Glossary

The acid in vinegar. Vinegar is dilute acetic acid. A cleaner, descaler, deodorizer, weed killer, and food acidulant, all from one inexpensive bottle of about five percent acid.

Another name for activated charcoal. Ultra-porous carbon that traps substances on its vast surface. Used to bind some swallowed toxins, as a traditional drawing poultice for bites and stings, and to improve the taste and odor of water, though it does not make unsafe water safe to drink.

Ultra-porous carbon that traps substances on its vast surface. Used to bind some swallowed toxins, as a traditional drawing poultice for bites and stings, and to improve the taste and odor of water, though it does not make unsafe water safe to drink.

Holding molecules onto a surface instead of soaking them inside. Activated charcoal works this way, so it gets used up.

Battery capacity at a given voltage.

The shut-off valve under a fixture that isolates it from the house.

A dried form of a compound that contains no water, such as washing soda made from baking soda.

A sacrificial rod in a water heater that corrodes in place of the tank. Replace it every few years.

A part that corrodes in place of another to protect it.

A substance like vitamin C that reacts with oxygen in place of food, slowing browning and spoilage. Also called a reducing agent.

A germ-killer mild enough for living skin and wounds, such as diluted iodine, honey, or a boric acid wash.

Vitamin C in shelf-stable powder form. A daily supplement that also stops cut produce from browning, preserves food, and removes the chlorine taste from treated water.

A measure of disinfecting power rather than the weight of chlorine, used to compare chlorine sources.

The most versatile powder in the book: antacid, cleaner, deodorizer, leavening, fire suppressant, and the raw material for stronger washing soda.

A natural wax for candles, salves, wood finish, and waterproofing. It burns clean and keeps for years.

Another name for bentonite clay. An absorbent clay that binds some irritants in poultices and, with a coagulant, helps cloudy water settle. Internal use is limited, so read the cautions.

An absorbent clay that binds some irritants in poultices and, with a coagulant, helps cloudy water settle. Internal use is limited, so read the cautions.

A quality date, not a safety date. Most stored food outlasts it.

Another name for baking soda. The most versatile powder in the book: antacid, cleaner, deodorizer, leavening, fire suppressant, and the raw material for stronger washing soda.

Another name for baking soda. The most versatile powder in the book: antacid, cleaner, deodorizer, leavening, fire suppressant, and the raw material for stronger washing soda.

A brief boil before freezing or drying that preserves color and texture.

Bug-out location, a planned place to go if you leave.

A naturally occurring mineral salt used for cleaning, laundry, ant and roach baits, mold control, and metal-working flux.

A mild antiseptic and a potent insecticide. Used in eye and foot washes and in roach and ant powders.

A dangerous poisoning from a toxin that grows in low-oxygen, low-acid food. Why curing-salt doses and the no-honey-for-infants rule matter.

The flexible hose feeding a toilet or faucet. It bursts with age and floods fast.

A strong salt-and-water solution used for pickling, fermenting, and curing.

Sheltering in place at home instead of evacuating.

A packed 72-hour survival bag, ready by the door.

A hidden, sealed stash of supplies kept away from home.

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

Calcium hypochlorite, sold cheaply as pool shock, is the most powerful water treatment in this book. As a dry granule it carries 65 to 70 percent available chlorine, so a single pound can disinfect on the order of 10,000 gallons. Kept dry and sealed it lasts for years.

Another name for calcium hypochlorite. Calcium hypochlorite, sold cheaply as pool shock, is the most powerful water treatment in this book. As a dry granule it carries 65 to 70 percent available chlorine, so a single pound can disinfect on the order of 10,000 gallons. Kept dry and sealed it lasts for years.

An aromatic, volatile compound used in muscle and chest rubs, moth and pest blocks, and gear waterproofing.

A cylinder that gives a motor the jolt to start and run. A top failure on AC units, blowers, and pumps.

A gentle, concentrated plant-oil soap for body, hair, laundry, and gentle first aid. A little goes a very long way.

Strongly alkaline and able to burn or corrode skin, eyes, and metal. Lye and quicklime are caustic.

Another name for lye. Sodium hydroxide, a powerful caustic base for cold-process soap and clearing stubborn drains. It demands full protective gear every time.

