Emergencies and Sanitation

After a natural disaster, or any other emergency, clean up will begin and people will try to get their lives back to normal.  But there will be one area of concern.....sanitation.   The after effects of a disaster will be more deadly then the actual event because of the sanitation situation.  Contaminated water equals disease! Be prepared with a portable toilet, cleansers, sanitizers, toilet paper, manual washing machine, soaps, towels of all sizes, and of course water!

 September is National Emergency Preparedness Month and it would be a great time to gather sanitation essentials and add them to your storage.  

Cleaning your clothes without electricity will be more time consuming, but see how we did our laundry at our house when the washer was broken.  Click HERE to read that post. 

picture from preparednessnibblesandbits.blogspot.com

Have you thought about the aftermath of no public utilities?  No working toilets?  I don't want to thing too much about that, but we do need to be ready to deal with human waste.  Portable potties, or luggable loos, are a must-have item in everyone's storage.  They are cheap and simple to put together.  Tough garbage bags, kitty litter (to absorb the waste), and a snap on toilet seat are a must in your kit!!  Click HERE to view my post on the portable potty.

One thought I have when my kids are ill is how I am going to help them feel better if there were no modern conveniences, or even modern medicine.  Many people in this day in age still die from diarrhea.  Third world countries are where this is still happening, but in a situation where our sanitation is compromised we will see an increase of people with diarrhea.  Keeping a person, especially a child, hydrated will become very necessary.  Click HERE to see how to make an electrolyte drink from items you probably already have in your storage.    

When sickness does hit, be prepared with all the essentials.  Click HERE to read my post on being prepared for the flu (or any sickness). 

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM THAT YOU NEED IN YOUR STORAGE, FOR SANITATION, AND IN GENERAL......IS WATER!!!  You will need more water when someone becomes ill and for cleaning in general after a disaster.  Stocking up on Clorox wipes and other cleaning supplies will help tremendously in a situation where there isn't indoor plumbing.  Washcloths and extra towels would also be great to have on hand.

There are many non-food essentials to have in your storage, but hand sanitizers and other cleaners are very important.  You don't want to survive a disaster to then succumb to sickness because of contaminated water.  

Back-To-Basics Water Storage 3: Bathing & Filter Options

If you missed the first two posts on storing water click HERE and HERE to review.

One of the ideas I had for conserving water in an emergency would be to use a solar shower.  Owning a solar shower used to be pricey and I didn't want to pay a lot for one but, I found something that works for me.  I have tried using a 2-liter bottle to wash my hair, and it's really difficult to angle the bottle over your own head and rinse without getting water everywhere.  Taking a shower is something I don't want to do without in an emergency, and a way to clean up when so many other things will be out of control, will be comforting to those in your family.  A few years ago I discovered an attachment that fits on a garden sprayer to create a shower.  

This was before solar showers became more mainstream and a little more afforadble, but I think it's still is a frugal way to create a shower in an emergency.  It's not heated by the sun, but it could be painted black to absorb the heat from the sun, or add heated water to the base. (that would use up fuel in an emergency)

Four years ago I paid $13.00, with shipping, for 4 shower heads.  I gave two of them to my sister and kept the other two.  I bought the sprayer in the picture for $8.00 during a sale at Ace Hardware.  I have two of these emergency showers because there are 7 people in my household.  They will conserve our water, each sprayer holds a gallon of water, when water will be at a premium.  Controlling the water flow is as easy as letting go of the handle. When the handle isn't held down the water stops flowing.  It was easy to hang it on a branch outside, but it could be used inside in a shower/tub if your house wasn't compromised by a storm or earthquake. An outside shower tent is on my preparedness wishlist.

 After filling the base with warm water, simply pump the handle a few times until you feel resistance, and press the handle down on the attachment for the water to being flowing.  I timed how long the water ran before having to pump again, and it was around 35 seconds.  Now, that doesn't sound like a long time, but in-between shampooing and conditioning you don't need the water to be flowing.  It's long enough to rinse your hair, or your body, off.  Pumping the handle isn't difficult either, a child could easily do it. It won't take a lot of effort to take a shower. 

 The original source that I purchased my shower head attachments from is no longer available, but I found another source HERE and they are still reasonably priced at $5.20.

