soap, shampoo, handwash etc. We will need to be careful once they figure this topical stuff out!
I'm unsure what a good handwash alternate is, however most people don't appreciate that they don't need to use soap or shampoo in the shower. Just scrub your body lightly with a washcloth and rinse your hair and you'll feel perfectly clean.
Most people have never had a shower without using soap and it'll seem strange at first, but trust me - it's completely unnecessary and you will be and feel perfectly clean afterwards.
Prepping Advice:
If the Shit Hits the Fan and the water is disconnected then I recommend using a few liters of water in a bucket and scrubbing your body with water and a hand towl. Be strategic and wash your face, chest, back, arms and legs, underarms and private parts last. You do not need soap.
Wipe down your face, underarms and private parts with baby wipes every few days to prevent skin irritation between washing with water - this works and it's what the military does.
You'll also need to buy lots of garbage bags for your poop. Tie off the bag and bury it later. Urine should be collected separately because it biodegrades rapidly so you can pour it on the garden.
If the water is out then you'll also need to regularly collect and treat river water because you'll need about two liters each day. Pass river water through cotton sheets to remove silt and debris and then treat it with pool chlorine 24 hours before you need it.
Make sure you measure the chlorine carefully so you use enough while not overdosing on it because consuming too much of it is dangerous.
This will produce the same quality water that normally comes from your taps because chlorine is what the municipal water treatment plants use.
Consider buying a eyedropper and adding a tiny drop of blue food coloring to your treated water so you never confuse it with untreated water you may be using for other purposes.
A container of pool chlorine powder will cost about $10 and last forever if stored correctly. It is superior to bleach because bleach has a shelf life of only six months before it's potency starts degrading. Iodine tablets work perfectly but they are ridiculously expensive. Boiling the water is another perfect method however you won't have power resources to waste if the mains power is also out.
Also make yourself a rocket stove. A 9 inch tall tube with a 4 inch diameter and a large hole at the bottom for airflow is perfect for heating meals for one person. Stack three large house bricks either side, put a small baking or cooling tray on top and you'll have a perfectly reliable and stable stove that will only require two 8 inch long sticks that are as thick as your thumb and a few handfuls of twigs.
Load the sticks and twigs from the top, stuff a single facial tissue in the big hole at the bottom and light it with a match.
It'll take about 30 seconds for the heat to dry out the twigs and then WOOSH! It'll turn into a flamethrower for a minute as the twigs burn down and the sticks dry out. The sticks will burn for about 10 minutes and the heat will be enough to bring two cups of water to a rolling boil in about six minutes and keep it boiling for about 4 minutes - more than long enough to heat a morning coffee or a can of stew, baked beans or soup for dinner.
If you've got a family then you'll need a slightly larger rocket stove. You can waste a LOT of money buying them online but you can also buy cheap stainless steel consumables like toilet roll holders and toilet brush holders for less than $10 that only need to some holes cut in them.
Finally, please buy some rice - you can buy huge 20 pound bags from Walmart for $9 that will make 100 large servings that are a perfect prepping staple because it can be added to beans, baked beans and canned soups and stews to pad them out into multiple meals.
I'm unsure what a good handwash alternate is, however most people don't appreciate that they don't need to use soap or shampoo in the shower. Just scrub your body lightly with a washcloth and rinse your hair and you'll feel perfectly clean.
Most people have never had a shower without using soap and it'll seem strange at first, but trust me - it's completely unnecessary and you will be and feel perfectly clean afterwards.
Prepping Advice:
If the Shit Hits the Fan and the water is disconnected then I recommend using a few liters of water in a bucket and scrubbing your body with water and a hand towl. Be strategic and wash your face, chest, back, arms and legs, underarms and private parts last. You do not need soap.
Wipe down your face, underarms and private parts with baby wipes every few days to prevent skin irritation between washing with water - this works and it's what the military does.
You'll also need to buy lots of garbage bags for your poop. Tie off the bag and bury it later. Urine should be collected separately because it biodegrades rapidly so you can pour it on the garden.
If the water is out then you'll also need to regularly collect and treat river water because you'll need about two liters each day. Pass river water through cotton sheets to remove silt and debris and then treat it with pool chlorine 24 hours before you need it.
Make sure you measure the chlorine carefully so you use enough while not overdosing on it because consuming too much of it is dangerous.
This will produce the same quality water that normally comes from your taps because chlorine is what the municipal water treatment plants use.
Consider buying a eyedropper and adding a tiny drop of blue food coloring to your treated water so you never confuse it with untreated water you may be using for other purposes.
A container of pool chlorine powder will cost about $10 and last forever if stored correctly. It is superior to bleach because bleach has a shelf life of only six months before it's potency starts degrading. Iodine tablets work perfectly but they are ridiculously expensive. Boiling the water is another perfect method however you won't have power resources to waste if the mains power is also out.
Also make yourself a rocket stove. A 9 inch tall tube with a 4 inch diameter and a large hole at the bottom for airflow is perfect for heating meals for one person. Stack three large house bricks either side, put a small baking or cooling tray on top and you'll have a perfectly reliable and stable stove that will only require two 8 inch long sticks that are as thick as your thumb and a few handfuls of twigs.
Load the sticks and twigs from the top, stuff a single facial tissue in the big hole at the bottom and light it with a match.
It'll take about 30 seconds for the heat to dry out the twigs and then WOOSH! It'll turn into a flamethrower for a minute as the twigs burn down and the sticks dry out. The sticks will burn for about 10 minutes and the heat will be enough to bring two cups of water to a rolling boil in about six minutes and keep it boiling for about 4 minutes - more than long enough to heat a morning coffee or a can of stew, baked beans or soup for dinner.
If you've got a family then you'll need a slightly larger rocket stove. You can waste a LOT of money buying them online but you can also buy cheap stainless steel consumables like toilet roll holders and toilet brush holders for less than $10 that only need to some holes cut in them.
Finally, please buy some rice - you can buy huge 20 pound bags from Walmart for $9 that will make 100 large servings that are a perfect prepping staple because it can be added to beans, baked beans and canned soups and stews to pad them out into multiple meals.