Forum: Cleaning

How are you planning on Washing: Clothes, pets, children, pots/pans/dishes, yourself? A gallon a day could be all most people have. If they are lucky. What about no power for those machines? If this is a redundant thread please close. thank you

Hopefully it never comes to this, but it is a possiblity so it is important for people to think about the “what ifs.” Given it’s vital life importance, one would hope that water would be on the top of the priority list for keeping up and running. Thus, we’d hope water cut-offs would be brief. However, if there is no water, keeping clean is the last thing on my priority list. All food would be eaten with disposable utensils, paper plates, etc. Water is only for drinking and brushing teeth and an occassional face washing. We can all go several days without bathing and we all have enough underwear to go two+ weeks (okay, I admit I have MUCH more, but I am a woman afterall!). If need be, several neighbors have swimming pools (if pool is clean and not in winter!) and one neighbor has a large pond we could possible wash up in. I think for many the threat of no power is also a huge concern. Many of us have wells and without power the well doesn’t work. And, without power there are no washing machines or hot water for dishes. Let’s hope that power is #2 on the PTB list, 2nd only to water. And, without power precious food stores will spoil with refrigeration.

Wash intimate objects only on area that get objectionable to you or your family, ditto in bathing. What the hay, the old timers got sewed into their long Johns except for trap doors, and they survived just fine. I would be too persnickety if this goes to Pandemic. I read a journal, drawings and words kept by the DuPonts back when the powder mills just were started. Summer, girls would go in the night gowns and dip in the river. We will all survive.

Jon, this is a really big deal for my family. We are a family of 7. All the girls (I include myself) have below waist length hair … just because, not religiously motivated on anything. Plus I hate the cost of a beauty shop. So, that means that there are 4 of us “girls” that are going to have to go to washing our hair once per week … if we can get rain water.

As for washing clothes … most clothes don’t really need to be washed after only one wear. Towels can often be reused if hung up immediately after use. Wash rags can be scalded in the last of the rinse water and hung up after each use.

Facial oil can be removed with cotton balls and astringents (witch hazel, seabreeze, etc.).

Hands can be kept clean with those waterless antisceptic washes during the day and at night you can use the last of the dish rinse water (which needs to be really hot to start with plus a capful of bleach too) can be used to really scrub the hands with if need be.

Wear shoes and/or socks to keep your feet from getting filthy.

My mom has a genuine wash board that she has had since I was a baby. I’m looking around for something similar to wash the smaller items … under clothes, socks, etc.

Larger clothes will just have to be beaten out on the clothes line, aired out on the clothes line, or wait until we have enough of a rain to fill the large metal tub that I am getting to wash in.

Dishes should be scrapped and wiped out before going into the wash water so that water/suds last longer.

I have an inground pool that I will use for some wash water if need be. I’m backing that up with rain/catch barrels if there is time.

But sheltering in place should help keep the clothes washing to a minimum.

Wouldn’t get too too persnickety if this goes Pandemic. Typos.

Kathy in Fla. I read where The Empress Elizabeth of Austria Hungary had long hair, Never cut, magnificent. Once in a while she had it washed in Cognac I think it was. A sheet was laid on the floor and it was brushed through her hair. I don’t think it was washed otherwise and she had quite a mane. A great beauty.

For hair care: Stock apple cider vinegar to use as a rinse — I use it on my long hair like once a month — cuts shampoo buildup and leaves my hair very clean & shiny and it’s very inexpensive. Just be careful not to get it in your eyes :)

Kathy in FL has it right, it’s all in the economy of what you have. We tend to waste water the same way we do electricity because it is cheap right now. You need to think through (and practice) some scenarios. Also, you need certain materials on hand, dishpans, washtubs, buckets of all sizes, etc. Consider this, in full economy mode, no water should ever go down a drain with the exception of your toilet. All waste water should be saved for flushing if your sewer system still works. A 5 gallon solar shower bag will easily wash two adults or one adult and two children. However, showers are going to be a luxury, stock up on baby wipes!

anonymous – at 16:01

Does the cide vinegar work on dark hair? That’s what we all have.

You can use lemon juice the same way, though only on lighter hair.

Witch hazel is also supposed to be a good scalp cleaner, unless you are prone to dry scalp, then it might make that problem worse.

Waxing might make a good substitute for shaving, if you don’t have sensitive skin … personally I prefer to go au natural. Less ouch.

They also make a dry powder that I believe is used in hospitals for people that can’t wash their hair with water for some reason … bed ridden, sugery, etc. That might be something to look into as well.

