How do I keep stockpiled cans from rusting?

[pollypurebred39]

I do not have space for a stockpile inside our living space. For food anyway. We tried setting up shevles in the basement but the canned goods rapidly rusted. So we started using a shelf my husband cleared off in the garage. To our surprise the cans rusted there also! They were continually rotated and some were there for only a few months before they started rusting. What gives? How do I stop canned goods from rusting?

We have 2 big totes that are right in front of the shelf in the garage and that is where we store dry goods like cereal, oatmeal, etc.

I realized that I really need to get serious about stockpiling and finding space to store things. So far I decided;

A)To keep our hall closet (supposed to be a linen closet) as our mini
ER. Just pull out the extra things that don't belong there like
soap and toothpaste, and more things like antibotic cream,
Band-aids, burn cream, Advil, ect. It already is stocked with a
blood pressure moniter, blood sugar moniter, tons of test strips
a nebulizer and tons of amples, ace bandages, neck brace (had
from car accident, used once since then. glad I didn't throw it
out), knee brace, hand brace, ankle brace, a vaporizer, an
extremely through emergency kit bought years ago, covers snake
bites, shock and other extreme emergencies. I have loads of vicks
vapor rub, nyquil, asprin and some other odds and ends. I even
have dog and cat medicinces for common ailments or serious
ones. The whole cupboard needs a expiration date check and
restocking.

B)To empty our bathroom closet (quite large) with the exception of
towels and stock with cleaning supplies and HAB. I think I could
stock quite a bit of laundry detergent, dish soap, dishwasher
tablets, bar soap, shampoo, body lotion, etc. I'm not sure a years
worth but still quite a bit.

C)To add totes to our attic and fill them with toilet paper, tissues
and other paper products. It is a finished attic, but it gets quite
hot. I tried stockpiling there but WOW, What a Mess!!! I ended up
with really fat mice. DANG MICE!!! I don't think the canned goods
liked the heat either.

D)To add shelves inside of bedroom closet to put our linens on and
use any extra room for our big buckets of grains, ect.

E)I have a very small room that I'm transforming into my closet/
dressing room/sewing room. I decided that I will put a shelf in
that room just for my stockpile things like tampons, face cream,
makeup, etc.

F)Our kitchen is so small but we keep all vitamins stockpiled there
along with all our medicinal herbs. I can make room above the
fridge for tea, coffee, powdered creamer. And one cabinet can be
used to store tin foil, plastic wrap,freezer bags, wax paper, ect.

G)Our coat closet is a strange shape. It is really long beyond a
persons reach. I think I can use the odd floor space by putting 2
totes, one on top of the other and fill with cat and dog food. The
easy access part of the floor I can stock with cat litter.

I've spent a lot of thought on how to make this work, the only thing is my canned goods rusting. My only 2 choices is the garage or the basement. I've got to find a way for them not to rust. I'd like to stockpile a years worth of canned goods. That's not possible if they rust.

Any ideas? Please help me find a way to keep my cans from rusting.

[thefrug]

or switching the cans out with the animal food and litter. Totes for the cans? Switch the cans of food out with the HAB. IMO, food is more important than the shampoo and toothpaste.

[Judi Dial]

Well, what I'd do is keep only the emergency supplies you use all the time in the linen closet and put the rest in a tote on the floor of the garage with a big red cross on them, providing that still means that you've got access in a hurry if you need it.

The neck brace (i still have one too) doesn't belong in your prime real estate, if you only use it once in every few years. How about figuring out:

1- which canned goods you need all the time
2- which canned goods you need once in a while
3- which storage places you've got that you can get at easily that contain things you use once in a while?

Swap the stuff in category 3 with the canned goods in category #1.

Repeat the process with the canned goods in category #2.

Also, maybe some of these ideas will help?

Try putting shelves up over doorways or windows. That always gives us a ton o' space.

Store out of season linens in the huge suitcases that you use once a year for family vacation (tie a hang tag on that says what's in it).

Stop buying more stockpile until you can store and use what you've got successfully. (I had to do that when we got here, I hated it, but it took me a LONG time to find places to stash stuff.)

Put a row of cans behind books in a bookshelf.

Put shelves up over the washer and dryer for overflow from the pantry.

Put wood, metal (what have you thats stiff & strong) boxes/milk crates under the bread box, small shelf whatever to get another storage space in the same square footage. I have 2 old cheese boxes that sit on the floor under my pot rack (not hanging). These get filled with cans that are the next in line to go into my small pantry (closet under the stairs).

Put the cleaning/toilet emergency water storage at the back of a closet in dead spot in cabinets. Make a shelf that sits on top of the water bottles....

Stash a bin of canned goods under a skirted table, couch, bed.

Almost all of these are things I had to do here. I have no attic to speak of (1 small room) no pantry (except as above), linen closets, basement, or garage. This is a log post & beam house, which is pretty but doesn't have a lot of nooks and crannies for storage! I don't have your problem with rusting cans, but....

Judi

[Momto2Boyz]

Put an open box of baking soda on the shelf with your canned goods. It will help soak up any extra moisture. When we used to stockpile (on a shelf in our garage) I used to do this and never had rusty cans! I was given this tip by grandma, who was a HUGE stockpiler after the depression!

[cheles2kids]

Okay, the short answer to your question?
You can't.

It sounds to me like either you live in a high humidity area or if you're storing them inside a basement with concrete walls & flours, they are absorbing condensation from the air.

Now, you *might* be able to buy a large *de* humidifier & that could help, but I agree with the other ladies.
Just store them somewhere else entirely.

I really like the rubbermaid idea, fairly inexpensive, and you can buy different sized ones.

