Plastic coffee cans and bleach bottles

[moxies_chickennuggets]

An "expert" on Emergency Preparedness told me that bleach bottles are one of the few plastic bottles that you can save water in, for your SHTF supplies. He said the plastic is different, stronger. And if it is plain chlorine bleach, the residue would be considered "safe." I do know that gallon water jugs from the store will develop leaks after a year or two, just sitting. I am in the New Madrid Fault area, and our power goes out everytime the wind blows, so I should be more prepared that I am.

I agree. Just make sure the bleach is the plain Jane unscented chlorine bleach.

Good point. Makes perfect sense. I guess it didn't occur to me to use them because they are bleach jugs.....not what one normally thinks for a jug of potable water. We have been saving the milk jugs for a months now, anyway, as we have a 55 gal drum of hydraulic fluid in the back that the previous owner did not dispose of. So we were saving them to empty it, and take to the recycle center. I will collect the bleach jugs back out, and transfer the potable water to them.

 

[dacjohns]

I've had milk jugs break. The plastic isn't designed to last and milk gets in the pores. If you don't clean a milk jug real good and add some bleach you could end up with sour milk tasting water.

 

[Gypsi]

Great stuff on here. I don't use enough coffee to get many coffee cans anymore, but I don't throw them out. One is on my counter top holding compost to go to the compost pile, another holds my trim paint brush, cut off soda bottle of water to dip the brush, paint stirrer, and a scoop for painting small trim areas. (tide detergent scoop is perfect) Metal ones hold screws and nails of the recycled and mixed type.

I have had water jugs fall apart while in the floor board of my truck for less than a month, the sun really hurts them, so I just recycle those. Bleach bottles are pretty tough.

 

[Beekissed]

I use bleach bottles for killing cones, feed scoops and they are really great for filling with water and placing in your cold frames or green houses~just paint one side black for heat absorption. They last longer than typical jugs for this purpose.

I like the coffee cans for the paint...I've noticed the better paints are coming in similar containers.

The bleach jugs make great funnels for adding oil to your car, adding soap mix to jugs, etc.

You can invert them and mount them in your utility room, cut out around the neck, cut slits into the bottom(like a baby wipe bottle top) and stuff your plastic grocery bags in them for a great bag dispenser.

You can also cut around the top, leave the handle, use the part you cut off as a funnel to fill the jug with rock salt and keep it by the door to sprinkle salt onto the sidewalk in the wintertime.

You can fill the jugs with water, place several pinholes in the bottom and use as a drip waterer for specific plants in your garden. They withstand the repeated sun exposure way more than regular jugs.

You can cut the bottoms out of the bleach jugs, invert and slide down onto the tops of wooden fence posts, staple on the sides to secure and you have a great way to preserve your post tops from moisture and rot....around here the old timers did it with the old metal coffee cans.

 

[RedheadErin]

I use the coffee cans and those horrible plastic grocery bags to make tiny trash cans for each room--perfect for tissues and candy wrappers, or for laundry lint downstairs.

I have been saving the spares to make candle-light lanterns. You free water in them, then make holes in the side of them with a nail (the ice helps it keep its shape) then let the ice melt and paint it. We did a coupole small ines and they turned out nicely.

I also keep one handy for tossing in scraps from the kitchen, so someone can take it out to the cojpost pile next time thy go.

 

[deb4o]

Hey Red, saw this was your first post and wanted to say WELCOME!

Keep posting seems like you have good info!

 

[snapshot]

I use the coffee cans and those horrible plastic grocery bags to make tiny trash cans for each room--perfect for tissues and candy wrappers, or for laundry lint downstairs.

I have been saving the spares to make candle-light lanterns. You free water in them, then make holes in the side of them with a nail (the ice helps it keep its shape) then let the ice melt and paint it. We did a coupole small ines and they turned out nicely.

I also keep one handy for tossing in scraps from the kitchen, so someone can take it out to the cojpost pile next time thy go.

I have dogs and the plastic groc. bags are usually used for their...uh...deposits. However at Dollar tree, I have seen pkgs of 40 bags for pup cleaning for $1. They are black and shaped like a groc bag but real small--coffee can size.

And welcome!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

I am trying so hard to remember to use the re-usable grocery bags I bought. I manage 50% of the time to remember to take them into the store with me. I do keep them in my truck, unless one gets dirty and I have to wash it.

However, I have a collection of the plastic grocery bags,of course. I keep them in empty kleenex boxes...they make a great dispenser!! And you can pack them pretty tight. I keep 2 in my bathroom, a bag of them in the bedroom, as DH and I both have a trashcan.

Oh, I must be in the wrong thread...this one is "Plastic coffee cans and bleach bottles" silly me

 

[~gd]

That's a good idea! I have a couple BIG balls of jute around here that need corraling. (sp?)

If you are talking baleing twine only the supersized [bigger than a gallon] will hold a full ball. I tried it and decided that it was clumsly [sp] to use. Smaller balls work fine.

 

[~gd]

An "expert" on Emergency Preparedness told me that bleach bottles are one of the few plastic bottles that you can save water in, for your SHTF supplies. He said the plastic is different, stronger. And if it is plain chlorine bleach, the residue would be considered "safe." I do know that gallon water jugs from the store will develop leaks after a year or two, just sitting. I am in the New Madrid Fault area, and our power goes out everytime the wind blows, so I should be more prepared that I am.

Well I can tell you that the plastic used for bleach bottles is a special formulation. [I Used to produce and bottle the old A&P supermarket house brand] it must be opaque and only white pigment has been found to stand up to the bleach. It MUST block light because chlorine bleach is light sensitive and breaks down to a gas and a liquid when lightstruck, just picture bleach bombs going off in your local market. LOL The chlorine also makes common plastics suffer from a condition called stress cracking where it tends to crack around the screw cap area because that point has the most stress. [this is what causes the water jugs to slowly develop leaks, light exposure and the lack of the anti cracking additive.] ~gd