SHTF cleanliness

[Arklatex]

Scenario: SHTF and the grid is down. Are you prepared to maintain a reasonable state of cleanliness in your home? There will be no vacuum cleaning or laundry machines as they are a total waste of resources if you're on solar or some other form of off grid power. Looking for ideas here...

Ill start with an idea: my home is mostly carpeted so that needs to change.

[Smokin04]

Could always get a push vacuum like they use in some eateries...they require no power. Save gray water for dishes...and buy an old-fashioned push mower. No sense in wasting precious fuel on a lawn mower.

[Arklatex]

Excellent ideas smokin!

[1moretoy]

Have a large rain catcher to save water to flush the toilet. That's something I can't do without

[Bigdogbuc]

A composting toilet, which could amount to having some 5 gallon buckets with a box built around one and a toilet seat with some sawdust (animal bedding) & boy's: pee in the bushes;

there are several hand wash machines available, even one that uses a 5 gallon bucket and this thing that looks like a plunger on steroids. From what I've read, it works amazingly well;

and a broom for your carpets. Not quite a vacuum cleaner, but I've had my kids destroy vacuum cleaners and didn't have the money to replace it until payday kind of thing. It works, not the same as a vacuum, but it keeps things mitigated. They trashed a 6 year old $1500 Kirby in perfect working order (even regularly serviced) that had been given to us, in about 3 months. I buy the $89 Wal-Mart Specials now. This one has lasted two years. Weird huh? Kids are brutal on stuff.

Vinegar for everyday cleaning and bacteria control, or bleach. Vinegar is a bit less harsh for the daily stuff. Rubbing alcohol is another sanitary thing to have, maybe some Hydrogen Peroxide as well.

Your biggest need will be water. And lots of it.

[Arklatex]

Big dog raises a very good point about vinegar. There are so many uses for it. Almost like wd-40.

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html

[Arklatex]

Have a large rain catcher to save water to flush the toilet. That's something I can't do without

Also useful for watering the garden and the h2o can be filtered for potable water like hunting hawks setup.

[HuntingHawk]

3 or 5 gallon solar shower.

[HuntingHawk]

Regular toilet plunger & cut some large round holes up by the handle like with a key hole bit. Two 5gal buckets. Wash in one & rinse in the other. Then use the rinse bucket as the wash bucket for the next load. Empty the forst bucket onto plants or trees, fill with fresh water & its the rinse bucket for the second load.

Whites are best just stirred around in boiling water to clean. No bleach needed as bleach is more effective in cold water. And being you didn't use any soap they don't need rinsed. Except for those that need to scrub out those brown streaks.

[HuntingHawk]

If you need something on the floor to keep your feet from getting cold or whatever use throw rugs. They can be hung outside & beaten to atleast remove sand, dirt, etc from them. Metal coat hanger doesn't work well as too flexible. 1/4" round steel rod bent into a tight "M" seems to work best.

[Arklatex]

Any ideas about natural pest control? I've heard marigold and mint naturally repel snakes and ants respectively.

[HuntingHawk]

Sand or hardwood ashes can be used for cleaning pots & pans. Alittle water with it & quite abrasive.

[pheniox17]

I don't know about you, but a clean floor is the last of my concerns, but will make eating a outside "rule" and a few other little
Things to rrefuse mess, in a grid down event I doubt I will stay at home for long

[Arklatex]

I don't know about you, but a clean floor is the last of my concerns, but will make eating a outside "rule" and a few other little
Things to rrefuse mess, in a grid down event I doubt I will stay at home for long

Cleanliness is next to godliness! I think it will be very important to maintain a hygienic abode after SHTF. Helps to keep sickness and disease at bay.

[HuntingHawk]

Bugs tracked in is the reason to keep the floor clean.

[Arklatex]

BTW eating outside is a good idea.

[pheniox17]

Its important to maintain some type of cleanliness, there are some areas that will get a bit out if hand, (worse case I can rip the carpets up if its too much of a issue)

There is more than one way to skin a cat, but grid down is a life changing event, and for me, here and now, my home will only do in the short term, then I have to relocate

[HuntingHawk]

Even with no SHTF some problems are hard to get rid of like a flea infestation.

[RWalls]

Could always get a push vacuum like they use in some eateries...they require no power. Save gray water for dishes...and buy an old-fashioned push mower. No sense in wasting precious fuel on a lawn mower.

I wouldnt want to mow my lawn, camouflage the booby traps better.

[Baglady]

Lemon Balm is a good plant to keep skeeters away, and you can rub it on yourself. You can make a skeeter trap out of a 2liter bottle, some brown sugar and yeast.
You can put mint extract on a cotton ball to put in your kitchen drawers or wherever you have mice.
But, IMO, just keeping a supply of insecticides, Off bug repellant, Flea powder/soap, etc, would be easier.

