Prepare: obtain copper cups

I recently read an article about the antimicrobial, antiviral nature of copper surfaces. I already knew that silver was antimicrobial, but I had no idea about copper. It looks like scientists are still not sure why copper is so effective at killing viruses. But it apparently is.

One of our preps, I decided this morning, will be to obtain one handled copper mug per person in my group. The handle will make it so the cup can easily be secured to a belt loop or backpack strap--which reminds me that I should possibly stock up on carabiners.

Copper mugs do not need to be washed--you just rinse them out and dry them. So one mug per person would be perfect. They can keep the mug on their person and use it as needed. The one downside to copper is that it would get very hot if you poured something hot into it--but I believe the antiviral properties of the cup would outweigh that problem.


Copper mugs sell for about $20/mug on Amazon. All of these pictures here are affiliate links to appropriate cups, costing between $18 and $20/cup.

You want to be sure you are getting a mug that is 100% copper. Most of the mugs I am finding have food-grade lacquer on them, but you can get that off with lemon juice or dishsoap and scrubbing. This is one reason why the mugs are not dishwasher safe--the dishwasher gets the lacquer off! In a survival situation, you would want the straight copper, unmarred by lacquer. You want your water and hands to touch the straight up copper surfaces so that the copper can work its magic and take care of pathogens on your behalf.

I'm so glad I discovered this--I'd been thinking I should get some silver, but if copper works just as well, that's way more efficient. Silver costs multiple times more than copper, so if copper gets the job done, I'm good with that!