License-free 27 MHz radio, a few miles, common in vehicles.

Scorched cotton that reliably catches a spark.

A one-way valve that keeps water from draining back and losing prime.

To bind a mineral or metal ion so it stays dissolved and available, as citric acid does with iron.

A molecule such as citric acid that clamps onto metal ions, lifting rust and scale and keeping minerals soluble.

Another name for sodium nitrate. A curing salt and fast nitrogen fertilizer that is also a strong oxidizer. It preserves meat and feeds plants.

The toxic gas formed when chlorine (cal-hypo or bleach) meets ammonia. Never mix the two.

A mild food-grade acid. Despite its name, most is brewed by fermentation, not squeezed from citrus. It preserves food, strips rust and scale, cleans surfaces, and helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and magnesium from food.

The bacterium whose spores can produce botulism toxin in sealed, low-acid, oxygen-free foods.

Keeping perishables continuously cold; an outage breaks it.

A safety switch that shuts an AC off when its drain clogs, stopping an overflow.

Another name for potassium permanganate. A purple oxidizer that strips iron and odor from water (though it does not make it safe to drink), treats some skin conditions, and even starts a fire when a little glycerin is added. A tiny amount colors a lot of water.

A part used up over time, like tape, lube, or a filter. Stock deep and rotate.

The relay in an AC condenser that switches the compressor on. Its contacts pit and stick.

How long a disinfectant must stay wet on a surface, or in water, to actually kill germs.

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.

Burns skin and eats metal; store in glass or HDPE.

A simple bent pin that holds equipment and implements together.

A well-studied supplement that supports strength, recovery, and mental sharpness under stress and sleep loss.

Another name for creatine. A well-studied supplement that supports strength, recovery, and mental sharpness under stress and sleep loss.

A chlorine-resistant parasite. Filter or boil cloudy water, since chlorine and iodine alone may not kill it.

Preserving meat with salt, and sometimes nitrite, to draw out water and stop spoilage.

40°F to 140°F, the range where bacteria multiply fastest.

Battery and solar are DC; wall power is AC. Running on DC avoids inverter loss.

Another name for diatomaceous earth. Fossilized silica powder that kills insects by drying them out and protects stored grain. Use food-grade only, and keep the fine dust out of your lungs.

A rotating stock of everyday food, weeks to months deep.

Food dried with heat. Lighter than fresh, shorter-lived than freeze-dried.

Ethanol with poisons added to make it undrinkable. Fine for cleaning and fuel, never for tinctures or anything internal.

A drying agent such as silica gel that pulls moisture out of the air inside a sealed container.

A non-toxic powder that controls crawling insects.

Mixing a concentrate into water to a weaker working strength, written as a ratio like 1:10.

A germ-killer for surfaces, tools, and water, often too harsh for skin, such as bleach or calcium hypochlorite.

Another name for calcium hypochlorite. Calcium hypochlorite, sold cheaply as pool shock, is the most powerful water treatment in this book. As a dry granule it carries 65 to 70 percent available chlorine, so a single pound can disinfect on the order of 10,000 gallons. Kept dry and sealed it lasts for years.

Transmit and receive on two frequencies, the way a repeater works.

Everyday carry, the small tools you keep on you daily.

A mineral that carries an electric charge in body fluids, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, driving hydration and nerve and muscle function.

Electrolytes are the charged minerals that pull water into your cells, carry nerve signals, and keep muscles from cramping.

A pulse or solar storm that can fry unshielded electronics.

Magnesium sulfate. It is the traditional addition to a warm muscle soak, feeds magnesium to plants where a soil test shows a shortfall, and works as a saline laxative.

High-proof grain alcohol. A disinfectant, solvent, and tincture base, and a clean-burning emergency fuel.

Another name for ethanol. High-proof grain alcohol. A disinfectant, solvent, and tincture base, and a clean-burning emergency fuel.

The one cheap part in a system most likely to fail first.

A sealed metal enclosure that shields electronics from that surge.

The harmless white or gray film that can form on chocolate. Safe to eat.

Letting helpful bacteria sour food in a salty brine, which preserves it. Iodine and anti-caking additives can stall it.

