Why Should Preppers Store Lime

There are many things that we should store that will make life easier after a major disaster and I know it is not possible to store everything. Near where I live there is a old limestone quarry that still has lots of stone. Hopefully someone will get it functioning after TEOTWAWKI. Lime has many uses for preppers.

There are three types of lime

Also, it is important to know that lime comes in different grades. The grades are Pharmaceutical, Food, Feed, and Industrial/Technical, the pharmaceutical and food grade are safe for human consumption.

Agricultural lime – This is one of the simplest and least expensive form of lime since it is generally made from crushed limestone. Crushed limestone directly from the quarry should not be considered food grade unless specifically marked as such.

Agricultural lime be kept dry primarily because it is hard to use it when it is a sludge, and it can cake up when it dries, making it hard to use.

Lime is generally considered chemically inert, but it is a chemical base. Agricultural limestone can cause skin irritation, redness and burning of eyes, and prolonged exposure can cause irritation of the respiratory tract.

Quicklime – This is a more volatile form of lime that reacts endothermically with water. It is formed by baking agricultural limestone in a kiln at temperatures between 1652-1832° F. It is also known as hot lime, or burnt lime.

This type of lime needs to be stored in a moisture proof container. Over time, a container may absorb some moisture, and this can cause the quicklime to either melt the container or react violently, depending on the amount of water it has came in contact with. Quicklime is not a flammable material, but its reaction with water can cause high temperatures. It should not be stored near combustible materials.

Quicklime can be especially dangerous to animals because of its reaction with water, and it can cause chemical burns to the eyes, throat, lungs when it reacts with the body’s moisture.

Hydrated Lime This is also known as slaked lime, cal, and pickling lime. Cal and pickling lime are both food grade. This requires no special storage.

The following are some use of lime.

- Quicklime is used in blacksmith and smelting
- Gardening – Use Agricultural limestone to raise PH levels of soil in your garden.

Livestock – Use to help control flies in barn areas, spread agricultural lime or hydrated lime on the barn floor.

Outhouse – To help control odors in outhouses, sprinkle agricultural or hydrated lime over the waste.

Tanning. Hydrated lime is used for removing the hair from hides in the tanning process.

Cal (hydrated lime) is a critical ingredient in making masa (corn flour) and hominy. Masa is the basis for corn tortillas and tamale dough. The process of making masa (called nixtamalizing) actually does make the corn more digestible and, therefore, more nutritious.

Whitewash. Hydrated or agricultural line can be combined with water and salt to make whitewash or lime-wash.

Food preservation. Hydrated lime is also called pickling lime helps to preserve food because it can be used in pickling.

Agricultural lime or hydrated lime, can help control odor and bacteria in garbage. Simply sprinkle the lime in the garbage pit every day.

Agricultural lime or hydrated lime can be used in outhouses, and open pit latrines. Simple sprinkler some on the waste after use.

Covering a body with a light coating of agricultural lime or hydrated lime will help keep the odors down from a decaying body.

As you can see from the above partial list of its uses, lime has many uses that can help make life a bit better for a prepper. Whether you store some or figure out how to crush limestone and make your own this will be a valuable material.

By Howard

Source : preparednessadvice.com

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