For Kathy In FL – at 16:08 Cider vinegar works great on my dark brown hair :)

Last month I got a washboard at www.ColumbusWashboard.com and a huge old fashioned looking washtub (but it’s plastic!) at WalMart — the washboard has one side for delicates and one side for more durable clothes. Since keeping bedding and clothes clean and dry are important for a sick person, I’ve also prepped laundry detergent, clotheslines and pins, bleach etc to ensure I can at least keep bedding and clothes clean. Living in FL, we know how important it is to store water since we can lose it for long stretches when power goes out. I’m thinking I’ll probably use the washboard after hurricanes also — wished I had it after Wilma.

Regarding hair, Kathy in FL, you’re right, there is a solution used in hospitals to clean hair (used it for bedridden parent) and it works great — maybe a beauty or medical supply store?

I already don’t wash many clothes (just the essentials) too often.. shirts and sweaters can be used repeatedly… (unless you sweat a lot, which I don’t).

For washing myself, sponge baths when I need it where it counts otherwise just focus on face, hands, feet (if in barefeet weather). Hair can go a week, 10 days max or your head will feel completey gross. Even still, this will require quite a bit of water.

The washtub also comes in handy when harvesting rainwater with a tarp(s). This is something that everybody who has a yard should practice so that you can be sure you have everything necessary on hand.

Those of you who contemplate washing clothes in a big washbucket might want to actually try it out before you’re forced to rely on it. It really is NO fun whatsoever, and if you don’t have some way to get most of the water out of the clothes before hanging them on the line to dry, you’ll find out it can take DAYS for sopping wet clothes to dry (even if you’ve wrung them out by hand), unless you live in a hot, arid climate. And you’ll not want to use much soap when washing clothes, else you’ll need LOTS of water for rinsing it all out.

For carpets, having on hand one of the old-fashioned non-electrical carpet sweepers can be a lifesaver. No they don’t work as well as a vacuum cleaner, but they’ll do a respectable job of keeping the carpet in decent shape.

We are working on ways to clean using very little water. Things like stocking paper plates and getting non-stick cookware I can clean using a water spray bottle. We are trying all of this in advance and I will use some of the ideas from this thread. thank you, Jon

Kim – at 17:07

We just take two people. We each grab one end of the article and twist, wringing the water back into the tub.

Then you shake the item out really well to get rid of most of the wrinkles before pinning on the clothes line.

I have a tabletop washing machine that is pumped up by hand to build up pressure, then cranked with a crank on the side….you sit, read & crank till you’re done. It will do a few pieces at a time — at least they’ll be cleaner, even though it may be sorta slow.

The shampoo stuff is called No Rinse I think (and they also make a body wash that’s no rinse)….it’s a liquid that you rub into your hair then towel dry. The old powder stuff was mostly a talc that absorbed oils & supposedly got brushed out — but not very well.

Keeping long hair braided will help with the grungy feel of not washing for awhile.

Iwoi-17:26 I saw one of those in a catalog. Does it work? How much water does it take? Will it do more than one pair of jeans at a time?

malachi – at 17:28

It also keeps the tangles out. <grin> And keeps it from getting into things that will make it dirty such as pudding cups, juice, etc.

I have a little hand crank washer that I bought at a yardsale post y2k-the lady called it a camping washer. It works great. I’ve gone without running several times in my life-you learn to conserve everydrop! We had a snow storm about eight years ago that kept up cooped up in a TINY house for two weeks no power no water. Heres some tips Ive learned:

Babywipes, waterless hand sanitizer are at the top of my prep list. They are critical in a no water situation.

Liquid soap is invaluable-it disolves better and rinses out better than other soap.

a tall stock pot with a lid heats water faster than a shallow metal dishpan with out a lid-plus metal dishpan get HOT and are awkward to move-but they hold the heat better than a plastic dishpan. This may seem obvious in a post but It is amazingly easy to melt a plastic dishpan-sometimes just pouring really hot water in one will do the trick! Duck tape will provide a good enough patch if the hole is small enough. Also, it is possible to repair a tiny hole plastic tub with a h0t knitting needle that one has heated in a lantern flame-provided one does not care to breathe in the fumes of the melted plastic afterward.

I used the shampoo you all were talking about on my bed-ridden Mother in law- The home health nurse brought it our, but you can also get it at a medical supply or homehealth supply company. Ive found the baby powder in the brush trick works ok, but not great.

We had a kerosene heater and just kept a pan of water on it going all the time for hot water.

A couple of companys- Dove is one, Oil of olay is one, probably a generic, makes facial wipes for traveling and they also make body wipes. I use them camping-and they definatly went to the top of my prep list.