[omegabrock]

Cleanliness is next to godliness! I think it will be very important to maintain a hygienic abode after SHTF. Helps to keep sickness and disease at bay.

not to mention, cleanliness helps morale and gives a sense of normalcy

[big paul]

if it looks too clean (and so do you) expect "visitors".

[HuntingHawk]

If you aren't going to keep things clean I hope you store plenty of antibiotics.

[Inor]

About 10 years ago, I replaced all of the carpeting in our house with hardwood floors (except one room) specifically for the reason of keeping it clean without power. Since, we have put carpet back in two of the rooms, but that is removed easy enough if necessary. We keep a good supply of bleach and vinegar. The last couple years Mrs Inor has also kept a "vinegar mother" so she can make our own if necessary.

Where we live now, having enough water is not going to be an issue. (Having too much might, but that is a subject for another thread.) But having clean water is always a problem. We have several methods for water purification: chemicals, Berkey, life straw for smaller amounts, etc. I expect we will also be drawing water from the sump in our house if we are hole-up here. Filtering rain water through the pea rock in the sump should remove the large particles, then we will treat as necessary depending on what we plan to use it for.

Washing clothes will be done in buckets. I have seen several of you mention using a toilet plunger which should work fine. We were lucky enough to find an old clothes washer "plunger lookin' thing" at a rummage sale for about $5. It was one of the original tin ones and looks brand new. So we will be using that.

As far as peeing, we have plenty of trees, so that will not be an issue. For pooping we have a chemical toilet and plenty of chemical. If we last long enough to run out of chemical, there will not be enough people left alive to have to worry about pooping in the woods well away from the house.

Frankly, I am most concerned about cleaning the wounds that will undoubtedly occur with more frequency in a SHTF situation. We have plenty of H2O2, rubbing alcohol, bandages and some fish mox. But will that be enough? It concerns me that living our whole lives in an almost sterile world that is modern America, are our immune systems well enough developed to be able to fight off simple infections that our grandparents never even thought about?

[Deebo]

Lots of hand sanitizer, dish soap, bleach, hyd per. And alcohol. Enough, never.
I believe stomach issues and diarrhea would be a bad deal, so I need more stock on meds.
One of my secrets, alcohol in a small spray bottle, I put it on my feet and between my toes almost everyday, and try to rotate boots. Althelers foot and nail fungus hate alcohol.
Everybody up to date on a tetnus shot?

[Baglady]

Good point, Inor.
I would put up an outhouse.

[big paul]

If you aren't going to keep things clean I hope you store plenty of antibiotics.

there is clean and then there is clean! I read somewhere else someone talking about a "groomed" appearance post SHTF....that did make me giggle!!! look too clean and you are going to invite interest from inquisitive eyes...if you get my drift??

[Arklatex]

there is clean and then there is clean! I read somewhere else someone talking about a "groomed" appearance post SHTF....that did make me giggle!!! look too clean and you are going to invite interest from inquisitive eyes...if you get my drift??
Are you talking about hot post apocalyptic babes! I'm ok with that.

[Arklatex]

The last couple years Mrs Inor has also kept a "vinegar mother" so she can make our own if necessary.



Any chance you can get Mrs Inor to do a how to post on this???

[big paul]

Are you talking about hot post apocalyptic babes! I'm ok with that.

no that is not what I meant.

[omegabrock]

Any chance you can get Mrs Inor to do a how to post on this???

i second this. very interested

[Coppertop]

I would also like to know about the vinegar mother.

What about the waterless cleaning solutions, such as GO-JO to clean up with? I know that wouldn't a long term solution, but it could get you ahead in your water storage.

[Inor]

I'll try to get Mrs Inor to post the specifics, but basically if you have any really old vinegar you will notice it develops a milky white substance in it. That is the "vinegar mother". If you collect that and put it in a jar of apple juice, it will turn the apple juice into apple cider vinegar in a few weeks. It really is that simple.

[Pauls]

If you try to ferment any juice into wine and leave it exposed to the air you will get vinegar. You can even get vinegar by leaving bottled wine exposed to the air.

[Coppertop]

If you try to ferment any juice into wine and leave it exposed to the air you will get vinegar. You can even get vinegar by leaving bottled wine exposed to the air.

What a waste of wine.

[Jeep]

Have sheep and goats for the lawn. Wife stocks up on cleaning supplies, but that is still limited. Gray water will be used. I still feel eventually I will be more nasty than I am now. But the river is close by