10 Must Have Items for Every Cabin
We recommend a lot of wonderful products, but there are some basic essentials that you can buy locally that should be considered “must have’s” for any cabin owner.
Vinegar
First, it is a great cleaning tool that is ok for the septic tank. Next, it is natural and cheap and can do the job of many cleaners and garden chemicals. It is also a true weapon against mold. In short, vinegar can do anything.
Vinegar: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of
This collection of useful recipes, cleaning concepts and tips is full of ideas that have worked for others and will work for you. Whimsical line drawings by illustrator, Martha Campbell add a humorous touch to this wonderful addition of a home reference bookshelf filled with books by Vicki Lansky.
A bit if history about, wonderful recipes for, and a lot of amazing uses for—VINEGAR are in this 7″ x 6″ trade paperback. One hundred and twenty pages fill this fun and practical compendium. In ten different chapters, ranging from cooking to cleaning to hygiene and home remedies, you’ll find that vinegar also works as a diet aid, stain remover, condiment, odor eater, grooming aid, preservative and cleaner.
Baking Soda
Vinegar’s good buddy, baking soda pairs with vinegar to get many jobs done, but also has many uses that it does alone.
Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of
This 7″ x 6″, 120 page book is fully indexed. Learn how baking soda was developed into a consumer product, how it works, and more importantly how to use it in an amazing number of ways. In fifteen different categories, ranging from cooking and cleaning to hygiene and home remedies, you’ll find ideas you never thought of. Baking soda can be used for cooking, laundry, gardening, skin solutions, kitchen clean up, dental care, caring for kids, crafts and hobbies, bathroom clean up, grooming, pet problems, cars, and camping to name a few.
5 Gallon Buckets
The standard plastic 5 gallon bucket is one of the true versatility stars that can be used not only in the garage and around the yard, but also for cleaning, dealing with water problems and even cooking (great for brining turkeys).
5-Gallon Bucket Book: DIY Projects, Hacks, and Upcycles
Five-gallon buckets are ubiquitous and cheap (indeed, they are often free). But did you know they can also be hacked, hot-rodded, reengineered, and upcycled to create dozens of useful DIY projects for homeowners, gardeners, small-scale farmers, and preppers?
5-Gallon Bucket Book contains 60+ ideas that put these humble and hard-working mainstays to work past their prime and keep them out of landfills. Simple step-by-step instructions, as well as parts lists and images of the completed projects, make sure you will have fun and love the results of your work.
Projects include perfect additions to your yard and garden, tools to care for your animals, useful innovations, handy home helpers, and even family-oriented designs!
They range from simple things like chicken feeders to much more complex projects (small room air conditioner, anyone?). For anyone who doesn’t already have fifteen of them cluttering up the garage, 5-Gallon Bucket Book also offers advice on where to get cheap and free buckets, and how to tell if a bucket is safe to use for food.
Mason Jars
Whether you are using them for drinking, making and mixing salad dressings, arts and crafts projects, fermenting, or whatever else you can imagine, the mason jar is the ultimate utility container.
The Mason Jar Cookbook: 80 Healthy and Portable Meals
Amy Fazio’s second book, The Mason Jar Cookbook, shows the versatility and convenience of creating dishes in the mason jar. No longer just for jellies and jam, mason jars are now being filled in the most creative and often super healthy ways, such as salads and casseroles. The easy-to-follow recipes in this book will show you how to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner in a mason jar. Oh, and dessert! Can’t forget dessert.
Batch: Over 200 Recipes, Tips and Techniques for a Well Preserved Kitchen
JOEL MacCHARLES and DANA HARRISON created WellPreserved.ca in 2008. The site has more than 1,800 articles and 700 recipes on preserving, local food, small farming, food security, sustainability, food politics, hunting and more. Dana has been a graphic designer for 20 years and focuses on the look and feel of the project. Joel is a lifelong home cook who writes and speaks on their shared passions. Batch is their first cookbook.
Surge Protectors
Unfortunately, being out in the woods or off the main grid can mean unpredictable electrical surges. The first step is getting a surge protector at the main source, but besides that, it is imperative to protect every appliance with a surge protector. If you are working on the computer, you might want to consider an uninterruptible power supply as well.
AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip 2-Pack, 200 Joule
CyberPower CP350SLG Standby UPS System, 350VA/255W, 6 Outlets, Compact
Distilled Water
The obvious reason to have many gallons of distilled water around is when the power is out a long time and you need some clean drinking water, but there are many more uses and reasons we keep at least 10 full gallons on hand at all time… you can fill your fridge with the gallons when you leave to make it run more efficiently, great for flushing out cooling systems in motorized vehicles, needed to flush toilets when the power is out, needed (along with vinegar) to clean out appliances that get built up scale like coffee makers, etc.
Portable Jumper Cables that Plug In to an Outlet
First purchased because they were on sale, and seemed like a fun garage gadget, the portable batter charger became one of the most indispensable tools in the garage. So much more convenient than having to pull up another vehicle to whatever needs to be charged, the plugin charger is great for both cars and any other vehicles you have around the cabin.
Shumacher SE-40MAP 10 Amp Automatic/Manual Battery Charger
Brewer’s Yeast
Yes, it is an excellent health food, which is loaded with B Vitamins, probiotics, and chromium, which helps maintain sugar levels in your body, but that is not why we mention it here. Brewer’s yeast is excellent (and inexpensive) way to maintain your septic tank. A once a month treatment down the toilet keeps your septic tank healthy without having to spend big bucks on products that do the same thing.
Solgar – Brewer’s Yeast Powder, 14 Ounce – Supports Heart Health and Digestion
• ALL NATURAL – Solgar Brewer’s Yeast Powder is an all-natural Brewer’s Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) which is a great source of amino acids, B-Complex Vitamins (B1, B2 & Niacin) as well as other minerals. Premium powder that is unfortified, unflavored, unsweetened and naturally delicious.
• BENEFITS – Brewer’s Yeast supports healthy digestion as well cardiovascular health. It is also used to help promote healthy weight as well as supports lactation in nursing mothers.
• SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS – Powder is vegan, non-GMO and is free of Soy, artificial flavors, sweeteners, dairy, preservatives and colors.
• HOW IT’S MADE – Unlike most Brewer’s yeast which is derived from the fermentation of beer with the addition of hops which can impart a bitter taste and odor, Solgar Brewer’s Yeast is produced from beet molasses under carefully controlled conditions. After the fermentation process, the yeast is collected and dried using special techniques to preserve the yeast’s vitamin, protein and mineral content.
Tea Light Candles
The power goes out at cabins, it is all part of the experience unless you have a great generator wired in directly to your main power. When it does, you don’t need one or two scented candles, you need lots of little candles to light up bathrooms, stairways, and everywhere else. The best way to make sure you are set here is to get them in bulk. Later, you can find cool tea light candle holders to fit in with your rustic cabin decor!
Mega Candles – Unscented Tea Light Candles – White, Set of 100
R.FLOWER Tea Light Candle Holders, Personalized Wooden Candle Holder, Natural Wood Candle Holders for Rustic Wedding, Party, Birthday, Holiday Decoration, Set of Two
Mini Flashlight Set
You don’t only need a little extra light when the power goes out, sometimes you simply can’t read the small print on something, which happens more and more the older you get. Mini flashlights positioned all around the cabin become so useful, you will wonder how you ever went without.
FASTPRO 20-pack Aluminum LED Flashlights Set with 60-piece Batteries Included, 6-LED for brightness, with Lanyard for hang up, Assorted Colors, Great for Camping, Hiking, Hunting, Fishing and BBQ
FASTPRO 20-piece flashlight set is not only perfect to keep in your rooms for prevention of a sudden power failure, no need to fumble in the darkness again, but also a great torche for outdoor activities.
★ The FASTPRO flashlight contains 6 pieces super bright LED aluminum flashlight, which is the perfect companion for everyday use.
★ Featuring a compact design, these flashlights are constructed of sturdy aluminum and comes in an assortment of color finishes, including red, silver, blue, green and black.
★ Each flashlight provides 20 lumens of light output.
★Compact, durable, and versatile. Use in a wide variety of situations and circumstances.
★60-piece AAA Heavy Duty Batteries are Included.
