KELLEY Spring Cleaning Tips for Preppers and Survivalists

Most of us cringe when we hear the term “spring cleaning” because we know it means cleaning the gutters, getting rid of items in our closets, and deep cleaning the house. But it’s time to turn that around.

What if you made spring cleaning a time to revisit your bug out bag and storage while also giving your skills and your family’s skills a refresh?

Spring cleaning for preppers and survivalists means minimizing your storage and making sure you only have what you need. This is also a great time to make sure you’re not forgetting anything (check out the 40 Survival Items You Most Likely Forgot to Prep).

Here are some ways to get started:

See if you’ve depleted any of your resources. Has anyone gotten into your snacks? (If your kids have access to your storage, this is probably a “yes.”) Did you have a power outage and have to grab some flashlights/etc.? Make a list of all the items you’ve run out of, and use this time to stock up again.

This is also a great way to build up your storage supply. Every 6 months, add more that you know you’ll need. This will make building up your stash less overwhelming.

Check the dates on all your food. Make sure nothing’s expired, and replace it if it is. This is important: for every item you throw away, replace it with a new one. This will ensure you’re always keeping the same amount (or more) of the items you need.

Rotate your stored water. Water keeps, but it will begin to taste and smell odd. You don’t want to drink water that’s been sitting in the same container for five years, do you? Use this time to dispose of your old water (have any plants that need to be watered?) and replace your containers with new water. Doing this every spring will help ensure that you’re keeping it as fresh as possible, and you’ll always remember the last time you replaced it.

Go through all of your paper documents. Create a binder with clear sleeves to store all of your important documents. It also helps to scan these items and store on a USB drive or somewhere else easily accessible in case of an emergency. Shred or burn any documents you no longer need

Focus on your family. Is everyone still in the same stage of life? In other words, have your kids grown up and now require more items? Did a family member get injured and now he or she requires more medical attention/necessities? These are all things to consider when deciding which items you can live without, or deciding which items you need to stock up on.

Use this time to see which skills you need to brush up on. If you realize you have all the tools needed to start a fire or to cook a meal a certain way but haven’t practiced in a while, it might be a good indicator that you either need to brush up on this skill or eliminate these tools from your storage or bag so you don’t take up valuable space.

This is also a great time to do some drills with the family. What do you do if there is an emergency? Remember, plan for everything: what if there’s an intruder? What if there’s a food shortage? What if the power’s out for an extensive amount of time? What if you’re out of water? Do this every time you clean out and reevaluate your needs and items in order to make sure it’s fresh on everyone’s minds and is updated as necessary

There you have it, folks. You don’t have to dread spring cleaning every year; make it a fun time to brush up on skills and revisit your good old bug out bag.