How to Seal a Mylar Bag in a 5-gallon bucket
Here is one way to seal a Mylar bag inside of a typical five gallon bucket for long term food storage.
If you are storing food (rice, beans, wheat, etc.) in a Mylar bag inside of a plastic bucket, you will not need to use food grade buckets – because the food itself will only be exposed or in contact with the ‘Mylar’ and will not be exposed to the plastic lining of the bucket wall itself. You may choose to buy inexpensive 5-gallon buckets from your local home improvement store in this case.
For foods that will be stored directly in the bucket, you should use food-grade buckets for safety, which you may find for free at your neighborhood bakery or grocery store, or you may simply choose to buy food-grade buckets from a reputable source like Emergency Essentials.
Mylar bags will completely seal the food. This, along with an oxygen absorber dropped into the bag will keep the food fresh for years.
You may also choose to use Gamma Seal Lids which will make your life much easier when it comes to opening and using your food inside your buckets. These lids conveniently screw on and off and are also air tight.
How to seal a Mylar bag for long term food storage
If using a Gamma Seal Lid, first snap on the gamma ring to the top of the bucket.
Then, or otherwise, insert a Mylar bag that is fitted for a typical 5 to 7 gallon bucket (I’ve seen all three size buckets – the diameters of the buckets are the same, but the buckets are simply taller for 6 or 7 gallon).
Dump the food stuff into the Mylar bag to keep for long term storage (e.g. long grain white rice). Be sure to leave about two inches of head space from the top of the bucket to ensure that excess Mylar bag material will fit beneath the lid and the lid will screw on all the way.
Oxygen absorbers come new in a sealed air-tight bag. When the bag is opened, the oxygen absorbers should be used immediately and any extras should immediately be stored in a glass mason jar with the top securely screwed tight – otherwise the O2 absorbers will rapidly become ‘spent’. If doing multiple buckets, get them all filled with the Mylar bags and food first, and do the O2 absorbers last.
Add a 2,000 cc oxygen absorber to the filled Mylar bag with the food.
Set the heat setting of the Iron to high (no steam). The Iron will not melt the Mylar, so don’t worry. If you are worried to ruin the Mrs. good Iron, then buy a cheap one and use it just for this…
Use a smooth flat board or any sturdy flat smooth object that won’t damage from heat, and place it underneath and across the open end of the Mylar bag.
Iron across the open seam of the Mylar, against the board underneath, while stopping just short of the end, leaving an opening to burp out the excess air.
Run the Iron across the seam a few times while pressing mildly.
Then burp out the remaining air that is inside the Mylar bag through the small open end that has not yet been sealed. The oxygen absorber that you dropped into the bag just prior to ironing will absorb and remove the rest of the air after it’s sealed, so don’t worry about burping every last bit of air out – just get what you can.
Position the open Mylar corner at an angle compared to the original ironed seam, place the flat board underneath and Iron across a few times to make the final seal.
Fold the excess of the Mylar bag into the five gallon bucket and wait 12 hours before checking back to be sure the oxygen absorber pulled the remaining air out of the bag. This will let you know that the Ironed seal is good to go. The bag should have a vacuum sealed crumpled look. If it doesn’t, you may need to do it again (with a new O2 absorber).
I like to leave a nutrition note inside the bucket for whatever is inside. You may want to label the outside of the five gallon bucket with the ingredient as well as the year and month. I like to use white artist’s tape, which sticks well to things and is perfect for labeling (and cleanly removing).
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I love storing foods in mylar bags. You can find all sizes on-line. Just a helpful tip though, make sure the steam setting is OFF . You need to use DRY IRON ONLY. (guess how I know?) I eventually got it all cleaned off though……..:)
Say you seal up rice this way, what can we reasonably suspect its shelf life to be?
I would suspect it would shelve for a very long time if sealed and stored properly. Say, 10 – 20 years for white rice. Storage temperature is very important. The cooler the better.
Thanks! I never exactly knew how much oxygen absorbers to use. I do now. Thanks!
Thanks everyone for this info and the great site,i read everyday!!I am new to this any info is great!!Thanks
I’ve been storing food in mylar with 02 absorbers for a while now, but one thing I recently came across was the threat of botulism – a deadly bacteria that thrives in oxagyn free environments (such as our bags) with some moisture. Now I’m not totally sure (nor can I find) what % of moisture the bacteria could thrive on in the low/no 02 environment, but I know that too much of it can really ruin your day, and should you be in a situation where you need to use this food, it’s possible that medical care might not be readily available.
Just wondering what your thoughts were on this.
any thoughts on vacume sealing in a quart mason jar with a food saver attachment? Rice , beans flour etc? shelf life ?
WAY LONG TERM STORAGE OLIVE OIL
OZONATED OLIVE OIL AT ROOM TEMPERATURE 20 DEGREES CELSIUS, HOW MANY YEARS CAN BE STORED IN ORDER CAN BE EATEN?
OF COURSE, BEFORE EAT MUST BE HEATING!
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE
ANASTASIOS
Depending on what type of olive oil, the shelf life will range from 6 months to as much as 3 years.
VIRGIN OLIVE OIL!
@All/Ken; I would not use colored buckets, even though they are hdpe2 rated even with Mylar bags. I have a number of them, but I’m not certain I trust them. I realize the bags seal out certain things, but how do we know??? If you are going to seal them in Mylar bags in buckets, then get the white food grade buckets, they can be ordered in bulk and it doesn’t cost any more and actually probably costs less. Survive well. Enjoy.