A metal rod that throws sparks to start fire, wet or dry.

First in, first out. Use the oldest stock first.

The toilet-tank part that refills after a flush. It fails after the flapper does.

A filter takes out bacteria and protozoa; a purifier also removes viruses.

A thin rod that proves a gas flame is lit. When it fouls, the furnace shuts down.

The rubber valve at the bottom of a toilet tank. When it hardens, the toilet runs.

Purity suitable for food, drink, or skin contact. Also labeled GRAS or food-safe.

Purity safe for food, skin, and internal use. Different from technical or pool grade.

Water removed by vacuum-freezing. Very light, 25+ year shelf life.

Dry, discolored patches from air exposure in the freezer. Safe but low quality.

License-free handheld radio, up to 2 watts, 22 shared channels, under a mile.

A smaller kit kept in the car to get you home on foot.

An outlet or breaker that cuts power fast on a ground fault. Used near water.

The Globally Harmonized System, the standard hazard pictograms and signal words on chemical labels.

A thick, sweet, non-toxic liquid that draws and holds moisture. Used for skin care, alcohol-free tinctures, and even as a matchless way to start a fire by dripping it onto potassium permanganate.

Another name for glycerin. A thick, sweet, non-toxic liquid that draws and holds moisture. Used for skin care, alcohol-free tinctures, and even as a matchless way to start a fire by dripping it onto potassium permanganate.

Licensed family radio to 50 watts and repeaters. One $35 FCC license, ten years, whole family.

Another name for ethanol. High-proof grain alcohol. A disinfectant, solvent, and tincture base, and a clean-burning emergency fuel.

Another name for calcium hypochlorite. Calcium hypochlorite, sold cheaply as pool shock, is the most powerful water treatment in this book. As a dry granule it carries 65 to 70 percent available chlorine, so a single pound can disinfect on the order of 10,000 gallons. Kept dry and sealed it lasts for years.

A no-power filter that cleans water as it drips through.

Used wash water, reusable for flushing or the garden.

Loss of the power grid and the services that ride on it.

The widest-reach radio, local to worldwide. Requires a license exam.

Stiff quarter-inch wire mesh that seals gaps against rodents.

High-density polyethylene, the food-grade plastic marked #2.

A tube that shrinks with heat to seal and insulate a wire splice.

pH at or below 4.6 (fruit, pickles). Safe for water-bath canning.

A naturally antimicrobial sweetener that preserves dry foods, soothes coughs, and dresses minor wounds and burns. It keeps almost indefinitely.

A metal band that holds a hose onto a fitting. The universal hold-two-things part.

Composted human waste; needs care and time to be safe.

A substance like glycerin that pulls in and holds water, keeping skin and mixtures from drying out.

A powder that treats waste and controls odor in a pit or bin.

An oxidizing disinfectant for skin, surfaces, and gear that breaks down to water and oxygen. Use it around wounds, not in them. The household strength is three percent, and it is slow: it has to stay wet to work.

Readily absorbs water from the air, which makes a powder clump or cake if left open.

"I'm Never Coming Home," a bag built for leaving for good.

Converts battery DC into household AC power.

Another name for 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.

Another name for isopropyl alcohol. A fast-drying disinfectant and solvent for skin, surfaces, and equipment. It is flammable and weakens over time.

A fast-drying disinfectant and solvent for skin, surfaces, and equipment. It is flammable and weakens over time.

Small sticks that carry flame from tinder to firewood.

A long-life, safe lithium battery chemistry common in power stations.

The specific set of gear packed for a task or trip.

Long-range, low-power radio used for off-grid text messaging.

pH above 4.6 (vegetables, meat). Requires pressure canning.

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.

Another name for 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.

Sodium hydroxide, a powerful caustic base for cold-process soap and clearing stubborn drains. It demands full protective gear every time.

Another name for Epsom salt. Magnesium sulfate. It is the traditional addition to a warm muscle soak, feeds magnesium to plants where a soil test shows a shortfall, and works as a saline laxative.

Devices that relay each other's messages, so range grows with more nodes.

An item that does many unrelated jobs, the backbone of a stockpile.

Foil-laminate bags that block light and air; decades of storage with oxygen absorbers.

