You will probably not really realize how important a bucket will be in your new way of life until you have to do without! But everyone needs a bucket and here are seven reasons why you need them now and in the future!

* Build a Water Filter – A few buckets and some PVC pipe can be used to build a biosand filter. With these, the water filters through gravel, sand, and charcoal and comes out free of heavy metals, bacteria, and viruses. It only takes a few pounds of charcoal and lasts several months before you have to replace the charcoal. This PDF has detailed instructions.

* Carry Water – If there is no running water, you might have the carry it from the nearest source. Buckets are the best thing for this. Even if you have a wagon or something, you’ll still need buckets. Jars and pails are usually too small. Another thought: If there is a flood, you can use large buckets to bail water.

* Crush Your Trash – If garbage collection companies become unreliable or cease altogether, your trash will pile up quickly. To save space until you can properly dispose of it, use two 5-gallon buckets as a trash compacter. Simply put the trash in one bucket, then put the other bucket in the first one and push it down with your foot. This will halve the space taken up by your trash.

* Fight Fire – If you don’t have a fire extinguisher, buckets are a good alternative. Use them to pour water or sand on a small fire. Obviously this won’t be enough if your whole house is ablaze, but if you keep a couple buckets near your grill and campfire, you can stop fires before they get too big.

* Grow Food – People have been known to grow entire gardens in 5-gallon buckets. To make this even easier, you can build several Alaska Grow Buckets and connect them to a water reservoir that only needs to be refilled every week or two.

* Harvest Rainwater – Put buckets at the bottom of your gutters and use the water to wash clothes or water your garden. You might be able to drink this water provided your roof isn’t too dirty and you filter the water. This post has more information.

* Heat Up Water – Get two black 5-gallon buckets, put one inside the other, fill 2/3 of it with water, put the lid on, and place it in direct sunlight. After an hour or two (depending on the temperature outside), you will have a bucket of nice, hot water. It might even be a little too hot, in which case you can add some cold water (this is why I don’t recommend filling it all the way). Don’t drink this water or use it for cooking unless the buckets are food grade.

As you can see the bucket, water tight and otherwise, will be an awesome aid in keeping families, individuals, and our world in general, safe and bringing it back from whatever nature, science and technology has thrown at it!

There even more things the humble bucket can do for us and to read up on them please go to Urban Survival!

Our lives will be tough but it’s nice to know that something as simple as a bucket can go a long way in alleviating a lot of mental as well as physical stress!

Featured Image via Flickr