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Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Slaked lime

Calcium Hydroxide

A strong alkaline base, also called slaked lime. It preserves eggs, raises low soil pH, sanitizes with whitewash, and binds simple mortar and plaster.

INDEFINITEHazardousWorks without power

Quick facts

Chemistry
Strong base
Form
White powder
Hazard class
Caustic
Shelf life
Indefinite
Storage
Sealed glass or HDPE
What to avoid
  • Air
  • moisture
  • acids

See everything calcium hydroxide must never touch

What it's good for

Egg preservation

Water-glassing for months

Soil & garden

Raises low soil pH

Sanitation

Limewash and fly control

Building

Simple mortar and plaster

In water it turns strongly alkaline to sanitize and seal, and left in open air it slowly reverts to chalk.

Good to know

The lime cycle. Lime runs in a circle: burned limestone becomes quicklime, water turns that into the slaked lime used here, and as a thin limewater dries it pulls carbon dioxide from the air and hardens back into stone. That last step is the real trick behind lime mortar and whitewash, which do not merely dry but slowly turn back to rock. It also means an open tub goes stale as it reabsorbs the air.

Handling and safety

Caustic to skin and eyes

Wear gloves and goggles; the dust and slurry burn on contact.

It hardens in air

Lime slowly absorbs carbon dioxide and turns chalky; keep it sealed.

Eggs keep their bloom

For water-glassing, use unwashed eggs so the natural coating stays.

A little goes far

About one ounce per quart makes plenty of lime water.

Recipes for calcium hydroxide

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is calcium hydroxide used for?

Calcium hydroxide, or slaked lime, preserves eggs by water-glassing for months, raises low soil pH, sanitizes as limewash and helps with fly control, and binds simple mortar and plaster. About one ounce per quart makes plenty of lime water, and water-glassed eggs should be unwashed so the bloom stays.

How long does calcium hydroxide last in storage?

Its shelf life is indefinite when kept sealed. Left open to the air, lime slowly absorbs carbon dioxide and turns chalky, so an open tub goes stale over time.

How do I store calcium hydroxide?

Keep it in sealed glass or HDPE, away from air, moisture, and acids. Exposure to air lets it absorb carbon dioxide and revert to chalk. It is caustic to skin and eyes, so wear gloves and goggles when you handle the powder or slurry.

Keep going

Read nextWater glassing eggs with hydrated lime (long-term egg storage)Before refrigeration existed, water glassing was how families kept eggs edible for over a year.Food · Formula

Related to this

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Compounds and Cleaning · CompoundSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Chapter 8, p. 34 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

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