7-10 YR6 G IN 16 OZMY OWNWorks without power
Quick facts
- Real shelf life7 to 10 years sealed
- Label date saysAbout 2 years
- ServingOne 6 g scoop in 16 oz of cold water
- Best storageCanister sealed, cool, dry; a dry scoop
- Watch forClumping, an off smell
Where this sits on the food shopping list
Water alone does not replace what hard work, heat and illness take out of a body; sodium, potassium and magnesium go with the sweat and the stomach bug, and the headache, the cramps and the fog that follow are the warning. An electrolyte powder puts them back in a glass of stored water. CARDNL is the one I make and the one in my pantry and my kits, and like any dry mineral powder it keeps far past its label: 7 to 10 years sealed, cool and dry.
Which to buy
It comes in a canister with a scoop: zero sugar, one 6 gram scoop to 16 ounces of cold water. A sealed canister is the storage unit; keep one open in the kitchen and the rest sealed on the shelf. A serving per person per day of hard work or heat, and a few per person for an illness, is the planning number, so a canister per person per season is a fair store. The product page has the formulation and the servings per canister.
How long it really lasts
By how it is kept
| Form | Label says | Real, stored well |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed canister, cool and dry | About 2 years | 7 to 10 years |
| Opened canister, lid tight, dry scoop | Years; clumping is the sign of moisture | |
| Mixed in water | Drink it the same day |
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What to store, how much of it for one person for one month, and how long it keeps. One page with checkboxes, built from the Survival Foods field guide. Print it, multiply by your people and months, and take it to the store.
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How to store it
Airtight, cool and dry; the minerals pull moisture from the air and clump, which is the only thing that happens to them. The canister with its lid tight and a dry scoop, and the sealed spares in a cupboard or a bucket. A desiccant helps; an oxygen absorber is not needed. For the bag and the truck, a week of scoops in a small jar.
How to tell it has turned
A free-flowing powder that smells as it should is fine at any age. Clumping means moisture got in; break it up and use it, and dry the canister. A hard brick, a changed color or an off smell means it has been wet and is replaced. Mixed drink is for the day it's mixed.
Light clumping that breaks up, a sealed canister years past the date that pours freely.
A hard brick, a changed color, or an off smell.
How much, and how to use it
One 6 gram scoop in 16 ounces of cold water, sipped through the work or the illness rather than drunk at once. The field guide's pairing: with creatine on the days of heavy work, and with the water from the filter, which takes the minerals out along with everything else. For a stomach bug, electrolytes before food. It makes stored water, which tastes flat, something people will drink enough of, which is half the point in a hot outage. A pinch of salt and a spoon of sugar in water is the fallback when the canister is empty.
When the power goes out
Hard work, heat and no air conditioning are the days it is stored for. One scoop per person in the morning water is cheap insurance against the afternoon headache.
Shelf-life figures are from the Survival Foods field guide; fridge, freezer and pantry times are from the USDA cold and pantry storage charts. Run the look, smell, taste check before eating anything past its date.
Questions this answers
Tap a question for the short answer.
How long does cardnl essential electrolytes last?
Kept sealed and stored well, CARDNL Essential Electrolytes have a real shelf life of 7 to 10 years. The label carries a best-by date of about 2 years.
How do I store cardnl essential electrolytes long term?
Keep it sealed and airtight in a cool, dry place. Stored that way it holds for 7 to 10 years, far beyond the best-by date of about 2 years on the label.
How do I tell if cardnl essential electrolytes has gone bad?
The two things to watch for are clumping and an off smell. Keeping it sealed, airtight, cool, and dry is what gets it to the 7 to 10 year mark.
How long do electrolytes last?
CARDNL keeps 7 to 10 years sealed, cool and dry, against a label of about 2 years, and years opened if the canister stays dry. Mixed in water, drink it the same day.
How do I store electrolyte powder long term?
Airtight, cool and dry: the canister with its lid tight and a dry scoop, sealed spares in a cupboard or bucket; a desiccant helps and an absorber is not needed.
How do I tell if electrolyte powder has gone bad?
Clumping is moisture and the powder is still fine once broken up; a hard brick, a changed color or an off smell means it was wet and is replaced.
How much cardnl do I use?
One 6 gram scoop in 16 ounces of cold water, sipped through the work, the heat or the illness. On days of hard work, heat or sweating, during a stomach illness, and with filtered water that has had its minerals removed.
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