Food Storage-Buckets

   RECOMMENDED VIEWING!

 Hat Tip to For these video resources!

Long Term Food Storage Part 1 - Video


Long Term Food Storage Part 2- Video


Long Term Food Storage Part 3- Video

Buckets-Removing Pickle Odor-LDS Preparedness Manual
https://thesurvivalmom.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/LDS-Preparedness-Manual.pdf

(Page 83)

HOW DO I GET THE ODOR OUT OF PICKLE BUCKETS?

I've had fairly good luck doing it in the following way. As vinegar is the primary smell in pickles and it's acidic in nature,we use a base to counteract it. First we scrubbed the bucket well, inside and out, with dish detergent, most any sort will do. Then we filled the buckets with hot water and dissolved a cup of baking soda in each. Stir well, get the bucket as full as you can and put the top on. Put the bucket in the sun to keep it warm so the plastic pores stay open as much as possible. In a couple of days come back and empty the buckets. Rinse them out, fill with warm water again and add about a cup of bleach and reseal. Put back in the sun for another couple of days. Empty out and let dry with the tops off. We completely eliminated the vinegar smell this way. It might be possible to cut the time down a lot, but we haven't experimented that much.

Here are 2 posts that I saved from the original APN forum:

Buckets: Home Depot's Buckets

 Hat Tip to philandjudi @ American Preppers Network:

The following is the response to a letter that some one received, when they inquired about the use of Home Depot buckets for food storage:

Home Depot Orange Buckets NOT Food Grade

 Philip,
Thank you for your email. Unfortunately the Orange Home Depot buckets are not designed for food storage. The bucket is manufactured for the paint and hardware industry and Leaktite does not recommend their use in contact with food.
Thank You,

Jay Brooks
Vice President National Accounts | Leaktite Corporation
(O) 978-870-1080 | (C) 978-855-4490 | (F) 978-534-3539
Email: jbrooks@leaktite.com

I use these buckets anyway because my rice, beans etc. goes in mylar bags with absorbers and desiccant.
As I have learned; HDPE 2 buckets are not all the same. If it does not say for food use on the bucket use mylar.
Buckets from bakeries, eateries, etc all say food use on them.
Phil

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Original post: by TheLight » Wed Dec 08, 2010 3:02 pm
American Preppers Network

From survivalblog yesterday:

 Mr. Rawles:
I'm befuddled. My husband says that the new orange 5-gallon buckets they sell at Home Depot are the same as "food grade" buckets, because they are made of the same plastic. But my sister says they aren't food grade. Who is right? Thanking You in Advance, - Lena in Indiana

 JWR Replies: This has been discussed before in SurvivalBlog, but it comes up so often that it bears repeating: As I explain in the Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course, determining whether or not a plastic bucket is truly food grade can be a challenge. I've had several readers and consulting clients who have mistakenly been told that the the number 2 (with the number 2 inside the "chasing arrows" recyclable plastic symbol) refers to Food Grade HDPE, but that is not true. Not all "2" marked plastics are food grade!

Here is the distinction: The "food grade" designation is determined by plastic purity by and what mold release compound is used in the injection molding process--not by the plastic itself, since all virgin HDPE raw material is safe for food. For paint and other utility buckets, manufacturers sometimes use a less expensive (and toxic) mold release compound. For food grade they must use a more expensive formulation that is non-toxic. Unless the buckets that you bought are are actually marked "food grade", (or, marked "NSF", "FDA", or "USDA" approved), then you will have to check with the manufacturer's web site to see if they make all food grade buckets.

For more details, see the information at this barbecue and brining web site. (BTW, the same web page has some great advice on removing odors and stains from HDPE buckets.) If in doubt, then mark the suspect buckets to strictly non-food item storage, such as for storing cleaning supplies, clothing items, or ammunition.[/quote]
http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/12/letter_re_confusion_on_food_gr.html

From survivalblog today:

James:
First, thanks for all that you do. God bless you and your family. Second, to reiterate what you've already posted, the five gallon buckets sold at Home Depot and Lowe's are not food grade buckets. They are stamped with the number 5. Yesterday I discovered that the buckets in the paint department at my local Wal-Mart are marked Food Grade. They are selling for $2.50 each, which is half the price of those at Home Depot and Lowe's. Also, the lids, which have rubber gasket seals are selling for .98 cents each. Be sure to check your local bakery. Many of them have the 2 gallon and 3-1/2 gallon buckets for free. Hope this helps. - H.W.

 JWR Replies: This expands on what I wrote in the Rawles Gets Your Ready Family Preparedness Course. I concur that bakeries are a great place to find used food grade buckets for little or no cash outlay. Also ask at delicatessens, catering companies, or other vendors that utilize foods bought in bulk.
http://www.survivalblog.com/2010/12/letter_re_confusion_on_food_gr_1.html

Emphasis mine.

