Seasoned preppers know just how useful vinegar can be and most have a decent supply stored up for when the SHTF. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider boosting your vinegar supplies before things get ugly.
- Cleaning – vinegar makes an excellent cleaning solution when used for a variety of different things. When there is no way to go to the store and grab your favorite cleaner, vinegar will do the trick! It can be used to clean and disinfect wood cutting boards, polish chrome, or remove pet urine from carpeting. It will also cut the grease on pans or other surfaces.
- Pet Care – Since you’ll be taking your four-legged friend through the worst of times with you, vinegar can be used to help keep fleas off him! Just add a little vinegar to a dog or cat’s drinking water. Be careful not to overdo it. Vinegar is very acidic, and dogs aren’t often big fans of the flavor. Vinegar can also help remove that pungent skunk odor from your dog too! Just rub his fur with full strength vinegar and rinse.
- Medicine – gargle some vinegar to soothe a sore throat. 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar in one cup of water can also help with an upset stomach. Vinegar can also be used to fight dandruff! Just rinse clean hair with vinegar. Some say you can even remove warts with it, but you will also need some glycerin. Mix the gl5 Reasonycerin and the vinegar 50/50 and apply to a wart daily until it is completely gone!
- Food Preparation – not only can vinegar be used to make dressings or in place of lemons when fresh fruits are not readily available, but it can be used to preserve the food you do have. You can water bath can your vegetables if you pickle them in vinegar first.
- Pest Control – you can kill weeds in the cracks of your sidewalk using vinegar, and it’s safer for the kids and your pets than using weed killer. You can also trap fruit flies with it! Just put some apple cider vinegar in a Mason jar and poke a few holes in the lid large enough for them to get in. The fruit flies be drawn to the smell, then die in the jar.
These are only a few ways that vinegar can be used both before the SHTF and after. Vinegar has an indefinite shelf life because of the acidic properties. It will never expire, making it perfect to store and save for later use. And the other bonus? Vinegar is inexpensive. It’s one of those things almost every prepper suggests you hoard and store – just in case.
But you can also use it beforehand too! Vinegar can help remove the smell from washing machines and keep mildew at bay. It is also becoming more popular for those who homestead or live a more natural lifestyle to use as a cleaning product instead of the toxic options available commercially.
Can you think of a reason to not store vinegar?
learn to make it. over-fermenting stuff isn’t that hard.
That said. keep a case or so on hand for short term crises and to get you through until you are set up to brew your own. You CAN make it, but with everything else going on, you may not have time to for awhile.
My grandparents never bought wine vinegar. The “Dego Red” my Grandfather made eventually turned into it.
Kev, I always heard that back in the early 1900’s that all the Italians that came over, were either in the Mafia or they worked down in the under ground coal mines, and they would go to work in the morning before the sun came up and wouldn’t get off work until after dark, and when they came out they would look around and say, where did the Dego. Any truth to that? Trekker Out
For the ladies when they get that not so fresh feeling.
Trecker, to this day the vast majority of Italians live within 100 miles of New York. In the early 1900’s practically all the Italians lived in New York, having come through rigorous immigration process after spending weeks on a ship.
Dego is a city near Genoa in Italy. There were probably Italians who were proud of the fact that they came from Dego and thus self identified as Joe from Dego or Pete from Dego. Later on their friends calling them simply Dego and later anyone friend or foe referring to any Italian as a Dego.
There is also the name Diego as in San Diego which is Spanish. Many people confused Spain with Italy as both are European and Catholic; and San Diego stands for Saint Diego.
When the Italians went to California, some started wineries and employed Mexicans to work for them. Mexicans are pure Spanish (white), pure native Aztec, or most commonly, some mixture of the two. Because they worked outdoors sweating in the sun, the snobs nicknamed them “wetbacks”. It is a demeaning term. Likewise, Dego is usually used to disparage Italians. However, like anything else, you consider the source and use your common sense to determine the intent of the person speaking. Myself, I avoid such words. Some people are offended even if the person speaking is himself Italian or Mexican or whatever.
As for the Mafia. Most people are offended being put into the same league as common criminals which is what the Mafia is: thugs, bootleggers, and worse.
Does that answer your question? Or, was it just a joke; and your question was rhetorical?
My question is rhetorical, just in case you were wondering.
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Wet back is offensive really. But calling poor country folks rednecks isn’t. That is ok though. How about white trash that’s a great title. See it’s ok to talk shit about people who belong in America but not shit skin illegals cus it’s offensive.
