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Garden and Livestock · Formula · Book recipe 8.2

Limewash for coops, barns and latrines (hydrated lime)

Limewash has been used for centuries to whitewash barns, outhouses, and food storage areas because it simultaneously kills microbes, reduces odors, and may deter insects.

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How it works

Mix limewash
Brush or dust
High pH sanitizes
Reapply

Inside this article

What you'll need
Steps
Garden use
Warnings
Storage and shelf life

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What is in this article

  • The method at a glance: mix limewash, then brush or dust, then high ph sanitizes, then reapply
  • The exact numbers: whitewash, human waste, reapply, coop floors, shelf life
  • The full materials list (5 items, with grades and substitutes)
  • The 5-step method, with every measurement in the step
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  • Storage and shelf life for the raw compound and the finished mix
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Prefer paper? This is Recipe 8.2, page 36, in Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide.

Questions this answers

Tap a question for the short answer.

How do I make limewash?

Limewash is hydrated lime thinned with water to a paint-like consistency and brushed onto walls. Its high alkalinity makes surfaces inhospitable to pests and pathogens, and thin coats hold up better than a thick one.

Members get the exact amounts and every step.

What's the recipe for whitewash for a chicken coop?

Coop whitewash is hydrated lime thinned with water and applied to walls only, with the birds kept out until it fully cures. Hydrated lime is caustic, so floors and bedding get milder garden lime instead.

Members get the exact amounts and every step.

Can I use lime to control outhouse odor?

Limewash has been used on outhouses for centuries because it kills microbes and reduces odors on the walls. Treating the waste itself with lime is a separate method with its own limits.

Members get the exact amounts and every step.

How often should I reapply limewash?

Limewash weathers, so walls and tree trunks need periodic recoating to keep working. Dry lime spread in crawl spaces has to be renewed after rain or flooding.

Members get the exact amounts and every step.

Is hydrated lime the same as quicklime?

No. Hydrated lime is calcium hydroxide, and quicklime is calcium oxide, a far more reactive and dangerous material. Do not confuse the two when handling lime.

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Keep going

Read nextCalcium HydroxideA strong alkaline base, also called slaked lime. It preserves eggs, raises low soil pH, sanitizes with whitewash, and binds simple mortar and plaster.Compounds and Cleaning · Compound

Related to this

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Everything in Garden and LivestockNever-mix checkerShelf life tableFind a recipe by needWalk-around auditStart here

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Garden and Livestock · FormulaSource: Prepper's Chemical Survival Guide, Recipe 8.2, p. 36 · Last reviewed 2026-09-18

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