I wanted to begin a discussion of the many uses of this great and relatively inexpensive product: aluminum foil. I've discovered some great ways to use aluminum foil in disaster situations, both short- and long-term, and want to share them.
1. Cooking
Almost all of us use aluminum foil in cooking already. It's great for keeping moisture in food from escaping and from protecting food from oxygen. But it can easily be shaped into a rudimentary cooking vessel. You can wrap food with it and place it over a bed of coals for cooking also. It can even be formed into a drinking cup. For cleaning pots, a scrubbing pad can be substituted with crumpled up aluminum foil.
2. Fires
I've heard, but haven't tried, that you can place a teaspoon of gasoline into a small 'cup' of aluminum foil and use that to safely start a fire.
3. Solar Heating
Depending on the type of aluminum foil, it's reflectivity ranges from 80% to 88%, which is very good. By comparison, Mylar is typically around 95% reflective but is more flimsy and expensive. To help you keep your house warm, simply glue aluminum foil onto cardboard, Styrofoam, or plywood boards and angle these outside your windows to reflect more sunlight inside. If you combine this with hanging up black plastic sheeting a couple of inches behind the window to absorb the light and distribute it as infrared heat (this creates better 'quality' heat than not using the sheeting), it can really help to keep a room warm. This method can also be used in conjunction with simple solar ovens for cooking food or boiling/Pasteurizing water.
4. Concealment
Aluminum foil completely blocks incoming light. After a disaster, you probably don't want your neighbors to see your lights in your house at night. Aluminum foil can be used to cover your windows and block out the light. This will probably help to keep your house a bit warmer at night also.
5. Electrical
Due to its electrical conductivity, aluminum foil can be used 'in a pinch' to help with a number of electrical problems. For instance, if a small battery does not fit tightly where it needs to be, carefully folded aluminum foil can be used to make it snug.
On the other side of the spectrum, aluminum foil can be used to create a Faraday cage, protecting electronic equipment from electromagnetic pulses (EMP). Wrap the equipment tightly with plastic wrapping (which is an insulator), then wrap aluminum foil on top of that. If you want some extra insurance, repeat this process to create two layers of both plastic wrap and foil.
6. Miscellaneous
A tiny bit of foil can be used as an attractant when fishing. For an improvised shelter, aluminum foil can be used to reflect radiant heating in the same way that space blankets made out of Mylar do.
I'm definitely going to start storing more of this great product with so many post-disaster uses.
What other uses do you know of for aluminum foil?
1. Cooking
Almost all of us use aluminum foil in cooking already. It's great for keeping moisture in food from escaping and from protecting food from oxygen. But it can easily be shaped into a rudimentary cooking vessel. You can wrap food with it and place it over a bed of coals for cooking also. It can even be formed into a drinking cup. For cleaning pots, a scrubbing pad can be substituted with crumpled up aluminum foil.
2. Fires
I've heard, but haven't tried, that you can place a teaspoon of gasoline into a small 'cup' of aluminum foil and use that to safely start a fire.
3. Solar Heating
Depending on the type of aluminum foil, it's reflectivity ranges from 80% to 88%, which is very good. By comparison, Mylar is typically around 95% reflective but is more flimsy and expensive. To help you keep your house warm, simply glue aluminum foil onto cardboard, Styrofoam, or plywood boards and angle these outside your windows to reflect more sunlight inside. If you combine this with hanging up black plastic sheeting a couple of inches behind the window to absorb the light and distribute it as infrared heat (this creates better 'quality' heat than not using the sheeting), it can really help to keep a room warm. This method can also be used in conjunction with simple solar ovens for cooking food or boiling/Pasteurizing water.
4. Concealment
Aluminum foil completely blocks incoming light. After a disaster, you probably don't want your neighbors to see your lights in your house at night. Aluminum foil can be used to cover your windows and block out the light. This will probably help to keep your house a bit warmer at night also.
5. Electrical
Due to its electrical conductivity, aluminum foil can be used 'in a pinch' to help with a number of electrical problems. For instance, if a small battery does not fit tightly where it needs to be, carefully folded aluminum foil can be used to make it snug.
On the other side of the spectrum, aluminum foil can be used to create a Faraday cage, protecting electronic equipment from electromagnetic pulses (EMP). Wrap the equipment tightly with plastic wrapping (which is an insulator), then wrap aluminum foil on top of that. If you want some extra insurance, repeat this process to create two layers of both plastic wrap and foil.
6. Miscellaneous
A tiny bit of foil can be used as an attractant when fishing. For an improvised shelter, aluminum foil can be used to reflect radiant heating in the same way that space blankets made out of Mylar do.
I'm definitely going to start storing more of this great product with so many post-disaster uses.
What other uses do you know of for aluminum foil?
Great disaster item often overlooked - Aluminum foil
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