Today, it’s all about the hygiene tips that everyone needs during an end-of-the-world scenario. When a disaster strikes, most people focus only on their immediate needs, like ensuring shelter and enough food and water to hold them over. Yet many preppers don’t recognize the ramifications of neglecting their hygiene during that period.
It may be hard for some of you to believe, but failing to maintain good hygiene would damage your health and prove fatal in an end-of-the-world scenario. So, I’d like to spend a little time with you and go over a few tips that would be essential if things become dire. Remember that I prep for unexpected situations, not necessarily the end of the world. I’ve updated this post from 2021.
Ensure that You Have Clean Water
Without clean water, maintaining good hygiene will be difficult, if not impossible. It’s already the number one essential supply item that every prepper should have. That includes proper hydration, water for meal prep and cooking, limited laundry chores, and, of course, personal hygiene. By now, my readers know I recommend four gallons of water per day for each person in your family. The American Red Cross recommends one gallon per person per day. That’s not enough, particularly during catastrophic events.
Filling your bathtub with water and stocking up on dozens of cases of bottled water could be a short-term solution, but that’ll only get you so far. For an end-of-the-world scenario, you will need a drinking source once your stockpile of drinking water has run out.
Living close to a stream or lake would be crucial if you have to leave your home and head off the grid. Digging a well for your water supply would be even better. Lastly, consider using rain barrels for backup, and boil your water to ensure all parasites, germs, and bacteria have been killed.
To get serious about best practices to follow, you really need to consider water filtering systems for your home. I like Big Berkey and PortaWell systems and have both as backups. In a worst-case scenario, you’ll need a way to make sure all water sources are free of debris, bacterial infection, and viruses. These filtering systems help you with your desired invention control.
Stock Up on Supplies
As a prepper, it’s imperative that you plan and prepare ahead for an emergency, and even more so if you’re gathering enough supplies for your entire family during an end-of-the-world scenario. These are some of the hygiene items that you’ll need to stockpile to maintain good healthcare as a top priority:
- Antibacterial soap
- Shampoo
- Rinseless Shampoo Waterless
- Welmedix No-Rinse 3 in 1 Cleansing Foam
- Deodorant
- Hand sanitizer and other disinfectants
- Toilet paper
- Wet wipes (anti-bacterial and regular)
- Tampons
- Basic first aid kit with a good supply of bandages, patches, gauze to cover wounds, scissors, and gloves.
- Castile Soap (is excellent to stock up on). In case you missed this post, Castile Soap: 13 Reasons Why You Need It
- Detergent
Getting Clean
If you have access to clean water, maintaining hygiene will still be possible. But if you can no longer get hot water from the shower in your home, fret not; all hope is not lost. You can still use a camp or solar shower to get clean. You must fill the bladder with water and hang it from a tree branch. Hopefully, you’ll have enough sun to heat the water so you can still enjoy a warm shower, even if it is the world’s end.
Keeping “Your Business” Sanitary
Even if your home septic system is still working after a major disaster, that will only be the case temporarily. You will need an alternative sanitary method, especially when you have to go to the bathroom. If you can remain in the comfort of your own home, you can always use a bucket of water to flush your waste.
If you’re living off the grid, you must dig a pit to use as a pit toilet. Just ensure you dig the hole at least 200 feet away from any water source. Ensure your family members wash their hands with soap and warm water, or use hand sanitizer every time they use the pit “restroom.” Here are more waste disposal methods that you may find helpful.
Don’t Neglect Your Dental Health
While you certainly will have your hands full during an end-of-the-world scenario, it’s still not the time to get lazy about taking care of your mouth and teeth. Your dental hygiene efforts affect not just your teeth and gums but can also significantly impact other areas of your body, including your heart.
Consider stocking up on toothpaste, sugar-free gum, mouthwash, toothpicks, and dental floss to help support this aspect of your hygiene tasks. Baking soda is another substitute you can use instead of toothpaste if you ever run out, so don’t hesitate to stock up on that. If your situation gets desperate enough, you can chew on sticks like the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans did to help remove harmful remnants in your mouth.
You may want some temporary tooth filling/crown repair for emergencies. Den Tek or Den Tek Instant Oral Pain Relief
Managing “That Time of the Month”
Unfortunately, a menstrual cycle doesn’t wait until your situation improves. It will show up just like it always does, so don’t allow that time of the month to surprise you by not having enough feminine supplies to hold you over. Don’t hesitate to gather more tampons, pads, and sanitary napkins than you usually have on hand. Following a major disaster, they still will only last you so long, and others may have cleaned out the stores.
Reusable rubber cups are a good option if you’re looking for a long-term solution besides these. They’ll last a long time as long as you store them in a dry, sealed container each time after they’ve been washed. You can always make Reusable/Washable Menstrual Pads with my pattern, How To Make Reusable Menstrual Pads.
Keep Up with the Dishes
Most of us take for granted that we have dishwashers to help us keep up with all our other household chores. However, if your home no longer has electricity, you’ll be left cleaning your dishes by hand. This is important so that bacteria don’t start to grow. It would be good practice to find a way to heat some water and use soap to keep your dishes clean.
I’d also encourage you to have many paper plates, cups, and eating utensils. This will help balance out your stockpile of soap and fuel to heat the soapy water and rinse water. If you’re sharing your dishes with a group of people, it won’t hurt if you rinse your dishes with a light bleach solution.
Keep Up with Laundry
If I see or hear that a storm is coming, my prepping instinct kicks in by looking in the laundry bin. The power may stay on, or it may stop without any warning, so I start the laundry immediately. Since we are empty nesters, I rarely have more than a few loads of laundry.
But I would rather have all the laundry done before I have to wash it by hand or hang it up to dry. I hope you have thought about having an emergency washing machine. Yes, you can use your bathtub as long as the sewers are not backed up. If you can’t drain the water, you’ll be sorry. I’m just giving you the heads-up here.
In case you missed my post on laundry, ‘How to Clean Your Laundry After a Disaster,‘ my new favorite emergency washing unit is the Lavario (currently unavailable); it can wash sheets and blue jeans.
Other Tips for a Disaster Situation
- Keep your living area as clean as possible by wiping down countertops and work areas with a disinfectant.
- Don’t let trash build up; take the garbage out to a container or trash pit often.
- Have a backup supply of your critical medications and stay up to date with recommended vaccine updates.
Hygiene Tips for an End-of-the-World Scenario
Final Word
These are a handful of hygiene tips for an end-of-the-world scenario. Hopefully, you found them to be both insightful and informative, noting the steps that you should take to keep you and your family healthy following a cataclysmic event. What are some other things that you could do to maintain good hygiene? May God bless this world, Linda.
Copyright Images: Personal Hygiene AdobeStock_346924327 by HildaWeges
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