# Mylar bags arriving today



## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

I did the search but didn't find much so please be kind. Besides, ItsJustMe, a little ole lady hoping to live long enough to be a burden to everybody.

1. Everything I have read recommends storing foods in mylar with O2 absorbers, then in a food grade bucket. Other than keeping out varmints, why use the bucket? I plan to package in two to four serving sizes. So if I put these in a bucket, that would be lots of bags in there and what's the point if the mylar works as it should?

2. Do you repackage everything? A five pound bag of flour will last me a long time. I am thinking I will divide it into smaller bags (quart size). Same with rice, beans, etc. Once that bag is opened, the clock starts ticking.

3. Is it okay to use a sharpie marker on the mylar? Will it bleed through or somehow weaken it?

Everything is stored either in the kitchen pantry/cabinets or a room in my house, completely climate and light controlled. I also have an agreement with varmints -- they get the outside, the inside is mine. Intruders will be dealt with and it will not be nice.

Thanks for your comments (maybe, who knows what @Slippy may add, lol!).


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

1. A bucket protects from bugs, moisture and light. Buckets also make it easy to stack and neat to store, as well as grab-n-go if need be.

2. If you're looking for long-term storage, yes, you need to repackage things. Few few food items from the grocery store are packaged for anything more than a few months.

3. Yes and no.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

ItsJustMe said:


> I did the search but didn't find much so please be kind. Besides, ItsJustMe, a little ole lady hoping to live long enough to be a burden to everybody.
> 
> 1. Everything I have read recommends storing foods in mylar with O2 absorbers, then in a food grade bucket. Other than keeping out varmints, why use the bucket? I plan to package in two to four serving sizes. So if I put these in a bucket, that would be lots of bags in there and what's the point if the mylar works as it should?
> 
> ...


Nice to meet you It's just me.

You can also use totes instead of buckets. Mylar bags do not store easily. They are bumpy and don't stack well. Yes, I know some people can make them perfectly flat and look so pretty. I am not one of those people.

You will need to change your clock, the expiration is longer when you repackage it. I use a marker on the edge not on the main part of the sealed bag. I honestly don't know if you write on the main part if it will hurt it.

I use a lot of jars and the vac feature on my food sealer. I find it is easier for things like flour, sugar, herbs etc. If you have room in your freezer put the flour in there. Make sure you put it in a bag or container that seals.

I thought I had the same agreement with mice. During our extended cold snap and the snow storm that followed I found evidence of a mouse. It took me and the cat few days but we got him. He never made it into the pantry but I can imagine the damage he could have done in my pantry if I wasn't so obsessive about jars.

We are here to share info and help each other. Don't hesitate to post questions.


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## Megamom134 (Jan 30, 2021)

I repackage into smaller bags. I buy in bulk when possible and then break them down into 2 cup bags because most of my recipes for 2 people that use flour will use 2 cups. I use the buckets and store simular items in them. My soup trail packs all go into one bucket and the bucket is labeled as soups, my sugar, flower, baking soda, salt etc go into another etc. Before I use my buckets which I got used from our local bakery I clean really good and then wipe down with white vinegar to discourage critters and I use large resealable mylar bags on the inside. I only put the o2 absorbers in the individual bags, not my big mylar which may be wrong or right but time will tell. Then I stack them on pallets with the labels facing me in the basement storage area. I tried that agreement with the varments but got my first mouse in the house, darn cat and we get these stupid little ants this time of year every year so they don't listen to me.


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## NMPRN (Dec 25, 2020)

IMHO some sort of bucket or tote is necessary, the bags are bound to see some rough treatment at some point during their years in storage. I need to store most of my stuff in the house (garage and shed get way too hot in the summer) so I use a lot of low profile totes that fit under the bed. 

Sharpies are fine on Mylar. If it wasn't, ...millions of preppers would be in trouble


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

Buckets, or at least some type of container is pretty much essential for lts. 

I try to keep most things in gallon and quart mylar bags. But for stuff like rice and beans I don't mind using the 5 gallon bags. 

Even though I'm not going to use 35# of rice within a short time period it should stay good for a long time after initially opening the bag as long as it's not exposed to moisture.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

The cabinets/pantry in my kitchen are pretty much mouseproof as they are all sealed box built, no point of entry at all, except for the one under the sink where the plumbing comes in, also where the trash can lives. I stuffed steel wool in those and haven't had a mouse under there since. Keeping my fingers crossed on that. Funny, the mice here (alt. 6200 ft, mountains all around me) aren't around in the winter, mostly the other seasons. Very strange. Do they hibernate?

I was going to seal up the pasta but when I dragged it all out last night, I realized I didn't order enough bags. So will order some more and do that later. Mostly, it is the flour, cornmeal, rice, dried beans that I will do this week.

I read somewhere that sugar and salt will harden into a brick in a no O2 atmosphere.

I, too, like jars and other hard sided storage containers. But I have so much and they do take up more space, so the long term stuff will go in mylar, mostly.

Thanks all for your comments. I do really like this place. 

P.S Bags were just now delivered and it seems I ordered more than I remembered! Hooray!


