Sanitation Without Running Water

Toileting Without Running Water
A friend of mine has an excellent article on sanitation following earthquakes, or other emergencies.  It involves a lot of the gross issues like bodily waste.  I should be able to get a copy of it soon, and then I will share it with you.  In the meantime, I found this site.  It talks about make-shift toilets, disinfecting, and some good basics supplies to have around.

Showering and Washing Hands Without Running Water
Don't plan on getting a full blown shower very often.  Use a little of your stored water to clean your face and teeth clean (I know I feel a lot better after brushing my teeth, even if the rest of my body is dirty!) as needed.  Wash hands as frequently as needed/possible.  It wouldn't be a bad idea to store some of those face wipes that have cleaner already on them.  Have extra toothbrushes and toothpaste on hand, including in your 120 hour kit.  Store water in old liquid dish and hand soap containers.  Store extra soap and hand sanitizer.

I don't have any suggestions on washing clothes, other than don't plan on keeping them very clean, have extra, and locate other sources of water that you can use for non-drinking purposes.  Do you have any ideas?

Orange Cleaner

Have you been eating tons of oranges lately?  Here's something to do with the peels!  Just put them in a jar, cover with vinegar, let sit a couple of weeks, then use as a cleaner!  It works great!  The full recipe can be found here at Penniless Parenting.

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap

When I was making this the first time (just a few weeks ago) I hated it after letting it sit overnight.  It was so thick and clumpy.  I thought that I would never use it again.  After stirring it well, to break up all the large clumps that had formed, I poured some into an old laundry soap bottle.  I shake it every time before using it, and have never had any problems.  In fact, it cleans the clothes well, I use it as a stain remover (just scrub some soap into the stain with an old tooth brush), and it makes the clothes soft, as if I used a fabric softener (something I never do).  The best part is, that it costs less than $3 to make 5 gallons!  5 gallons would wash about 320 loads in a high efficiency washer, or 128 loads in a regular washer.  It is also easy to store a year supply of laundry soap this way.  It would fit in a shoe box.  You can find the ingredients for this at most any grocery store.  Just look on the aisle with laundry soap and stain removers.  Wal-Mart does not sell Fels-Naptha.

Homemade Laundry Soap

4 cups hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

1 cup 20-Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster

Grate bar of soap and add to water in saucepan.  Stir constantly over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.  Fill a five-gallon bucket half full of VERY hot tap water.  Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax.  Stir well until all powder is dissolved.  Fill bucket to top with more hot water.  Stir, cover, and let sit overnight to thicken.  Stir well 6-12 hours after allowing to sit.  (This step is very important.)  You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per two gallons, once soap has cooled.  Use 5/8 cup per load for top loading machine.  ¼ cup for front loading or high efficiency. 

Water Storage

FEMA recommends storing water to last at least 3 days, with at least a gallon per person per day.  In my opinion, that is not very much.  People are supposed to drink at least 8 cups (1/2 gallon) of water each day.  If it's hot, you're supposed to drink more than that.  So, that only leaves 1/2 gallon for sanitation purposes; washing your hands being the most important.  But what about flushing the toilet, taking a shower, and washing clothes and dishes.  So, I would recommend storing 1 gallon per person for 2 weeks.  Or more, if you have the space.
Several years ago, when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child, a water line broke in my community.  I was at home, and needed to go to the bathroom (something that I needed to do frequently).  But I wasn't too worried, because I was leaving in just a few minutes to go to the hospital for my Lamaze class.  I would just go to the bathroom there.  No!  The water was off there, too!  If you can only imagine a room of very pregnant women with no access to a toilet, or at least an operating one.
This is just one example of the importance of having as large of a water supply as possible.

How I store water:
1.  I buy cases of bottled water when it is on sale.  The primary reason for this is because it is convenient.  If I'm on my way out the door, and I can't find my refillable water bottle, I just grab a bottle of water.  And it gives me water storage.
2.  I re-use empty juice and pop bottles.  Yes, this is safe, because the bottles are food-grade.  Do not use milk jugs, because the plastic will get brittle.  Before storing water in your old juice and pop bottles, you need to clean and sanitize them.  First wash with warm, soapy water.  Rinse.  Then fill the bottle up with tap water and 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon.  Most juice bottles are 1/2 gallon, so you would need 1/2 tablespoon of bleach.  Shake well.  Then, leave the bottle alone for 1 minute.  Dump the bleach water out, and air dry.  Then fill with water.  I then write the date on the bottle with a permanent marker.  I like to refill my bottles every 6 months, because water begins to taste funny after this time. 
3.  Keep water off the ground, in a clean, cool area.  If you have extra space in your freezer, you can keep water jugs in there.  Then it can serve a double purpose.  If your power goes out, the fuller your freezer is, the longer the food will stay cold and safe to eat.

You can also store water in containers marketed for this purpose.  There are plastic containers in all different sizes you can buy to store water in.  If you purchase a 55 gallon water jug, you may consider putting it on a cart.  This will make it more convenient to both fill and use.

Space saving idea:  Connect bottles of water together with rope and hang from a closet ceiling on "S" hooks.  Then, if you need to leave in a hurry, you can just sling them over your shoulder.

Toilet Paper

My cousin (a college student) told me that he and his roommate went door to door asking everyone for a roll of toilet paper. After they had received about 8 rolls they stopped, knowing that they could get a lot more.
I would not recommend getting toilet paper, or any item for that matter, in this fashion, but it reminded me of the importance of having non-food storage. I believe that toilet paper and cleaners of all sorts (hand soap, dish soap, laundry detergent, all-purpose cleanser, etc.) are especially important. I buy toilet paper (just like food) in bulk when it is on sale.