Quite a history lesson there Honeypot, although not entirely correct. But that’s beside the point, actually it was just a joke. Trekker Out. P.S. An Italian told me this, and his family was coal miners.
WOP – With-out Papers was the most often used slang word referring to Italian Immigrants, many who have no legal immigration papers.
I thought wetback had to do with being damp from crossing the Rio Grande.
Sorry Honeypot, they are wetbacks from swimming the river – not from sweating.
Also, where I come from the word is Dago with an “a”. Just sayin’
You gotta wonder where Honey Pot gets his information, or if he just makes it up. Also Diego, like in San Diego would be translated as James.
I’m gonna store up vinegar because when the SHTF I’m gonna worry about killing the weeds in my driveway?
Please…
I agree, the radiation from the fallout should take care of the weeds.
How about explaining which vinegar for which use! Apple Cider or White.
To use on weeds anything with a minimum of 5% acidity. Mix it with Blue Dawn and Epson salts. It will kill weeds faster than Round Up. I have used it on the driveway and flower beds and just couldn’t believe how fast it worked.
“How about explaining which vinegar for which use! Apple Cider or White.”
Because that would be actual useful information. This website doesn’t do that anymore. Sorry. This site is all about shallow National Enquirer style sensationalism.
Howdy Boyz and Gurlz,
In the event that Civilization Ceases to exist it is a VERY good idea to have a significant stock of certain basic chemicals.
Vinegar is an excellent start (in bulk) to add to the list that follows. Before proceeding bear in mind that a container of ascetic acid, aka Vinegar, properly sealed tight will last longer than your lifespan assuming it’s not 9/10’s empty at that point.
Some what is listed below you can produce yourself while others are impossible to self-generate. Obviously, Vinegar (via fermentation) is of the former category as is Caustic soda…however, unless you’re prepared to mount a major mining operation in the American Southwest, Borax – with it’s innumerable uses – will be beyond your reach as will others here following.
Now to the list,
1) Liquid Bleach (Sodium Hypochlorite)
2) Borax
3) Caustic Soda (Lye)
4) Concentrated Sulphuric acid (10 Molar)
5) Ammonia (NH3) preferably NOT dehydrated (Anhydrous)
Liquid Bleach is supreme for disinfecting a variety of surfaces and at the proper dilution has been used by the US Army for the purification of water via Lister bags since the Civil War and it has many, many other uses as well.
Borax is the single thing I would (and did) bring with us – about 1500 lbs when we vamoosed to the GWN (Great White North). It is utterly fungicides and virtually 100% bacteriostatic…ie, germs absolutely CANNOT replicate in even a mild solution thereof. Case in point: Borax can be used as the sole reagent in tanning animal hides.
Caustic Soda (Lye) is one that you can produce rather easily. Simply collect the ashes – in bulk – from a wood fire (softwood ash will work but you need a huge amount of those ashes vs hardwood ash). Place said ash in a non-corrosive container, either heavy gauge plastic OR cast Iron pot and fill with just enough water to cover same to submerge it by about 1/4″. After steeping (covered) for a few days, V’iola!… Lye – the basis for SOAP. Drain the ‘liquor’ off…that’s the desireable component containing the Lye itself.
10 Molar Sulfuric acid is VERY concentrated but very compact. It goes without saying that this chemical must be handled with the utmost caution as the merest contact with flesh WILL result in horrific, non-healing burns. Beside being an incredible cleaner for a few materials – Aluminum jumps to mind instantly here – it IS what you’ll have to use if you’re ever in the position of having to recover an otherwise mission critical, unresponsive battery. In that case you have to completely drain the cells (even AGMS can usually be drained though getting into the casing might be tricky, possibly in the extreme) thereafter pour an appropriate portion of distilled water into a extremely sturdy container…most metals containers will not work for what follows, EVEN Stainless Steel, though Aluminum will. Plastic is usually acid proof as well BUT if you use that then as you begin adding the required amount of acid to the water the ‘heat of solution’ which is generated upon mixing might well – likely- melt any plastic container. Word of CAUTION here…always add ACID to water (slowly, incrementally) never the other way round. If you drop a few drops of water into concentrated acid the water will instantly boil on contact and splatter everything and everyone within range. Acids have a much higher boiling point and so are not so prone to that effect.
