LESSON 10: Hygiene

Face it. When the SHTF we are all going to suffer from some sort of hygiene failure. We won't take as many baths, won't wash our clothes as often, etc. Some things, however, cannot be neglected or your health will suffer.

1. Teeth - Make sure you have plenty of extra toothbrushes, lots of dental floss, extra flouride toothpaste. Listerine is another great add as it can also be used as a skin antiseptic. If I had to pick one area of your body to NOT neglect, this would be it.

2. Handwashing - If water is scarce you'll need hand sanitizers. Grab a couple of the large shopping club pump bottles to use to refill smaller ones. Handi-wipes are a great thing to have.

3. Toilet - Here you have a few options. If you have a supply of uninterrrupted water, a septic system, and a way to flush, you're in luck. If not, I'd suggest kitty litter and plastic bags. I won't go into detail, but it involves a large bucket, a toilet seat, and the courage to face what you made and deal with it. Get a really LARGE supply of babywipes to keep for the job...and please...everyone should have their own container of wipes. One baby wipe can do the job of a hundred sheets of toilet paper.

While this is really, really disgusting, I am telling you this for your own good. Human shit burns almost as well as cow shit once dried. I wouldn't cook over it, but I'd have no problem boiling a wash pot over a pile of dung. Because of its biological nature, it's going to stink. Get the hell over it.

4. Clothing - If you have access to enough power and water, use your electric washing machine - sparingly. If not, consider a roman plunger (used for washing clothes) or a hand-crank washing machine (EmergencyEssentials.com). This beats the heck out of hand washing and wringing, especially in cold weather.

Here's my list of must-haves:

Liquid Bleach
Hand Sanitizer
Listerine
Lysol Liquid
Lyson spray
Kittie Litter
Baby Wipes
Sanitary Pads (all absorbancies)
Toilet Paper (lots and lots)
Paper Towel (if you don't use chemicals, dry them and use for starting a fire)
Facial Tissue
Old Newspapers (for wrapping garbage)
Grooming products (shampoo, razors, scissors)
Toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss
Nail clippers (bacteria gather under fingernails)
Deodorant
Bath soap
Laundry detergent
Clothes pins, clothes line, drying rack
Washpot
Large Stockpot (use for sanitizing dishes)

I would encourage you to find a way to gather and store rainwater. While I wouldn't drink anything that's been sitting on the ground without treatment, I would use rainwater for washing clothes and bathing.