Whether you live in an apartment or home in the city, or a rural retreat, hygiene is a necessity for survival. Hygiene items are currently much needed by victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Today’s article gives us five items to consider including in a disaster preparedness kit:
Five Prepper Must-Haves for SHTF Hygiene
by James Walton
Survival hygiene may be one of the least sexy topics in existence. That is because hygiene itself is very personal and nearly taboo. Those things that go on behind locked bathroom doors seem very personal to us all. Still, your hygiene practices will keep you just as safe as your marksmanship in a SHTF scenario.
Pathogens are all around us. These are harmful microorganisms that want into your body. Poor personal hygiene practices assure them a quick route. Add these 5 must have items to your stockpile to lockdown SHTF hygiene.
Big Cans, Big Bags
Buy yourself two big trash cans with lids. Make sure they are sturdy rubber or aluminum. Remember your aluminum cans can also sub as a faraday cage, just a consideration. Along with the cans make sure you have plenty of big 50-60 gallon contractor bags. These will prove invaluable for cleanup. You are going to have to clean something nasty up and your best bet will be to contain it before pests appear.
Though there won’t be a trash service coming to empty these cans it will give you a holding location for trash till you have a burn day or whatever method you decide to use to manage waste. Living around piled up trash will be the end of all good hygiene.
Seeds
Seeds may sound like an interesting addition to your SHTF hygiene system but, trust me, there are some seeds out there you will not want to live without.
Loofa – The loofa is exactly what you think it is. These vining vegetables can have their fruits dried to create an actual loofa sponge. Not the frilly kind you have in your shower right now but a much firmer version that will help you get clean when you only have a solar shower with much less pressure to work with.
Soapwart – I will give you one guess at what the leaves of soapwart do when crushed and added to water. They froth and foam just like soap. This acts as a great surfactant to get deep into spots where grime and bacteria like to live.
Licorice – The root of licorice may be the best natural toothbrush out there. These dainty roots have that great licorice scent but when they are cleaned and chewed at one end they bristle and offer something like a toothbrushes bristles. It can be used to get between teeth and clean your tongue as well.
Combat One Hygiene System
A complete, waterless hygiene system. This is a new product that has been used in the field by special operations soldiers. Now that it is part of my loadout it has become impossible to live without. The sheer fact that this product is waterless makes it my top pick.
It uses the antibacterial power of colloidal silver as well as a soothing formula that promotes healthy skin flora for natural protection from bacterial infections. You can handle your whole body, head to toe, with one pack of the tactical bath.
Baking Soda
It really does everything. It treats stomach upset, cleans teeth, it’s a deodorant; you can clean the carpets, the bathrooms and even clothes. Make sure you have plenty of this stuff on hand. It’s cheap and easy to store today.
If you buy it in bulk get your hands on some cheap Tupperware containers. The cardboard will get wet over time and you don’t want to deal with that. Store it alongside the borax and you will have a powerful team that can get most of your cleaning and hygiene issues taken care of.
Foot and Hand Care
Whether you are an herbalist or retail lotion enthusiast you must consider your hands and feet. If you are neither of the above mentioned you better choose to be one. Having lotions or making powerful herbal salves for working hands and feet will be critical to your personal hygiene.
Remember, you will not be afforded the luxury of sitting for eight hours a day. Instead, you will be working with your hands and your feet. I have watched soft hands designed for keyboards take a beating just on weekend camping trips.
It will take time to develop calloused hands and feet. Even then you will want to have some lotions, medicated creams or herbal salves to slather on.
Though it’s much more fun to prepare your tactical gear and inventory your food storage I hope you consider these preps for your personal hygiene in a SHTF scenario.
About the Author
James Walton is the host of I AM Liberty a podcast that airs on www.prepperbroadcasting.com. He is also the author of Come Unity, Community a book about neighbors and prepared communities. You can read more by James at www.iamlibertyshow.com