Chemical pairs that make poison gas or fire. See the Caution table.

The active ingredient in pink curing salt that fixes a cured meat's color and blocks botulism. Toxic in excess, so it is dosed precisely.

Broadcasts National Weather Service alerts around the clock.

Plant-based iron, which the body absorbs less easily than the iron in meat.

Assuming things will stay normal, which delays action.

A sealer like petroleum jelly that locks moisture in and keeps air and water out.

Operational security: not advertising your supplies or plans.

A rubber ring that seals a joint on faucets, hoses, and fittings.

Reaction with oxygen that degrades fats, vitamins, and color over time.

A compound that feeds fire and can react violently with fuels, acids, or organics. Cal-hypo is one.

A sachet that pulls oxygen from a sealed bag. Never pair with desiccant.

Primary, Alternate, Contingency, Emergency: a layered communication plan.

Nylon cord rated to 550 pounds, with usable inner strands.

An inexpensive wax for candles, airtight jar seals, fire starters, and waterproofing cloth and gear.

Slow battery loss from gear left plugged in.

Rendered fat and dried meat, a dense long-lasting survival food.

Another name for hydrogen peroxide. An oxidizing disinfectant for skin, surfaces, and gear that breaks down to water and oxygen. Use it around wounds, not in them. The household strength is three percent, and it is slow: it has to stay wet to work.

An inert, waterproof barrier. It protects and seals skin, keeps air and water off metal to stop rust, and makes reliable cotton-ball fire starters.

Flexible plastic water pipe joined with rings or push fittings. It tolerates freezing better than rigid pipe.

A 0 to 14 scale from acidic (low) to alkaline (high). 7 is neutral; washing soda is about 11.

Another name for 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.

Calcium hypochlorite, a dry compound that makes chlorine to treat water.

Safe to drink.

Saltpeter. It cures meat, rots out tree stumps, feeds plants, and acts as a versatile oxidizer.

A purple oxidizer that strips iron and odor from water (though it does not make it safe to drink), treats some skin conditions, and even starts a fire when a little glycerin is added. A tiny amount colors a lot of water.

A soft, moist paste spread on the skin to draw out or soothe, as with activated charcoal or bentonite clay.

A battery pack with a built-in inverter and outlets.

Personal protective equipment: gloves, goggles, and a respirator.

Parts per million, a tiny concentration. One ppm is about 1 milligram per liter of water.

The only safe way to can low-acid foods like meat and vegetables.

The well-system part that turns the pump on and off by water pressure.

The well tank that holds pressurized water so the pump does not run on every tap.

A measure of alcohol strength equal to twice the percent by volume. 100 proof is 50 percent alcohol.

Thin tape that seals threaded pipe joints. Use gas-rated tape on gas lines.

A fitting that joins pipe by pushing it on, with no tools or solder.

Quicklime is burned limestone; add water and it becomes slaked lime (calcium hydroxide), the form used in my book.

The stale, bitter, off smell that develops when fats and oils oxidize.

A station on high ground that rebroadcasts signals for 10 to 20+ miles.

The leftover disinfectant in treated water that keeps protecting it; a faint chlorine smell signals it.

Using and replacing stock on a schedule so nothing expires.

Another name for isopropyl alcohol. A fast-drying disinfectant and solvent for skin, surfaces, and equipment. It is flammable and weakens over time.

3 minutes without air, 3 hours without shelter, 3 days without water, 3 weeks without food.

A simple salt-and-water solution used for rinses, gargles, soaks, and wound irrigation.

Sodium chloride, essential for curing meat, brining, electrolytes, oral rinses, and countless everyday basics.

Another name for potassium nitrate. Saltpeter. It cures meat, rots out tree stumps, feeds plants, and acts as a versatile oxidizer.

To reduce germs to a safe level. A lighter step than fully disinfecting.

The reaction of lye with fat or oil that turns them into soap and glycerin.

A handheld that texts and calls for rescue through satellites.

Fully loaded with no capacity left, said of a spent desiccant or a thyroid blocked by iodine.

Safety data sheet, a chemical's hazards and handling in writing.

Another name for salt. Sodium chloride, essential for curing meat, brining, electrolytes, oral rinses, and countless everyday basics.

