29 Reasons To Save Buckets For Survival

I have 29 reasons to save buckets for survival today. Someone once told me never ever throw out buckets because they have so many uses. I can’t remember who told me that, but I try never to throw out a useful bucket. I also buy buckets for certain preparedness items. I love red buckets with red Gamma lids to store my Ozark Oak Charcoal. I make my own whole wheat bread so I always save the six-gallon buckets that the wheat comes in. I have used the six-gallon buckets for all sorts of things.

29 Ways To Use Buckets For Survival:

1. Use To Bail Water

You never know when you will need to bail water from a flood in your neighborhood. Here in Southern Utah people were glad they had buckets to bail water due to heavy rains the past couple of weeks that caused flash floods. What a crazy way to run a desert!! Hope they saved those buckets after their use since we may be seeing more storms from Hurricane Odile later this week.  You’ll want to save buckets that are all different sizes, two gallons, five gallons, or six gallons. You never know when you might need to use them for something.

2. Emergency Toilet

You can make an emergency toilet with a six-gallon bucket. This is a perfect time to remind us all to make our own potty chairs. Yep, I want my own, thank you very much.

3. Save Buckets That Are Food Safe

Food-safe buckets are great to store sugar, wheat, beans, rice, pasta, etc. These buckets you can wash, dry and refill year after year if properly cared for. Buy once and reuse them. You can buy five-gallon buckets at Walmart, as well as the Gamma Lids. The Gamma Lids are airtight and so easy to open and close. Even a small child can open them with a twist. How do you tell if they are “food safe?” They need to have been used originally for things like wheat, frosting, flour, butter, etc.  I wouldn’t feel comfortable using any bucket that originally had any kind of chemical, oil, poison, fertilizer, etc., even if it has been cleaned. You never know what might have been leached/absorbed into the plastic. If any questions, don’t use them! The smaller white ones are from Pleasant Hill Grain. 2-Gallon Buckets and 2-Gallon Gamma Lids 

4. Emergency Washing Machine

You can make an Emergency Washing Machine with two buckets. I like the six-gallon size buckets for this application. I use two to make this washing machine. Can you see how I put some paper towels between each bucket? This way it’s easier to get them apart. Yes, they stick to each other. Here is the link for the blue plunger tool: Mobile Washer and Here is a YouTube

5. Collect Rain Water

Save buckets to collect water from your rain gutters and use it for washing clothes or for hygiene issues during an unforeseen disaster. You can also use this water to water your plants or yard. I really want a rain barrel, but that does not fit into my budget right now.

6. DIY First Aid Kit

Make a DIY First Aid Kit in a bucket. A five-gallon bucket can hold supplies for a first aid kit. A bucket is easy to grab and take with you. DIY Emergency Bucket Lists

7. Fire Fighting

I want to add this one because Tony (awesome reader) said we should have at least a dozen buckets just to fight fires. Thank you so much, Tony!

8. Water Storage

You can never have too much water stored. If you know you have a disaster coming your way, fill some clean buckets with water to use for washing dishes, washing clothes, and taking mini-showers.

9. Store Rice

You can store rice in buckets. I don’t use Mylar bags, but I know some people do. I buy enough rice for one to two years and store it in the bags it comes in and set the bags in 5-gallon buckets. I also buy long-term rice in #10 cans.

10. Store Wheat

Thankfully, my hard white wheat comes in 6-gallon buckets. I replace the lids with Red Gamma lids to make it easier for me to open and close the buckets when I make whole wheat bread.

11. Store White Flour

I store enough white bread flour for me to use within 12 months. I love Gamma Lids because they are so easy to open and close. Some of these Gamma Lids are 15 years old.

12. Store Sugar

The nice thing about sugar, it stores indefinitely if kept dry. If it gets wet, get a hammer and start chiseling. That’s a joke, but keep mine dry, my friends. And don’t use Oxygen Absorbers, you will soon have a brick.

13. Store Charcoal/Kindling

You’ve probably seen this picture because this is how I store my lump charcoal, charcoal briquettes, pine cones, and raw wood for kindling. These are 5-gallon buckets with matching Gamma Lids.

14. Hide Valuables

Not everyone can afford a huge safe for their home. It’s not really safe to have valuables scattered throughout the home either. Think about placing all your valuables in a waterproof bucket and storing it in a safe and secure location.

15. Showering/Bathing

Having a bucket to use as a makeshift shower or spit bath will help our demeanor after a disaster. If we feel somewhat clean by using a bucket of water to wash our hair and body parts, we will feel refreshed and ready to conquer almost anything. Baby wipes help too, but not for washing our hair.

16. Store Small Tools

If you want to protect your tools from moisture, an airtight bucket might work for you. Not everyone has a toolbox, so this may be just the thing you need.

17. Store Important Documents

Not everyone can afford a huge safe for their home. It’s not really safe to have things scattered throughout the home either. Think about placing all your important documents in a waterproof bucket and storing it in a safe and secure location.

18. Tip Them Over to Protect Seedlings

Buckets work great for “mini-greenhouses” to protect our seedlings from cold weather. Drill some small holes in some buckets and turn them upside down in your garden over the plants you need to protect from wind and freezing.

19. Grow Potatoes

You can drill some holes in the bottom of the buckets to let the water drain from the buckets. Place the appropriate soil for your potato seeds and plant them in the buckets. Growing Potatoes

20. 72-Hour Kit

Buckets are easy to fill with our 72-hour supplies until we get the bag or container we want for the long run. It’s better to start your 72-hour kits today, whether you have the perfect bag now or later.

21. Store Beans

I remember storing 100 pounds of beans in large green barrels. It was the worst mistake ever. The beans became so hard after a few years that we would have to pressure cook them to eat them. I’m not sure there was any food value left in them, but hey, we had beans. Yes, if we were starving we would eat them.

22. Wash Dishes

We can always use buckets to wash dishes if we have enough water. Thank goodness for clean dishes and silverware.

23. Bucket For Weeds

I love using a bucket with a handle for pulling weeds in the garden or yard.

24. Store Garden Seeds

Airtight buckets are great for storing our garden seeds.

25. Gather Our Harvest

Buckets are awesome for gathering our vegetables and fruit from our gardens and fruit trees.

26. Store Baby Supplies

Store some diapers, cloth or disposable, bottles, pacifiers, formula, and anything you think a baby or toddler may need in your neighborhood if we have a grid down. Of course, rotate the formula as needed.

27. Store Batteries

If you have some small airtight buckets they are perfect for storing batteries away from moisture.

28. Store Toilet Paper

It’s great to store some toilet paper in a bucket for camping. It’s airtight with a Gamma Lid.

29. Carry Water

We may have to haul water after a disaster, so keep a few buckets for that. If we run out of water in our homes, we will have to hit the aquifers for more water.

Final Word

I really wanted to show you 29 reasons to save buckets for survival because I realize we are all trying to de-clutter. But please save all your buckets. You’ll be glad you did, I promise. Let’s be prepared for the unexpected. Linda

Survival Food Storage by Linda