Also, I ran across this idea for under the bed storage:
http://michael.coxfam.org/wp-content...tion_Ideas.pdf
(4th page down)

Basically a sheet of plywood, with some wooden dividers nailed into it, you put cans *in* one side of the bed and push them through to the other side, that way they continually stay rotated.

This guy has some really great ideas & informtion on his blog.
Worth the reading.

Oh! I also wanted to say that what you're doing is great.
You're beginning your process, and unfortuantely sometimes the hardest part, the planning, and cleaning & rearranging to make room for your stockpile.
Once you get everything kinda planned out, then you can start getting your list together of what you need to get it organized.

Organizing is sometimes the hardest part, beside keeping everything rotated.

It's definately a learn as you go process.

Good Luck!

[Grainlady]

#1. Food Storage 101 - Never keep canned goods where they are exposed to extreme heat. If you keep canned goods in temperatures hotter than room temperature (70°F) they quickly degrade, texture can change and nutrients also degrade. Use-by dates will be null and void when you store food in hot temperatures. Never keep canned goods where they can freeze. Canned goods DO keep longer when stored in temperatures cooler than 70°F.

#2. If your basement is humid, then a dehumidifier is needed to keep that humidity under control.

#3. You'd be surprised how many canned goods you can stack up the side and back walls of closets - and still leave the bulk of the room for their intended use. Hubby made shelves that fit in these areas of several closets. Each shelf had a wooden piece of trim in front that prevented the can/jar from slipping off.

#4. If you have a small space between a window in a room (say a bedroom) to the wall (even as little as 12-inches will work), you can fit a shallow shelf-system in that space that goes to the ceiling. To cover the shelves/food, add a floor-to-ceiling drape - this will visually expand the window in the room.

#5. Build a window seat that has food storage under it.

#6. Stack milk crates (open side out) and use those as make-shift food storage unit that can double as a side table. You can add a circle of plywood topped with a round tablecloth. You can also use large round trash cans (metal or plastic) and fill them with food. Cover the top with a circle of plywood topped with a round tablecloth and you'll have new bedside tables.

#6. There ARE methods to help preserve cans to prevent exterior corrosion or rusting. Information from: http://survivalacres.com/information...storagefaq.pdf page 59.

- Paraffin Method - Using a double boiler, paraffin is melted and brushed on the clean, unrusted cans. Be certain to get a good coat on all seams, particularly the joints. If the can is small enough, it can be dipped directly into the was. Care must be taken not to cause the labels to separate from the cans. Do not leave in long enough for the can contents to warm.

-Mineral Oil Method: Use only FOOD GRADE mineral oil. Wipe down the outside of each can with only enough oil to leave a barely visible sheen. Paper labels will have to be removed to wipe each can with only enough il to leave a barely visible sheen. Paper labels will have to be removed to wipe underneath with the contents written on the outside beforehand with a marker or leave the under label areas uncoated. Even with a barely visible sheen of oil the cans will tend to attract dust so you'll need to wipe off the can tops before opening.

-Paste Wax Method - Combine 2-3 oz. of paste or jelly wax with a quart of mineral spirits. Warm the mixture CAREFULLY in its container by immersing it in a larger container of hot water. DO NOT HEAT OVER AN OPEN FLAME! Stir the wax/spirits thoroughly until it is well mixed and dissolved. Paint the cans with a brush in the same manner as above. Place the cans on a wire rack until dry.

-Spray Silicone - A light coating of ordinary spray silicone may be used to deter rust. Spray lightly, allowing to dry, wipe gently with a clean cloth to remove excess silicone.

-Clear Coating - A clear type of spray or brush-on coating such as Rustoleum may be applied. This is best suited for larger resealable cans, but will keep them protected from corrosion for years.

Edited to add: If your closets are also humid, you can use a product like Damp Rid in them to help control humidity in a small space.

[Grayce]

Your basement is too damp, that is why your cans are rusting. I would invest in a dehumidifier for your basement. Not only would you be able to keep the canned goods down there you would reduce the risk of mold in your home.

[pollypurebred39]

Wow!!! Thank you everyone. Since I need shevles to keep organized and keep the food properly rotated I'm totally in love with the coating of canned goods. I'm sticking with canning wax and a brush. Who knew??? Awesome!!!!

I'm also going to consider lining the bedroom closet (it's mine, it's small, it's amost empty, moving everything into that dressing room I'm creating) any way, I'm thinking because of its depth I can line the closet on 3 sides with shelves. That would add lots of room.

I'd love to do that with the coat closet but it is such and odd shape, very narrow and long. It goes so far back that you'd have to take the coats out almost to get back in there if I put a shelf on that end. Very odd. Anyway that's why I opted for long term pet food storage there. It's such a pain I don't want to have to accsess it often.

I also have to consider that I have 2 boys that would be on the hunt for canned of spagettios(or whatever else) if I put canned goods where they had regular accesss. They'd wipe me out. Getting stocked would be like treading water.

My husband's closet is in our room it is on the opposite side of mine. You slide open the door and you see a closet that has clothing hanging in the wrong direction. You have to step inside(tight fit) to accesss clothing. But if you turn around you see there is a hidden set of stairs that lead up to a finished attic. A loft of sorts. You would never know it was here. That is strange also. Strange hiding spots. The original builders of this house had their 1 daughter live up there and the step-daughter when she visited. You could hide someone up there like the underground railroad. Anyway, I thought I'd borrow the milk crate idea and line the steps with them for HAB extras, cleaning supplies. That stuff has a long shelf life and I don't have to worry so much about rotating.

Thanks all, I'm going to give a lot of thought to all your ideas and see what other ideas I can implement. Thanks Again!!

[WV_mom_of2]

I store alot of canned goods under our bed. I just get those "flats" and put them in there. By flats I mean the the short cardboard boxes that stores display a case of something in. You can put several of these under the bed and just fill them up with cans!