@TripodXL, I disagree with you on this one. There are food grade buckets that are colored. I have some (although most of my food grade buckets are white). The color of the bucket is not the culprit. Check with the manufacturer regarding FDA food-grade. Also, the recycle number does not mean it’s food grade (for example, most people think that HDPE 2 is automatically considered food grade). Using a Mylar bag will make it a moot point regarding using a non food-grade bucket (such as an inexpensive Home Depot bucket). The typical Mylar bags sold today for long term food storage (oxygen barrier Mylar foil bags) have a gas transmission rate of 0.001 cc’s of oxygen per square meter per 24 hours, or 0.365 cc’s per year. Therefore, the sealed Mylar bag would have to be swimming in major toxic soup to have any effect on the food inside. It is incorrect that buying food grade buckets in quantity will cost the same or less than non-food grade buckets. If you have found a source that will sell you food grade for $3 or less, I’m sure the community would love to know, as most food grade buckets are priced much higher than that, even in quantity.
To clarify what I would do (am doing) though… for the most part I am using food-grade buckets even for long-term storage with Mylar foil bags inside. The reason for this is so that I can safely dump the food into the bucket itself once I have broken open the Mylar seal for usage later. This way, it is easier to use and access, especially while using a Gamma lid design.
@Ken; Well, we’ll have to agree to disagree. .365 ccs per year is 9.5 ccs over a 10 year period. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, if you have ever had anything that “just didn’t taste/smell right” well now you’ve got 5 gallons or somewhere between 35-45 pounds of something that isn’t poisonous but it may be inedible due to taste/smell. (In a land far, far away, a long time ago, ‘someone’ had a bag of weed that ‘someone’ hid in a powder box. The weed NEVER was usable, even though it was only in the powder box for about 2 days, it was UNSMOKABLE as it smelled like the powder when smoked.) Now, I know what I said in my post on food storage (thanks for posting BTW) about eating what you got, but some things will smell or taste soooooo bad that you can’t even force your self to eat it. A tablespoon of gasoline will foul the water in a swimming pool size volume of water and make it undrinkable. Not that it is poisonous, but it will be undrinkable….absolutely undrinkable. The color in a bucket comes from something, and without knowing, it’s hard to say what it will do. Most so-called “food grade” buckets do not take into account that food will be stored in them for “decades”! Also “white” isn’t actually white, it is “natural”, as natural as plastic can be and those are the buckets that I prefer. Anyway, just IMHO on buckets. Survive well. Enjoy.
this was really hard at first because the bags kept melting! we couldn’t iron them with all the wheat and so on inside of it either cause it was to heavy and things fell out and meted. is it normal if the bags melt? well, we found a solution. it was to use a straighter for your hair.. just to do it really quick.
I’ve never had a problem with the Mylar melting while using a standard iron (on High). I’m glad that your hair straightener worked though!
funnybunny911; I have to agree with Ken, I’ve never had a problem with TRUE food grade Mylar bags and the HIGH heat setting (without steam) on a standard iron. Here’s my procedure;
1. Fill mylar bag with product, in 5/6 gal. WHITE (natural) bucket.
2. Put 1/4 cup of FOOD GRADE DIATOMACEOUS EARTH in the bag with product.
3. Lay a 1×4 across the top of the bucket.
4. Fold the bag top across the board, smooth out ANY wrinkles.
5. Iron flat on high setting on iron, no steam. Back and forth 2-3 times.
6. Push down into bucket. Seal lid. Date and label.
If you are having trouble with “melting bags” then something is wrong with your bags (where did you get them) or something is definitely wrong with your iron. Now if these are “scavenged bags” they may be Mylar bags for electronics, but these are not food grade bags for storing foods. This may be the problem with the bags. Hope this helps. Survive well. Enjoy.
Does anyone know where to buy these Mylar bags? I would prefer not to order them online. Same with the o2 absorbers. Thank you for any info you can offer.
I do not know of any ‘big box’ stores, etc. that sell these. I’ve only ordered them from various sources online.
New to the game
Do snap top tubs work as good as buckets?
How about using 1gallon bags or something close as opposed to 1 large bag?
I’ve bought dry beans at store and after a short time bugs hatched out of some. I remember once it was black-eyed peas. Now we freeze them for 24 hrs but is there anyone had this problem in our long term situation?
Thanks for any help for a newbie. Hopefully when the dust settles the weak, stupid, and lazy will be extinct. (Just sayin’).
The purpose for the bucket, or tub, or other… is to prevent critters (mice?) from getting in, and to protect the sealed food inside. It is recommended to use food-grade plastics, although to a lesser extent if you are storing sealed mylar bags inside the buckets.
1 gallon bags are great in that you don’t have to un-seal the entire bucket of food. Storing smaller sealed bags within the bucket are a good idea for some items. As an alternative to mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, you could use vacuum sealed bags (with a vacuum sealer).
Freezing the beans are a good idea to kill off any critters. After freezing, let them return to room temperature and be sure there is no condensation of them prior to packing.
A key to preventing ‘live’ things from developing is to remove the oxygen.
What Size Oxygen Absorber To Use
Ok, thank you for that info. I’m getting started building our supply because I feel the threat of some kind of big deal is eminent . Don’t know what, or when but it is time to get serious. Thank you.
Food for thought bugs are eaten by 2/3 of the worlds people. Well all of us eat them because they are in our grains. Before you seal that bag did you heat your rice, beans or what ever to 200 degrees for an hour to kill all of our little frends and there eggs. Yes they would most likley run out of air and die but I do not not like to sort out dead bugs and bug crap from my bean soup. Lets stay in the top 1/3