There are also solar showers available from emergency supply stores and online.  Check them out and see what would work for you.   

  This is something that I learned from a friend.  Store baby wipes and use them as a type of sponge bath. Use your shower as a weekly cleaning and the baby wipes as a daily refresher.  You will feel clean and more like yourself.  Nothing refreshes a person like being clean!!

 How are YOU planning on bathing in an emergency??

Water Filters

My last thought on water for this week:  Have a PLAN for when your stored water runs out!

Research filters both homemade and manufactured:
 The Berkey water filter
The Survival Still
An affordable ceramic gravity fed water filter
Other Water Filter Ideas
Low-cost homemade options 

Filter Water From Natural Sources:
  Know how to filter water from streams, lakes, and rivers.  

Rub-A-Dub-Dub Laundry Without Electricity

The emergency preparedness goal for November is all about sanitation.  Fun..I know!!  But in all seriousness in most cases it isn't the emergency that kills people, it's the sanitation afterwards.  Our goal is to have emergency portable toilets with all necessary items stored inside. Read more about luggable loos HERE.  For this post I want to focus on having the supplies on hand to be able to do your laundry if there was no electricity, or if the water mains were broken.  I have written about the porta-potty before and doing our laundry, but reviewing never hurt anyone, right?  There are actually several options that will help make doing laundry by hand easier.  


One way is to use a contraption that looks a lot like a toilet plunger, but it is made for your laundry.  It has sections throughout the bottom to help the water and soap move through the clothes.  It is quite simple and inexpensive.  Add a bucket, gamma lid (with a hole for the handle) and you are ready to do the laundry.  The washer plunger costs about $14 and can be found at Emergency Essentials or in a complete bucket set at Honeyville.


After the plunger, the only other item you will need will be the laundry detergent.  Making your own laundry detergent is easier than you think, and it is a lot cheaper too!  There are many recipes and videos online.  I found a video that is easy to follow, but feel free to google and find what works for you.

If you feel finding all the ingredients for a laundry bucket kit are too time consuming.  There are several options out there for you.  Tami Girsberger has an amazing company of preparedness items all ready to go!  You don't have to hunt for all the items you will need for a porta-potty or wonder how to decide which bags or sanitizer are the best.  Tami has tested and compared all the products in her kits and has selected only the very best.  Tami has done all the research for you.  Check out her porta-potty HERE and her laundry bucket HERE.  She really has found the best products to go in her kits.  Take a minute to look through her site, it is amazing the time she has spent in her research to find the best products.  Her website is preparemylife.com and Tami was also at the Self Reliance Expo that I attended in Oct.  Click HERE to see the cool products she is coming out with next!!

Tami Girsberger's complete laundry bucket!!

Honeyville Grain also sells Tami's complete buckets for laundry and portable potties for $69.95 each.  You can see the buckets in person and look at exactly what goes in them.  Check them out at the Salt Lake Honeyville location 635 N. Billy Mitchel Rd. 

One other option would be the manual washer from Emergency Essentials.  It is called the wonder washer and you would be able to wash several items at once.  It runs about $47.00.  Click HERE to see more info on the wonder washer.

Doing laundry and having a portable toilet are not hard to put together but you do need to see what works for you and your family.  Don't wait for an emergency to try and make laundry detergent or assume you'll have garbage bags for your toilet.  Have all the items for these kits put together and ready to go!!!

"Be faithful, Unencomber your life, Lay up in Store"  Keith McMullin

Self Reliance Expo-Part 1

Christmas came early for me this year!  I was able to spend 5 hours surrounded by food storage, portable potties, generators, water storage containers & purification containers.  Today I attended the Self Reliance Expo at the South Towne Expo Center and it has to be the best expo I have ever attended. I was so lucky to win tickets from one of my favorite blogs, blog.totallyready.com. Every booth was filled with products for and about emergency preparedness.  Of course I took my camera and documented my day.  You may want to get comfy because this could be a long post, but there was so much information that I wanted to collect to pass on to all of you.  I tried to get a website for each of the vendors that I am spotlighting so please visit their sites for more information.  

The fun started outside the venue where they had trailers set up with all the comforts of home inside.  They are from the Timberline Range Camp company and you can see more at their website trccamps.com.

