BUCKHORN CLIFFS

Compounds and Cleaning · Compound · Iodine antiseptic and thyroid block

Lugol's Iodine

An iodine and potassium-iodide solution that disinfects wounds and water and, in the correct dose, blocks the thyroid from taking up radioactive iodine. A small bottle goes a very long way.

5 TO 10 YEARSWorks without power

Quick facts

Strength
2% iodine
Form
Amber liquid
Hazard class
Stains; thyroid caution
Shelf life
5 to 10 years
Storage
Amber glass, sealed
What to avoid
  • Light
  • heat
  • metal

See everything lugol's iodine must never touch

What it's good for

Wound antiseptic

Cleans cuts and scrapes

Water backup

Treats clear water

Thyroid block

Blocks radioiodine, 6.2

Trace iodine

Tiny supplemental doses

Free iodine kills microbes on contact, and the depth of the amber color shows how much is still active.

Good to know

Why Lugol's, and what else is out there. This book uses Lugol's, a water-based mix of iodine and potassium iodide. The alternatives are more single-purpose: tincture of iodine is alcohol-based, povidone-iodine (Betadine) is a gentler skin antiseptic, and potassium iodide (KI) tablets are the dedicated thyroid block. Lugol's earns its spot because one cheap, shelf-stable bottle covers wound antisepsis, emergency water, and an iodine source at once, without the alcohol.

Handling and safety

Match the strength

Doses assume 2% Lugol's; verify your bottle, since a 5% solution would overdose. Keep water use short-term.

Color shows strength

Deep amber means it is active; a faded, pale solution has weakened.

Not for Crypto

It kills bacteria and viruses but not Cryptosporidium; pre-filter murky water.

Store it dark

Light breaks iodine down; keep it in amber glass away from heat.

What I buy

My pick: iodine on Amazon.

Recipes for lugol's iodine

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

What is lugol's iodine used for?

One bottle covers several jobs: a wound antiseptic for cuts and scrapes, backup treatment for clear drinking water, a thyroid block against radioactive iodine in the correct dose, and tiny supplemental doses of trace iodine. Doses assume the 2% strength, so verify your bottle.

How long does lugol's iodine last in storage?

5 to 10 years when sealed in amber glass away from light and heat. The color shows strength: deep amber means it is still active, while a faded, pale solution has weakened.

How do I store lugol's iodine?

Keep it in sealed amber glass, in the dark, away from heat and metal. Light breaks iodine down, so a bottle left exposed fades and weakens.

Keep going

Read nextThyroid blocking with Lugol's iodine (radiation exposure)Saturating your thyroid with stable iodine before or shortly after a nuclear release prevents your thyroid from absorbing radioactive iodine.Medical · Formula

Related to this

Medical · Formula Lugol's iodine antiseptic for cuts and skin infections Lugol's iodine is a broad-spectrum antiseptic that inactivates bacteria, viruses, and fungi with brief contact, useful when commercial wound-care products aren't available or have expired. Handle with care Water · Formula Purify water with Lugol's iodine (2%) Clear water: 5 drops / quart; Cloudy/cold: 10 drops / quart; Per gallon: 20-40 drops Handle with care Medical · Supply Potassium iodide (KI) tablets for nuclear emergencies Take it when officials say to: within 24 hours before or 4 hours after exposure; one dose covers about 24 hours Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Isopropyl Alcohol Shelf life: Years sealed; weakens opened. Storage: Sealed, away from flame. YEARS SEALED; WEAKENS OPENEDMULTI-USEHazardous
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 6, p. 26 · 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