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## Kauboy (May 12, 2014)

Buckets help to limit exposure of the bag to the elements. They're just thin film after all. Something should be used to protect them. Buckets are easy to stack and transport.
If I expect that a packed ingredient will be used once in a while, but not constantly, I'll repackage into smaller bags to prevent opening a large quantity and risking it going bad.
Mylar is impermeable by design. Sharpie will have no effect on the bag.

I don't pack O2 absorbers with my salt/sugar. They're mostly stable on their own. I also use and restock this supply regularly. The real problem with these ingredients is moisture. Sugar will become a brick. Salt will degrade.
For these two, I actually pack them in buckets with "gamma lids", which allow them to be opened and closed conveniently with a gasket seal.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Like others here, I use both buckets and tubs. Tubs tend to hold more and are more easily stackable for me anyhow. Part of the decision of what I put them in depends on where they will be stored.

And yes, I do use a sharpie on my bags.


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## Ranger710Tango (Feb 27, 2021)

I have a few new paint cans that I use. I like that they’re metal. You can spray paint them if you want. 
I love buckets too for larger quantities. Once you open the bag you then have the food grade bucket to store it while you’re using it.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

One trick to use with mylar bags (and plastic ones as well) is after you've used enough product from them, _you can reseal them_. You'll end up with a smaller package, but that's never going to be an issue.


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## Megamom134 (Jan 30, 2021)

I vacuum pack my salt and some of my sugar that isn't in jars and they do become brick like but break apart easily when opened.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

Thank you, all.


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

Buckets like these are great. They are fairly large and can hold about 5-6× more than a 5 gallon bucket. They also seal airtight and stackable and have clamps on all 4 sides.







I get them at Walmart for $9/ea.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

Just make sure any container you use isn't so large you can't lift it when it's full.


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

Back Pack Hack said:


> Just make sure any container you use isn't so large you can't lift it when it's full.


Absolutely. They can get pretty heavy if your not careful what you put in them. I had filled about 10 of the containers I have pictured in my last post before realizing I had to swap some stuff around to make a little easier for moving around.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

Okay, another Question:

The O2 absorbers came vacuum packed in plastic bags. I opened the bag, immediately placed (100 ea) them in a canning jar (Ball). As I needed them, I would open the jar, take out what I needed, and immediately close the jar tightly.

I noticed after a couple of hours that the inside of the jar was getting wet (condensation?). The temp in here is 67F, humidity 21%.

I took them out of the jar and sealed them in one of the mylar bags.

What is this about?


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

OA's work by converting the material in them and the oxygen into rust. The process results in production of heat. The same principle used in hand warmers. They probably started to warm up a bit when you put them in, then when the innards of the jar cooled, moisture in the air condensed.


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## NMPRN (Dec 25, 2020)

Take as many as your going to need out of the bag and reseal it. ie. If you need 10 absorbers, don't open the bag/jar 10 times. Of course, if you have a vacuum sealer, suck as much air out as you can before you seal it.

I thinks it's better to keep them in a bag rather than a jar because you can squeeze the excess air out of the bag.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

Back Pack Hack said:


> OA's work by converting the material in them and the oxygen into rust. The process results in production of heat. The same principle used in hand warmers. They probably started to warm up a bit when you put them in, then when the innards of the jar cooled, moisture in the air condensed.


Thank you! I was wondering if it was some sort of chemical reaction or if I did something stupid/wrong.



NMPRN said:


> Take as many as your going to need out of the bag and reseal it. ie. If you need 10 absorbers, don't open the bag/jar 10 times. Of course, if you have a vacuum sealer, suck as much air out as you can before you seal it.
> 
> I thinks it's better to keep them in a bag rather than a jar because you can squeeze the excess air out of the bag.


Yes to this. The bags are the resealable kind with the bottom that folds out so they stand up (7+ mils). I would fill 6-10 of them, drop in however many absorbers, squeeze out air, seal with the zipper thing, then seal with the iron, for just the reason you say -- not to open the jar as often. When I found it getting wet inside the jar, I put them in a mylar bag and sealed that. That was towards the end of the job today.

Thanks!


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## MikeyPrepper (Nov 29, 2012)

buckets and tubes here


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## Nick (Nov 21, 2020)

ItsJustMe said:


> Thank you! I was wondering if it was some sort of chemical reaction or if I did something stupid/wrong.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Once you open a bag of oxygen absorbers you should try to use them within the next few months even after re-sealing the bag.

A while back I had used about half of one of my bags of O2 absorbers. I had actually opened and re-sealed the bag twice.

I let them sit for about 2 months before using the rest. Unfortunately they no longer worked and everything I had packed in Mylar with them had to be opened up and re-sealed with new O2 absorbers.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

I wait until I'm ready and need them. Use what I need then vacuum seal the extras again.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I typically buy OAs 100 to a package. I'll prep smaller vac-seal bags in advance, some for 5 and some for 10 OAs in each. Open the original package, and transfer / vac-seal the smaller packages as fast as possible.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

Nick said:


> Once you open a bag of oxygen absorbers you should try to use them within the next few months even after re-sealing the bag.
> 
> A while back I had used about half of one of my bags of O2 absorbers. I had actually opened and re-sealed the bag twice.
> 
> I let them sit for about 2 months before using the rest. Unfortunately they no longer worked and everything I had packed in Mylar with them had to be opened up and re-sealed with new O2 absorbers.