The Humless Roadrunner Generator & The Ultimate Bag 72-Hour Kit

 The first booth to catch my eye was the Hummless Roadrunner company.  The small black box on the ground is a generator and is a silent, clean, safe, ultra portable unit.  You can charge it from a regular outlet, use solar panels, or hand crank/ bicycle crank.  It is safe to use indoors or in a tent and it has a 110AC outlet, 12VDC outlet, and USB ports.  There were different sizes and I believe they ran from $200-$1500.  Check out amazon.com for the portable lithium generator. 


The other item that really intrigued me was the 72-hour kit duffle bag that zipped open and can be hung up. It is called the Ultimate Bag and you can see it in the picture above.  What a clever idea to have all your kit supplies in a designated compartment and in such a small bag.  I thought this was such a great idea.  Check out www.theultimatebag.com for more information.

Kitchen Kneads

 Kitchen Kneads is a great local company that sells all things food storage related.  In the picture is the Sun Oven (they can answer any question you have about a Sun Oven), the Wonder Mill grinder and many food storage canned goods.  They are located at 7579 S. Redwood Rd.  and their number is 801-561-9616.   They have some great sales around LDS Conference times, but you should check them out before April :)

Augason Farms

 One of my favorite stores is the Augason Farms store (formerly the Blue Chip Group).  They sell the Maggie Moo's brand of milk and have many food items.  I buy applesauce powder, canned cheese, canned meat, oats, etc., AND they have a really fun outlet room with great prices.  They are located at 3431 S. 500 W, just west of I-15 off the 33rd south exit.  Check out their website augasonfarms.com .  We got to test the broccoli soup and the potato cheddar soup and it was delicious!  The small cans in the picture are only $2.50.

       Of course Emergency Essentials was at the expo.  They are a wonderful company that sell canned food, dehydrated food, MRE's, sleeping bags, candles, porta potties (with lids that seal),  water drums, wheat, oats, rice, you name it they sell it!  They have a really amazing food storage analyzer that will help you keep track of what food you have stored and the vitamins and nutrients that you may be lacking in your storage (check their website for more info).  My sister and I answered a trivia question and I received a reusable hand warmer.  It is like the one- use Hotties except you can boil it and it returns to it's original state. You can get 10 of them for $20.  Guess what my family is getting in their stockings this year.  You can find all of their info at beprepared.com or visit their store at 110 W. 33rd S.

Some of the best books on food storage are written by Peggy Layton.  Cookin' With Home Storage is one of my favorites and I refer to it many times when I am cooking.  She has also authored the Cookin' With series that includes Cookin' With Potatoes, Cookin' With Powdered Milk, Cookin' With Dried Eggs, and Cookin' With Beans and Rice.  I highly suggest owning these cookbooks and to get to know them.  Peggy really knows what she is doing when it comes to using your food storage and also maintaining your food storage program.  Her book Food Storage 101 "Where do I Begin?" is a great book to get you motivated on starting your food storage.  For more information check out peggylayton.com.

Easy Water Storage company

There were several companies with really great water storage ideas.  The Sure Water company sells the 260 and 525 gallon water tanks. They cost $395 & $525 and they ship free to Utah and SL counties.  For more information visit their website at easywaterstorage.com or call 1-800-797-2207.


I had such a great time at the Expo and I have much more to share.  There were many more vendors at the Expo so stay tuned for Part 2 of the Self Reliance Expo next Saturday, November 13th!!

November Goals:

1. Cooking essentials-yeast, baking powder, baking soda, spices, oils, flour, sugar,salt, etc. 
2.  Personal Hygiene supplies.  Watch for sales and buy enough to last for 3 months.  This includes all feminine hygiene items, diapers/wipes, soaps, shampoo's, deodorants, toothpaste, toothbrushes, floss, hand sanitizer,etc.  And if you don't have a portable potty, this is the month to finally get one put together.  Click HERE to view a previous post on luggable loo's.  

Enjoy the journey!

Enjoy the blessings!

Feel the peace!!

Earthquakes, Water, & Sanitation

As most of you heard, we had a 4.9 earthquake in northern Utah this week. I hope that you will all see this as a warning of a bigger earthquake and take this time to prepare yourselves. Click HERE to view the Utah Red Cross Be Ready Checklist.

