If you’ve ever been camping for more than 2 or 3 days, you know what it’s like to start feeling icky and grimy and in desperate need of a hot shower and clean clothes. Well, imagine yourself living through an extreme crisis like a Hurricane Harvey sized flood or a long-term power outage and facing a future with dirty clothes, grubby children, and fuzzy-feeling teeth.
That’s when you’ll be eternally grateful that you stocked up on basic hygiene products like you’ll see listed here. We take for granted things like toothpaste and bar soap, but a world without those would quickly devolve into a smelly world where everyone is dealing with cavities and decaying teeth.
Personal hygiene and keeping hands clean are critical for staying healthy and to aid in the prevention of sicknesses and disease. Basic good hygiene and staying clean can make all the difference in an emergency. Customize this list to your needs.
- Toothpaste
- Toothbrushes
- Dental floss
- Deodorant
- Solar shower for hot showers without electricity
- Epsom salt for sore muscles
- Off-grid toilet/Potty Bucket (5-gallon bucket with seat)
- Kitty litter or other organic material to use with the potty bucket
- Cotton tea towels to use for drying
- Diapers (if applicable)
- Hand mirror
- Q-tips/Cotton balls
- Wet Ones
- Microfiber washcloth
- Baby wipes
- Barber comb & scissors
- Chap-stick
- Dental kit
- Garbage bags, rubber bands or twist ties
- Hair brushes and combs
- Hair-ties, clips, bandanas
- Hair shampoo & conditioner
- Hand sanitizer — Read here how to use it effectively.
- Lime oil (removes grease, sap & soot)
- Lotion
- Nail clippers
- Sanitary pads (Disposable & reusable — I recommend Naturally Cozy.)
- Bar soap/body wash– Hard to stock up on too much soap.
- Antibacterial hand soap
- Laundry detergent
- Straight razor & sharpener
- Toilet paper — You can never have too much.
- Tweezers
- Mouthwash/breath fresheners
- Medications/first aid kit
- Shower cap
- Stored water
What else would you add?
Click here for a printable list.
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Extra shower caps are great in EDC bag to keep your caps/head dry.
Do you just keep extras in your linen closet with all the other supplies, or do you recommend keeping extras of everything in a portable container?
There are a couple of ways to store these. One is by sorting by product or product groupings (all dental products together, for example) and keeping them in labeled boxes. Another is to assemble hygiene kits in large ziploc bags: a bar of soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, etc. And, of course, you can do both. 🙂
A few more items to add:
band-aids
a pair of tweezers
talcum powder, or baking soda
Rubbing alcohol.