BUCKHORN CLIFFS

Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Thickener and skin powder

Cornstarch

A fine, versatile starch: it thickens cooking, keeps skin dry to prevent chafing, works as a no-water dry shampoo, and cleans and deodorizes around the house.

INDEFINITEWorks without power

Quick facts

Type
Pure starch
Form
Fine white powder
Hazard class
Low
Shelf life
Indefinite
Storage
Airtight container
What to avoid
Moisture, dampness

See everything cornstarch must never touch

What it's good for

Cooking

Thickens soups and sauces

Skin & chafe

Dry powder cuts friction

Dry shampoo

Soaks up hair oil

Household

Cleans and deodorizes

Pure starch that thickens when heated in water and absorbs moisture when dry, so it thickens food and keeps skin dry.

Good to know

Thickening by gelatinization. Heated in water, cornstarch's tightly packed granules swell, burst, and tangle into a mesh that traps liquid into a gel. That is why you stir it into cold water first, since dropped into hot liquid the outsides cook instantly and seal lumps shut. Dry, the same thirsty granules soak up moisture, which is what calms a sweaty, chafed patch of skin.

Handling and safety

Thicken at a simmer

Slurry it in cold water first, then heat to a simmer; do not hard-boil or it thins.

A safer body powder

It absorbs sweat and cuts chafing without talc's contamination worries.

Not for infections

Fine on healthy skin, but it will not fix a yeast or fungal rash; keep it off broken skin.

Doubles as dry shampoo

Dusted on the roots it soaks up hair oil; brush it out well, since it shows on dark hair.

Recipes for cornstarch

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is cornstarch used for?

Cornstarch thickens soups and sauces when you slurry it in cold water and then heat it to a simmer. Dry, it absorbs moisture, so it works as a body powder against sweat and chafing and as a dry shampoo that soaks up hair oil. It also cleans and deodorizes around the house.

How long does cornstarch last in storage?

Cornstarch has an indefinite shelf life when it is kept in an airtight container and protected from moisture and dampness, which are the main things to avoid.

How do I store cornstarch?

Keep cornstarch in an airtight container and away from moisture and dampness. It is a fine, pure starch powder that readily soaks up water, so keeping it dry is what gives it an indefinite shelf life.

Keep going

Read nextBaking soda leavening and baking powder substituteCommercial baking powder is just baking soda mixed with an acid and a stabilizer, and it loses potency within 1 to 2 years.Food · Formula

Related to this

Food · Formula Cornstarch Thickener for Emergency Cooking Cornstarch turns thin, watery broth into a hearty, spoon-coating meal. Stirred into a hot liquid it swells and sets into a smooth gel, so a spoonful can stretch a thin soup into something that fills you up. Handle with care Hygiene and Sanitation · Formula Dry Shampoo for Extended Field Use When water is scarce, cornstarch buys a few more days between hair washes. Dusted onto the roots, it soaks up the oil and sweat that make hair look greasy and flat, so your hair looks and feels cleaner with no water at all. Handle with care Hygiene and Sanitation · Formula Anti-Chafing and Rash Prevention Powder Chafing starts as simple friction and quickly turns into raw, stinging skin that can slow you down and let infection in. A light dusting of plain cornstarch keeps skin-on-skin areas dry and slick, heading off the damage before it starts. Handle with care Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Baking Soda Shelf life: Indefinite. Storage: Sealed HDPE or glass. INDEFINITEMULTI-USE
Everything in Compounds and CleaningNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

Membership · $49.95 per year

There is a lot more behind the lock

158member pages in full
125recipes with exact amounts
6field guide PDFs, 206 pages
1manual of your own, built from any page

Every recipe and resource from the Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, all six field guides to read here and download, the full audit and logbook, all twelve reference charts, and no ads.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included. Put them in your order, name it, and print one manual with a cover and contents, or keep it as a PDF that opens with no signal.

  • It works when this site does not
  • Only your pages
  • Anyone in the house can use it
  • One current copy, not a pile of printouts
  • The house binder
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truck
  • A copy for family
  • An offline PDF

Join for $49.95 per year

Compounds and Cleaning · CompoundSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Chapter 32, p. 162 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

Membership

Save to My Manual is a member tool

Members build their own manual from the pages that fit their household, then print it or keep it as a PDF.