 I strongly urge you all to have adequate water storage. Make it a priority! Think of how many times you turn on a faucet during the day. Many people 

 will be inconvenienced when there is no water. I like to have large spray bottles on hand for times that we won't have water. I will use one for water with soap in it and one with just water. The kids can spray their hands with the soapy water and then a few sprays with the water bottle. This will save water when everyone washes their hands.

How is everyone doing with the April goals? Have you planned a garden or found a container to plant a few plants in? I hope everyone took advantage of the case lot sales and stocked up on the food items that your family uses.

One of the other April goals is to gather cleaning supplies and in this category is also sanitation. I know, none of us want to think of this, but we really do need to prepare for times of toilets not flushing. On to the portable potty......
This awesome information found at: PreparednessNibblesAndBits.blogspot.com
During a disaster “just plan on losing your utilities.” It is important to have a Sanitation Kit because we don’t know when our disaster will be. The lack of proper sanitation can cause the spread of disease and even death.
Here’s some ideas for assembling your own Sanitation Kit:

SANITATION KIT:
“Luggable Loo*” - snap-on lid (fits 5 or 6 gallon buckets)
1 (5 or 6-gallon) bucket
Store the following inside your bucket until needed:

• Heavy Duty disposable garbage bags (you won’t want to deal with leaky bags
• 1 (12 oz.) “Super Sorb” (takes care of odors - available at janitorial supply stores)
• 1 container “Hi-Genic” (non-acid bowl and bathroom cleaner - available at janitorial supply stores)
• 1 bottle of hydrogen peroxide (natural disinfectant)
• 1 small bottle of vinegar
• 1 container baking soda
• 1 empty spray bottle
• 2 to 3 rolls toilet paper (with cardboard removed)
• 1 pkg. baby wipes
• Feminine hygiene supplies
• Disposable gloves
• Hand sanitizer
• Lotion (hand sanitizer will tend to dry out hands)
• Bonus: 2 emergency blankets (for your privacy screen if needed)

Directions: Empty contents of the bucket. Line the bucket with a heavy duty disposable garbage bag. Put 1 tablespoon “Super Sorb” into the garbage bag. Securely attach “Luggable Loo” lid. Keep lid closed when not in use. When bucket is 1/3 full, empty it by tying the bag up and disposing of it properly.
To dispose of waste:
Emergency Sewage Storage. “Keep on the premises at least one extra 10-gallon garbage can or other waterproof container with a tight fitting cover. This should be lined with paper and/or a plastic bag. And the lid should be fastened to the can to prevent its loss. Such a can may be used for the emergency storage of body wastes until the public sewage system can be put back into action, or until other arrangements can be made. Empty your emergency toilet into this storage can as often as necessary. A small amount of household disinfectant should be added after each use. If you live in an apartment, you may not have a large garbage can or room to keep one. In that case, two smaller covered pails or other containers will do just as well.” –http://www.pep-c.org/emergencysewagedisposal
Another option for disposing waste:
“When the plastic bag is filled to a point where you can carefully dispose of it, you will want a tight-fitting leak-proof container you can put the filled bags where insects and vermin cannot get at, or you may want to have a fairly deep hole (at least three to four feet deep) in your back yard where you can safely dispose of the bag, cover with a few inches of soil at each disposal and have a cover to keep vermin out and people from falling in….” –Sanitation, Part 1
For more detailed information regarding Sanitation check out:
http://www.pep-c.org/sanitation
Sanitation, Parts 1 & 2
*LUGGABLE LOOS are available at:
* Recreation Outlet, 3160 S. State Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84115 (Sells the lid separately for $7.99 ea. or the bucket and lid for $12.99.)
* Cabela’s ($9.99 - lid only/$14.99 lid and bucket)
* Target (available on-line only) has a bucket and lid for $14.99
* Rei ($18.00 - lid and bucket)
* Google “luggable loo” to find the best prices and locations for you.
*Emergency Essentials $15.95 bucket, lid, 2 enzyme packets. They also sell a pop up porta potty tent for $59.95 which can also be used for a shower
Click HERE to view the doodie bags that turn waste into gel for easier clean up.
Click HERE to view the bags that fit on your existing toilet.
NOTE: “Be Ready Utah” has an idea for an Emergency “Porta Potty” Kit which includes Kitty Litter: http://bereadyutah.gov/family/potty.html