This is good to know. Thanks.

Yesterday, I repackaged all pasta, rice, dried beans. Today will be flour, corn meal, pancake mix, oats, etc.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

ItsJustMe said:


> This is good to know. Thanks.
> 
> Yesterday, I repackaged all pasta, rice, dried beans. Today will be flour, corn meal, pancake mix, oats, etc.


Flour I vacuum seal. I've got some in mylar but the majority are done with my foodsaver. I am baking bread now so I rotate through them. I found a video that showed how to do it without the flour mess and it works great for me.

Pancake mix I would be careful with. Anything with oil in it can go rancid after some time.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

inceptor said:


> Flour I vacuum seal. I've got some in mylar but the majority are done with my foodsaver. I am baking bread now so I rotate through them. I found a video that showed how to do it without the flour mess and it works great for me.
> 
> Pancake mix I would be careful with. Anything with oil in it can go rancid after some time.


Thanks. I will read the label and see what is in it. Did several searches online about what foods can be packed in mylar or vacuum sealed. Sheesh. What a confusing mess. One said "nothing animal based".

I don't currently have a vacuum sealer. Had a foodsaver some years ago and it was a disappointment. Broke after just a few uses so that left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. But it is on the "consider this" list.

Kudos to those of you who bake! I have become just too lazy in my old age. My plan is tortillas as a bread source, quick and easy and don't take up much space.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

ItsJustMe said:


> Thanks. I will read the label and see what is in it. Did several searches online about what foods can be packed in mylar or vacuum sealed. Sheesh. What a confusing mess. One said "nothing animal based".
> 
> I don't currently have a vacuum sealer. Had a foodsaver some years ago and it was a disappointment. Broke after just a few uses so that left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak. But it is on the "consider this" list.
> 
> Kudos to those of you who bake! I have become just too lazy in my old age. My plan is tortillas as a bread source, quick and easy and don't take up much space.


We got our FoodSaver on sale at Costco a number of years ago and haven't regretted it. It gets a fair amount of use.

We both love fresh bread. A goal for me when I retired was to learn to bake bread. It took a few batches before I got it down but now I got it and my wife loves it. She didn't bake bread because her daddy did and she figured that was the man's job. Actually it's been fun for me and now I do it fairly regularly.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Forgive me, if I'm about to repeat myself but I think it bares repeating. I'm a huge fan of putting mylar bags into chew proof galvanized metal cans. 

During the plague in the middle ages the Jews contracted the Black Death to a far less extent. You know why? Chamez. During Passover, every bit of barley, oats, flour and the like had to be gotten rid of and the house meticulously scrubbed clean. No accessible food, no rats. No rats, no plague. 

If rodents want it badly enough, they'll chew right through plastic containers.


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## inceptor (Nov 19, 2012)

Annie said:


> Forgive me, if I'm about to repeat myself but I think it bares repeating. I'm a huge fan of putting mylar bags into chew proof galvanized metal cans.
> 
> During the plague in the middle ages the Jews contracted the Black Death to a far less extent. You know why? Chamez. During Passover, every bit of barley, oats, flour and the like had to be gotten rid of and the house meticulously scrubbed clean. No accessible food, no rats. No rats, no plague.
> 
> If rodents want it badly enough, they'll chew right through plastic containers.


I've heard stories of rats chewing through concrete. Years ago when NYC had a huge rat problem the stories about them were everywhere.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

inceptor said:


> I've heard stories of rats chewing through concrete. Years ago when NYC had a huge rat problem the stories about them were everywhere.


Ugh, yeah disgusting. I've seen them in the subways. 

All it would take is a week or two of no garbage pick-ups and I can imagine we'd have trouble.


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## ItsJustMe (Dec 12, 2020)

I have never seen mice chew through plastic totes? But maybe so? That reminds me, I know where I can get my hands on my (late) Dad's foot lockers. Hmmm...they are pretty heavy, though. Will have to wait till snow melts to get at them.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

Lots of good advice in the previous posts. I get used buckets I get from bakeries because they are food grade and cheap. They stack nicely. I don't plan on bugging out but if the water is lapping at the back steps, I will. An easy to carry method like storage tubs or buckets makes it easier to grab and run. The idea of putting unused oxygen absorbers in a mason jar works, vacuum sealing them helps eliminate extra O2. Unfortunately, I too have noticed oxygen absorbers going bad after 5-6 months in a vacuum saved jar. 
Down here in southern AZ, I don't have to worry to much about rats and mice. Too many snakes. One thing I changes after my first year of repackaging foods, was to change from 5 gallon Mylar bags to 1 gallon bags and I switched to zip lock Mylar. While the ziplock bags wond keep oxygen out, they help keep bugs out of the bag after opening, prevent spillage, and make the bags easier to handle.


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