Sanitation

The truth about disinfectants: Q&A with an expert

December 29, 2020 / 41 Comments

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t keeping track of news coming out of China. The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus has caused the Chinese government to shut down some of their largest cities, most popular tourist attractions, and as of today’s date, at least 16 airlines have canceled flights to and from China. These steps are unprecedented and require any smart person to keep one eye on the headlines and the other eye on your preps! In …

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off grid Personal Hygiene

Off-Grid Living: Take Care of Personal Hygiene 

January 18, 2023 / 4 Comments

The vast majority of people want to be clean and hygienic. Daily showers or baths (sometimes more than one!), multiple hand washings, and brushing teeth a couple of times per day is the norm. If the grid goes down or we want to be urban off-gridders, we will still want to be clean, but it may get a little more difficult. In a way, people whose home is their car are already doing this. For the rest of us, here …

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Survival Sanitation: Poop Party Chit-Chat, an Essential Family Conversation

May 30, 2020 / 12 Comments

Pooping…there’s nothing we like better as a society than sharing our defecation experiences. OK, you got me. This is not a subject for “proper” conversation. While we all have to do the “Number 2” to survive, it remains a very private experience. Couples that don’t think twice about urinating in front of each other draw the line here. Under normal circumstances, the details of elimination are pretty straightforward. Wipe, flush, and you’re done. But in a significant disaster, our options …

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A Review of the Diva Cup

May 28, 2020 / 66 Comments

A few weeks ago a reader asked if I would address feminine hygiene issues as they relate to preparedness and survival in less-than sanitary conditions. So here we go. When I first began storing a bit of extra foods and other essentials, I stocked up on numerous boxes of tampons and a few boxes of sanitary pads. I watched for coupons for my favorite brand and tried to buy them when they were on sale. This wasn’t a bad strategy. …

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On everybody’s mind: Toilet troubles

December 4, 2020 / 29 Comments

I’ve heard parents refer to their children’s “tummy issues” as “toilet troubles”, but this article isn’t about indigestion or the stomach flu.  It’s about a question that keeps popping up either in emails or comments.  Here are two recent examples: If during a disaster a person starts running low on water, how does a person plan for a portable toilet in town? What’s the best way to deal with human waste if the grid is off? My daughter and I …

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Cleaning House TEOTWAWKI Style

June 10, 2020 / 11 Comments

If the S ever hits the fan, obviously cleaning house is not going to be your immediate concern,  survival is.  However, for continued comfort and health it is something that will need to be taken care of.  How can you keep your house and family clean in a worst case scenario? Carpets/Rugs: If your house has wall to wall carpeting and there’s no power, it’s mighty hard to vacuum with no electricity.  Using a generator can be loud,  it will …

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