade bucket can be made out of those same plastics. It's a recycling symbol.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Wash-a-shore Guy

If you use o2 absorbers, do you need to put the rice in the freezer?

No, the low O2 environment prevents an infestation anyway. Besides, freezing it doesn't do much. Those eggs survived winter in some of the coldest states in the country afterall.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Ziggenation

If we're going to point out the search feature, I think it would be better to also add the following:

"When you click on the "search forums" button a little pop-up window appears. Click on "advanced search". In the upper left, under search by keyword, click the dropdown menu and change "search entire post" to "search titles only".

This will greatly increase the amount of information you are actually looking for."

That works quite well, actually. Better yet is to use google to search this site. Just by adding site: www.survivalforums.com to the search query, it'll search this site for the words in the search query. I hope Kev will add a google site search link someday, since the search feature here is not very intuitive.

[Ziggenation]

Originally Posted by Tbonex3

I thought that i read the home depot buckets were alright for storage with mylar and o2 absorbers?

All this leaching chemicals and plastic buckets.

Someone posted that chemicals in a concrete floor would leach into and through a plastic 55 gallon drum and contaminate water.

If you are uneasy about using a Home Depot bucket, can't you just run a barrier of cardboard or something around the inside of the bucket? It would only displace a few cups of food so you're not losing a ton of space.

If you stored "non-food grade buckets" properly (out of heat mostly) is there real chance of leaching?

I dunno, I just think people over-think the whole bucket and mylar thing.

[Ziggenation]

Originally Posted by MikeK

For the last time, the number does NOT signify food grade. It simply tells what type of plastic the bucket is made out of! A food grade bucket can be #1, #2, etc. And a non food grade bucket can be made out of those same plastics. It's a recycling symbol.

It won't be the last time. Wishful thinking though!

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Tbonex3

I thought that i read the home depot buckets were alright for storage with mylar and o2 absorbers?

The orange ones are not food grade. I don't remember if the white ones are or not. Food grade isn't critical if you're using mylar to protect the foods, but it's HIGHLY suggested. If the bucket offgasses and the mylar gets a pinhole (unfortunately common), it can offgas into the food. Or if you have to use the bucket someday for water gathering, fermenting saurkraut or pickles, or something like that, it can get into the food. To me, it's just not worth the risk. Especially since food grade buckets can usually be gotten for free or for a buck at bakeries, delis, sandwich shops, fast food restaurants, donut and ice cream shops, etc.

[OhioMan]

Originally Posted by shrink

Went to Sam's. Got my 50 lbs. bags of sugar, beans, and rice, and boxes of salt.
In the freezer now for 72 hrs. to prevent any weevils.

Now what? I need to store and think I'm going to use Mylar, 02, and buckets.
Is there a certain company you suggest? Best bang for the buck?

-(Freezer) that won't kill anything. Those bug eggs can survive for years in frozen conditions, even when temperatures get -50 below, mother nature is smarter than we are and proves it way up north each year.

-Don't put your o2's in your sugar, just mylar bags in 2# food grade buckets

-I use 2000-2500 cc's of o2's per 30-35lbs worth of rice, beans, pasta, wheat. You can find 02's and mylar bags all over the net for sale.

-Use 2# food quality buckets, usually you can find them at almost any bakery from anywhere from free to $2 each. The lids have the rubber gaskets. The major reason for the buckets is to keep the critters out and then re-use after you use the food.

[Ziggenation]

Originally Posted by MikeK

The orange ones are not food grade. I don't remember if the white ones are or not. Food grade isn't critical if you're using mylar to protect the foods, but it's HIGHLY suggested. If the bucket offgasses and the mylar gets a pinhole (unfortunately common), it can offgas into the food. Or if you have to use the bucket someday for water gathering, fermenting saurkraut or pickles, or something like that, it can get into the food. To me, it's just not worth the risk. Especially since food grade buckets can usually be gotten for free or for a buck at bakeries, delis, sandwich shops, fast food restaurants, donut and ice cream shops, etc.

Ah..excellent points. I forget about other uses.

What if you double bag your mylar, they are cheap enough considering how much people spend on guns and ammo. Just thinking out loud here.

mmmm..and a five gallon bucket full of deli pickles sounds soooo good right now!

[kev]

Originally Posted by Ziggenation

What if you double bag your mylar, they are cheap enough considering how much people spend on guns and ammo. Just thinking out loud here.

Just buy thick mylar bags, and dont throw them around.

The ones I have on the way are 5 mil.

One issue is storing food with sharp edges, like shells and cheese. I had some of the rough edges of the pasta poke small holes in the bags. There are some pictures around here somewhere of spaghetti that poked holes in mylar bags.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by Ziggenation

Ah..excellent points. I forget about other uses.

What if you double bag your mylar, they are cheap enough considering how much people spend on guns and ammo. Just thinking out loud here.

mmmm..and a five gallon bucket full of deli pickles sounds soooo good right now!

I don't think double bagging would be of any benefit. One thing I always say is to pack foods exactly like the food storage companies are doing it, and don't improvise. They know what they're doing and have lab testing behind them to prove it. It's very easy to make a critical mistake by doing something that seems like it should work.

BTW, making your own deli pickles is really easy. Recipes all over the net. Alls you need is some cukes, salt, spices and a food grade bucket. Vinegar maybe. Depends on the recipes. Traditional fermented pickles makes their own acid and are delicious.

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by kev

Just buy thick mylar bags, and dont throw them around.

The ones I have on the way are 5 mil.

One issue is storing food with sharp edges, like shells and cheese. I had some of the rough edges of the pasta poke small holes in the bags. There are some pictures around here somewhere of spaghetti that poked holes in mylar bags.

Pasta is bad about being pokey in mylar. That's part of the reason I don't try to press out all the air before I put in O2 absorbers. I get out some, but I don't want a hard vacuum. Just enough to let me know the absorber worked. The rest is nitrogen anyway, so it doesn't matter if there is a little or a lot. Less vacuum means less potential problems for the bag, as well as slower air infiltration through the seams.

[ozlo]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Especially since food grade buckets can usually be gotten for free or for a buck at bakeries, delis, sandwich shops, fast food restaurants, donut and ice cream shops, etc.

I've tried getting used food grade buckets from bakeries around here, but most places don't even use them anymore. They apparently get a lot of their ingredients now shipped to them in large heavy duty plastic bags surrounded by a layer of cardboard.