Why it matters

When the grid goes down, this site goes with it. Paper does not. Membership is how you get the whole manual off the screen and onto the shelf: every page in full, every field guide, and a binder built for your own household.

The field guide library

All six field guides. 206 pages. Included.

The complete Buckhorn Cliffs PDF set, yours to download, print, and keep from the day you join.

$60if bought one at a time

  • Cover of Stockpile Essentials Field GuideStockpile Essentials39 pagesEverything to keep on hand, category by category, plus the 20 multi-use items.
  • Cover of Survival Foods Field GuideSurvival Foods35 pagesStoring, extending, and using the food supply. Real shelf life by the numbers.
  • Cover of Chemical Compounds Field GuideChemical Compounds29 pagesThe 33 compounds: storage, top uses, hazards, and the never-mix chart.
  • Cover of Spare Parts and Repair Stock Field GuideSpare Parts and Repair Stock40 pagesWhat to keep on hand to fix the home and land when the supply chain breaks.
  • Cover of Walk-Around Preparedness AuditWalk-Around Preparedness Audit33 pagesFifteen systems scored 1 to 5, with the printable scorecard.
  • Cover of The Preparedness LogbookPreparedness Logbook30 pagesThe household information that needs to be on paper.

My Manual · included

Build your own field manual

The most useful thing a membership gives you. No book fits your household exactly. My Manual does. Save any page on this site, recipes, charts, and whole field guides included, put them in your order, and print one manual with your name on the cover. It holds only what is relevant to you, and nothing you would skip.

Why it matters

  • It works when this site does notNo power and no signal means no website. A printed manual and an offline PDF still open, which is the whole point of writing any of this down.
  • Only your pagesThis site covers every household. Yours needs a fraction of it. Your manual holds the pages that match your water source, your climate, and your gear, so nobody digs through the rest under stress.
  • Anyone in the house can use itThe person who reads this site may not be the one home when it counts. A binder on the shelf, in your order, with a contents page, is something a spouse or a teenager can follow.
  • One current copy, not a pile of printoutsEvery page prints in the same field guide layout with a cover, a contents page, and the print date. Change a page, print again, and the old copy is easy to spot.

What to build with it

  • The house binderYour water source, your climate, your gear. Only the pages you would reach for.
  • A copy for the bug-out bag or truckA short version that travels: water, first aid, comms, and the recipes you rely on.
  • A copy for familyHand a parent or a grown kid a manual built for their house and their supplies.
  • The shop and the barnParts lists, repair skills, and the never-mix chart, kept where the work happens.
  • A recipe book of your ownThe cleaners, fuels, and remedies you make, with exact amounts, in one place.
  • An offline PDFSaved to a phone, a tablet, or a drive in the Faraday bag. It opens with no signal.

How it works

  1. 1Save what fitsPress "Save to My Manual" on any page: a recipe, a chart, a guide, a parts list, or a whole field guide.
  2. 2Put it in your orderOn My Account, drag the pages into the order you want. Name the manual and add your household name.
  3. 3Print it or save a PDFOpen the preview, then print it or save a PDF. It is sized for 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with a cover and a contents page. Field guides go in exactly as the PDFs are laid out. No ads, no photos.
  4. 4Keep it currentAdd a page, pull one out, print again. The cover carries the date, so you always know which copy is the latest.

Also included

  • The entire site, unlockedAll 158 member pages open in full: exact amounts, every step, every warning, every parts list. Nothing held back.
  • Every recipe and resource in the bookAll 138 recipes and 33 compounds from Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, with exact amounts, every step, every warning, and the reference charts.
  • A clean PDF of any entryOne press turns any page into a field guide sheet for the binder, the truck, or the shop wall.
  • Checklists and audit scores that follow youSaved to the account, so the phone, the laptop, and the shop computer always match.
  • No adsMembers read the whole site without a single ad.
$49.95per year. About 14 cents a day. Cancel any time and keep the year you paid for.
Join now