Wood dried 6 to 12 months so it burns hot and clean.

A compound like permanganate whose color shows how much is still active, fading purple to pink as it works.

How long a compound stays effective when stored correctly; many here last a decade or more.

Safe at room temperature with no refrigeration.

Dosing water heavily with chlorine to kill a large germ load quickly, then letting it air out before drinking.

Shorthand for a serious, sudden disruption.

Radios talking directly on one frequency, no repeater.

Another name for 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.

Another name for washing soda. A strong alkaline cleaner that cuts grease and softens hard water. You can make it from baking soda in the oven (Recipe 9.21).

Solar disinfection: clear bottles left in the sun kill pathogens.

Baking soda. Heated, it becomes sodium carbonate (washing soda), a stronger cleaner.

Another name for borax. A naturally occurring mineral salt used for cleaning, laundry, ant and roach baits, mold control, and metal-working flux.

Another name for washing soda. A strong alkaline cleaner that cuts grease and softens hard water. You can make it from baking soda in the oven (Recipe 9.21).

Another name for salt. Sodium chloride, essential for curing meat, brining, electrolytes, oral rinses, and countless everyday basics.

Another name for lye. Sodium hydroxide, a powerful caustic base for cold-process soap and clearing stubborn drains. It demands full protective gear every time.

A curing salt and fast nitrogen fertilizer that is also a strong oxidizer. It preserves meat and feeds plants.

Turns sunlight into DC power to charge batteries.

Another name for citric acid. A mild food-grade acid. Despite its name, most is brewed by fermentation, not squeezed from citrus. It preserves food, strips rust and scale, cleans surfaces, and helps the body absorb minerals like calcium and magnesium from food.

A part that waits for a failure, like a valve, switch, or belt. One or two is usually plenty.

The control that mutes static until a real signal comes in.

Single sideband, a radio mode that carries voice farther on the same power.

Choosing common sizes so a few spares fit many things.

A yellow mineral used as a garden fungicide, a scabies and skin treatment, and a fumigant for storage areas.

A wetting agent in soaps and detergents that lets water lift away grease and oil.

The safety sensor that fails on gas heat, cutting the flame.

A liquid, such as Loctite, that keeps bolts from vibrating loose.

A concentrated herbal extract made by soaking plant material in alcohol or glycerin.

Fine, dry material that catches a spark.

The temperature and pressure relief valve on a water heater. It must open if the tank overheats.

How cloudy water is. Filter it clear before you disinfect.

Textured vegetable protein, dried soy that rehydrates to stretch meals.

Keep a backup for anything critical.

Purity standards: USP is pharmaceutical grade, FCC is food-chemical grade.

Pharmaceutical purity, suited to first aid, eye care, and internal use.

Another name for petroleum jelly. An inert, waterproof barrier. It protects and seals skin, keeps air and water off metal to stop rust, and makes reliable cotton-ball fire starters.

Another name for glycerin. A thick, sweet, non-toxic liquid that draws and holds moisture. Used for skin care, alcohol-free tinctures, and even as a matchless way to start a fire by dripping it onto potassium permanganate.

Dilute acetic acid. A cleaner, descaler, deodorizer, weed killer, and food acidulant, all from one inexpensive bottle of about five percent acid.

Another name for ascorbic acid. Vitamin C in shelf-stable powder form. A daily supplement that also stops cut produce from browning, preserves food, and removes the chlorine taste from treated water.

Evaporating readily from solid or liquid to a gas, as camphor does, which is why a block slowly shrinks.

A strong alkaline cleaner that cuts grease and softens hard water. You can make it from baking soda in the oven (Recipe 9.21).

A measure of available moisture in food. Lower means longer shelf life.

For high-acid foods like fruit and pickles, in boiling water.

Preserving eggs by submerging them in a lime-and-water solution that seals the shell for months.

Energy a battery holds; capacity over a load's watts gives runtime.

The seal between a toilet and the floor drain.

Whole wheat kernels; store for decades and grind into flour.

The common distilled form of vinegar, about five percent acetic acid. A cleaner, descaler, deodorizer, weed killer, and food acidulant, all from one inexpensive bottle of about five percent acid.

The small nipple you pump grease into on implements and trailers.