Ammonia is another chemical you’d find difficult to synthesize and one that has a multitude of uses as well…from cleaner to fertilizer.
Well, gotta go for now…heading back North in a few weeks and I still have much to do here to close the old homestead out.
Adios Muchachos!
JOG
JOG
Just a note on the bleach,
For long term storage it might be better to buy a couple big tubs of chlorine granules. Bought some from lowes for the pond, will keep way longer than liquid and can make a way more concentrated solution,,
Also way cheaper when figuring gallon for gallon
Howdy NBanger,
Yep, that’s an entirely acceptable way of doing it. A small cutionary note here though. Sodium Hypochlorite is acutely sensitive to the relative purity of the water you use to mix the dry component with…specifically, the ‘hard water’ element. Most locales in the US have rather high concentrations of disolved calcites and those do interact strongly with the dry mix when hydrated.
A lot of folks here and elsewhere are really down on the liquid bleach in part because they don’t apply proper handling. The more air left in a bottle the more organic crap there is for it to react with. The simple answer to that is the keep a few smaller bottles around OR alternately alternate the use of two regular size bottles of bleach…as soon as you can dump the contents of the one into the other FULL up or transfer to the smaller vessel.
Oh, FWIW…DON’T use glass containers to store Bleach…it both etched – and weakens – the bottle and slowly through reaction changes the concentration of the mix.
From the way things are looking currently I can say that I’m relieved to be leaving for home in the GWN and I truly hope everyone is proximally ‘Ready for Freddy’…things are deteriorating awfully rapidly.
To everyone here…Be well, Be SAFE and above all else, Be Blessed. I will expect to see many of you when the Dawn comes again after the long Night which closes on us all now.
JOG
You can also wash your ball crotch rot yeast infection away and even use it n your skin and hair. Also, cure your smelly toes when rotting.
i think i read here recently that you put some in your socks to cure athletes foot. and yes, put some in underwear to kill any critters living there.
sweet jesus dude, you must be fun to live with
Stuart when the SHTF, I’m gonna pull that weed out of my driveway, put some vinegar on it and have a nice salad to go with my road kill. Trekker Out
Store bought vinegar is full of preservatives.
What do ingested preservatives do?
They kill your gut microbes.
you can buy both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar in the dollar store, white is for household cleaning and putting in your laundry rinse water, apple cider is for bathing your scalp and skin and for drinking (diluted). Once shtf many common annoying ailments will return such as scabies, impetigo, pinkeye (conjunctivitis), head lice and crotch crabs. I always keep on hand both kinds of vinegar, Vicks, colloidal silver, baking soda, carbolic soap (Island Pride brand), boric acid (for eyewash), salt, hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin ointment, toothache numbing gel, Advil, baby aspirin, Ben Gay liniment, Noxema cream (for sunburn)and a couple hot water bottles.
A half and half (1 part to 1 part) mix of hydrogen peroxide and water used as a mouth wash will stop a tooth ache.
I was learning about fermentation as a primitive means of preserving food, without modern conveniences.
Without rotgut chems to stop fermentation, you would keep wine from turning to vinegar, by keeping it in a cool crypt, cellar, or basement.
If you wanted vinegar, that same exact barrel would be kept in a hot attic, for artisinal production.
The govts of foreign countries (and probably ours) subsidize only a privileged few to live in a Colonial Williamsburg, fake, plastic, reproduction, theme park kind-of setting to make these traditional foods.
But, most people are precluded from the “privilege” of making things, with their own hands, like Medieval peasants.
This is supposed to maintain brand recognition and higher prices, due to an artificially-limited supply. In the 21st century, there are still sumptuary laws, against colognes, fruits, cheeses, lumber, and animals, that could be plentiful, under human intervention.
Cider apples underwent forced extinction, in this country, and the scionwood is tricky to trade. Self-sufficiency is risque.
can you expAND ON THE CANNING OF THE LOW ACID VEG AND FRUIT A ND HOW TO KNOW THEY ARE SAFE? THANKS
I believe the canning reference was to pickled food canning. Low acid foods cannot be safely canned using the water bath method. However, if they are pickled, then that’s a different story because of the vinegar.
Plastic bottles may split open in a few years.
Plastic anything degrades more quickly than the same item made in a more substantial material. For instance, I prefer glass containers to plastic but glass bottles are ever more hard to find.
fuck your site. Ive left positive and informative comments the past WEEK, and not ONE was posted, including two others on this story alone