BUCKHORN CLIFFSA preparedness field manual

Medical · Supply

Iodine

Which iodine to keep for wounds, water and the farm, how long tincture, povidone-iodine and crystals keep, how to store them out of the light, how to tell they have weakened, and the jobs they do.

5-10 YRAMBER GLASSEIGHT JOBSWorks without power

Quick facts

  • Real shelf lifeTincture and povidone 5 to 10 years sealed and dark; crystals indefinite
  • Label date says2 to 3 years
  • Best storage
    • Amber glass
    • cap tight
    • cool
    • dark
  • Watch for
    • Fading color
    • evaporated tincture
    • a dried-out bottle

Iodine is the one antiseptic that also treats water, which is why the field guide puts it in the stockpile and this page gives it eight jobs. It comes three ways: tincture of iodine (2 percent iodine in alcohol), for wounds and water; povidone-iodine (the brown surgical scrub, usually 10 percent), gentler on skin and the one for wound care; and iodine crystals, which keep forever and make the water-treatment solution on demand. All of it weakens with light and air and none of it becomes harmful; an old bottle is weaker, not dangerous.

Which to buy

A bottle of 2 percent tincture of iodine for the water kit and the bag, a pint of 10 percent povidone-iodine for the first aid kit, and, if you want a decades supply of water treatment, a few grams of iodine crystals in a glass bottle from a chemical or pool supplier. Amber glass over plastic. Potassium iodide tablets for thyroid protection are a different thing with their own page; do not confuse the two.

How long it really lasts

By how it is kept

FormLabel saysReal, stored well
Tincture of iodine, 2 percent, sealed amber glass2 to 3 years5 to 10 years cool and dark; weaker after, not harmful
Povidone-iodine, 10 percent, sealed2 to 3 years5 to 10 years; the color is the strength
Iodine crystals, glass, sealedIndefinite
Either liquid, openedYears with the cap tight; evaporation is the loss

How to store it

Amber glass with the cap tight, in a cool, dark drawer; light is what breaks iodine down and an open cap lets the tincture's alcohol and some of the iodine evaporate. Keep it away from metal it can stain and from the children, because a swallowed bottle is a poisoning. It freezes without harm.

How to tell it has turned

The color is the test: a deep brown-red is full strength, a pale amber is weak, and a bottle gone nearly clear is done. A tincture bottle that has evaporated to a thick dark residue has lost its alcohol and most of its use. Crystals do not weaken. Weak iodine is used in a larger dose or replaced; it's not dangerous.

Keep it

A bottle years past its date that is still deep brown; crystals of any age.

Discard on sight

A bottle gone pale or clear, or a tincture dried to residue. Replace, do not keep.

How much, and how to use it

Water: 5 drops of 2 percent tincture per quart of clear water, 10 if it's cloudy, 30 minutes to stand (longer when the water is cold), which is the figure in the water pages, and not for pregnant women, anyone with a thyroid condition, or more than a few weeks at a stretch. Wounds: povidone-iodine on the skin around a cut and as a wash for a dirty wound; the tincture stings and dries, and neither goes deep into a clean wound that is better irrigated with clean water. The other jobs are on the list below, from livestock navels to sanitizing canning gear. Iodine crystals plus water in a bottle make a saturated solution that treats water by the capful, the method the old backcountry kits used; it needs the instructions, not a guess.

When the power goes out

The water job is the one that matters when the tap stops. A bottle of tincture treats about 100 quarts; two bottles and a filter are the water kit.

Eight jobs it does

  • Water purification (5-10 drops/qt)
  • Disinfect cuts and surgical sites
  • Antifungal for athlete's foot and ringworm (nail fungus needs prescription treatment)
  • Livestock navel and hoof care
  • Sanitize canning and brewing gear
  • Disinfect tools and surfaces
  • Paint on skin lesions
  • Thyroid note: KI is preferred

If it goes bad Loses strength with air and light. Weaker, not harmful. Rotate.

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.

What is iodine used for?

Iodine does eight jobs: purifying water at 5 to 10 drops per quart, disinfecting cuts and surgical sites, treating athlete's foot and ringworm (nail fungus needs prescription treatment), livestock navel and hoof care, sanitizing canning and brewing gear, disinfecting tools and surfaces, and painting on skin lesions. For thyroid protection, KI is preferred.

How long does iodine last?

Tincture and povidone-iodine 5 to 10 years sealed in amber glass and kept dark, against a label of 2 to 3 years, and weaker rather than harmful after. Iodine crystals keep indefinitely.

How do I store iodine?

Amber glass, cap tight, cool and dark, away from light, metal and children.

How do I tell if iodine has gone bad?

Color: deep brown-red is full strength, pale amber is weak, nearly clear is done. A tincture dried to residue has lost its alcohol. Weak iodine is replaced, not feared.

How much iodine to purify water?

Five drops of 2 percent tincture per quart of clear water, ten for cloudy, with 30 minutes to stand and longer in the cold. Not for pregnant women, thyroid conditions, or long-term use.

Keep going

Read nextCayenne PepperHow long cayenne pepper keeps its heat, whole dried chiles against ground, how to store it, how to tell it has faded, and the eight jobs it does in a food store and a first aid kit.Medical · Supply

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Food · Supply Beef Tallow: Uses, Calories and How to Store It About 4,100 calories a pound; keeps 1 to 2 years airtight in a cool, dark spot, 2 to 3 years frozen 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 Medical · Formula Thyroid Blocking with Lugol's Iodine (Radiation Exposure) ADULT ≥154 lb: 40 drops / 24 h; Age 3-18: 20 drops / 24 h; AGE 1 mo-3 yr: 10 drops / 24 h Handle with care Compounds and Cleaning · Compound Lugol's Iodine Shelf life: 5 to 10 years. Storage: Amber glass, sealed. 5 TO 10 YEARS
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