Here's is a great blog on OTHER uses for your buckets. You may want to consider these ideas, if you empty your buckets of your food storage items or you have more buckets than you need for your food storage!

The Bucket List
http://naturequestfarm.blogspot.com/2010/10/bucket-list.html

Before you go thinking that this article is about a list of things to do before you die, let me set the record straight. This list is about all of those creative uses for those plastic 5-gallon buckets we see all over the place.

Each year, millions of plastic buckets end up in landfills. Again, I go back to the concept that America is the most wasteful country in the world. This list serves as a thought stimulator so you can go out and save some of these buckets from landfills and reuse them for practical, everyday tasks.

Before we look at some of these practical uses, let's take a look at where you can get these buckets for FREE. If you go to your local home improvement center, you can buy them for nearly 5-dollars apiece. Why would anyone spend good money on something you could get for free? Some things I will never understand. You will also find some of the sources listed below will charge a dollar or two for buckets. I expect most of them will soon begin charging for their buckets as well.

When I refer to 5-gallon buckets, I use this term as a generality. You can find buckets in a variety of sizes to include 5-gallon, 3 gallon and two gallon. You can also find metal buckets which are suitable for a variety of other tasks and projects.   ---CONTINUED---

This is a GREAT resource for the "how much ____ will fit in a ____ gallon bucket?" question:

BUCKETS- How Much Will They Hold?
https://www.usaemergencysupply.com/information-center/packing-your-own-food-storage/how-much-food-fits-in-a-container

Example:

Estimated Lbs. Per Gallon
This table includes estimates only, your application may vary

WHOLE GRAINS:

Cracked Red Wheat
1 Gallon Bucket-5.83
1.25 Gallons-7.29
1.5 Gallons-8.75
5-Gallon Bucket-29.17
6-Gallon Bucket-35.00

Hard Red Wheat
1 Gallon Bucket-7.50
1.25 Gallons-9.38
1.5 Gallons-11.25
5-Gallon Bucket-37.50
6-Gallon Bucket-45.00

Hard White Wheat
1 Gallon Bucket-7.50
1.25 Gallons-9.38
1.5 Gallons-11.25
5-Gallon Bucket-37.50
6-Gallon Bucket-45.00

Here's a 2-part series on buckets:

Part 1:
Free 5 Gallon Buckets
http://fivegallonideas.com/sourcing-buckets/

The most interesting fact I’ve ever learned about five gallon plastic buckets is that In the third world, they are so valuable that it would be unthinkable to drill holes in one! Lucky for us, five gallon buckets are so cheap and ubiquitous in the western world that they can usually be picked up for free.   ---CONTINUED---


Part 2:
Stores that hand out five gallon buckets for free
http://fivegallonideas.com/stores-hand-five-gallon-buckets-free/

We wrote an article back in 2012 with some suggestions for the type of places where you can pick up five gallon buckets for free. The general advice given there still applies, but it’s useful perhaps if we give you a list of stores where people have had success picking up five gallon buckets for free.   ---CONTINUED---

rick1 wrote:I get mine from the local store (bakery/deli) like Davee58. I do get the lids, but I put new gamma lids on mine.

I read somewhere, APN maybe, that as long as you use mylar bags in non-food buckets, that you're good to go, is this truth or myth?

I found this:

Food grade Versus Non-food Grade Buckets
https://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/food-grade-versus-non-food-grade-buckets/

and this:

Can I recycle non-food grade buckets if I use mylar liners?
https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/5ul84u/can_i_recycle_nonfood_grade_buckets_if_i_use/

Food Grade Buckets & Why You Need Them
https://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/food-grade-buckets-need/

 

Includes:
What is a food-grade bucket?
Where to find food grade buckets
How to seal food in 5-gallon food-grade buckets
How do you store your food-grade buckets?

Food grade Versus Non-food Grade Buckets
https://preparednessadvice.com/food_storage/food-grade-versus-non-food-grade-buckets/

  I see a lot of discussion about storing food in plastic five-gallon buckets that are not food-grade.  Many people feel that if they store them in Mylar Bags inside the buckets the food will be unaffected.  To the best of my knowledge, this is correct, but I still feel there is an advantage to using food-grade buckets.

The difference between food-grade and non-food grade is ... ---CONTINUED---

How to Use Buckets for Food Storage
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/how-to-use-buckets-for-food-storage/

  When you’re building up your emergency food pantry, storage is one of your main concerns. You want to keep your food as fresh as possible for as long as possible. But you don’t want to spend a lot of money or waste your space.

Buckets may be the answer. Buckets are sturdy, lightweight, stackable, and inexpensive (if not free). Yet, storing food safely in buckets does take a bit of know-how. This article offers 14 tips for how to use buckets in food storage.   ---CONTINUED---