You can turn your clothes-like jeans and shirts inside out, after youve worn them and hang them somewhere the air can reach-preferably outside-helps, keep them fresh a little longer. You can flip sheets over, or take the bottom one off and put the top sheet on the bottom to streach out the laundry. Also, pull your covers all the way off and let your sheets and betting air out for an hour or two before making the bed, helps make sheets go farther between washing.

Yes, house plants take water, but some peacelilys spider plants and ferns really help keep the air fresher.

Take your street shoes off at the door and wear slipper socks or slippers only inside the house-helps keep dirt and dust out of the house.

Rosemary and lavender are great disinfecting agents-French nurses used to burn R and L during the 1918 epidemic to keep down infection. I make up a solution, along with tea tree oil (essential oils) and keep in a spray bottle to mist bathrooms, floors, the air-it really helps.

malachi, you took the words right out of my mouth. When I was a child it was considered both unhealthy and wasteful to bathe more than once a week. My mother would braid my hair and then pin it up on top of my head. I got washed on Saturday night so Sunday morning I could go to church all fresh and clean in my very best clothes. Amazing to think back on those days when now a day doesn’t go by that I don’t have at least one shower. lol

Hand laundry can be terrible on your hands. Dermatitis was a common problem for our grandmothers and great grandmothers, who boiled their clothes and used strong lye soaps to get them clean. Wear light underclothes to protect heavy winter fabrics and you can wear them for quite a long time before they need laundering. In the summer, wear light cotton clothes. You will do laundry more frequently but its easier to handle the lighter material than wash heavy corderoy or flannel. Soak overnight to release the dirt, then drain. Add the hottest water you can with liquid detergent such as Woolite, and agitate with a wooden spoon or broom handle. Pick up each item with the spoon or broomhandle, wring around the handle (It helps if two people do this. Flip a shirt over the handle. Keeping it level, one person grabs the ends of the shirt, the other spins the broom handle to wring the water out. Let the water drip into the bucket. Wringing clothes with your hands will destroy the skin on your hands.) then toss into rinse water. Repeat for a final rinse with liquid fabric softener. Hang in bright sunshine to dry - the UV light will help kill germs and make your clothes smell fresh.

I found this really great biodegradable non-toxic cleaner at Target. It is made by a company called Method. We like the cucumber the best. They also make handsoap, and other biodegradable products, but the serface cleaner really works good.

I think they also used to lightly starch a lot of things, because then the dirt didn’t stick. Also clothes were pre=soaked. I looked like one of those Hummel figurines with pigtails, and my mother had braids wrapped in a crown, like Irend Dunne in I remember Mama, until she cut it off and became more like her friends. Braids being considered old country, no matter how becoming. It was considered unhealthy to wash hair too often. I did get a change of clothes before dinner because I was so athletic and my clothes got torn or smudged up. We didn’t look any different than anyone today, just neater and more presentable than is customary now. In Switzerland in the Hochhauses we lived in, I got two days a month to wash clothes. Two consecutive days. They couldn’t understand Americans obsession with bathing.

green mom – at 17:37, sounds like we share some of the same experiences. :)

The camp washer is great for small or light items such as underwear, socks, shirts, etc. But I found that it didn’t do such a great job on dirty jeans. Its a small device so it won’t do more than one pair at a time. The heat and pumping create pressure that drives the soapy water into the fabric, and the cranking agitates your clothes to rub against each other and release the dirt. If you pack it tight the clothes won’t be able to agitate enough.

Dishpans do not like boiling water. Most stores that sell rubber storage bins also carry large, heavy gauge rubber buckets that are fantastic for big loads. Put a couple of pots full of lukewarm water in first, THEN add hot/boiling water, and you’ll have a steaming tub perfect for washing large roasting pans, kids, blankets, the family dog, you can even stand in it and pour water over your head for a poor man’s shower.

Lily, you’ve got the idea for the braids. Wrapped up on top like a crown. When you took your hair down, only the area by your scalp was oily and needed a good shampoo. We washed our clothes every week. Mom had a big wringer washer. She’d pull it up to the sink and the kitchen would be filled with steam as she worked away. The machine agitated the clothes and then you fed them through rollers - with extreme care not to put your hands through too. Those rollers were locked down tight and would snap the bones in your fingers just as fast as they crunched buttons in half. Then she hung the laundry out on the line, where, in the cold wind of winter, it would promptly freeze solid. It was so funny to see her carry those big flat shirts and pants into the house.

RE: Kim – at 17:07 Those of you who contemplate washing clothes in a big washbucket might want to actually try it out before you’re forced to rely on it. It really is NO fun whatsoever

We’ve tried ours several times now — since we live in FL, the clothes dry very fast after a good wringing out. I was actually amazed at how easy it was. I’m sure if I had to do a “huge” load, it wouldn’t be, but it’s great for a variety of items, and sheets for the bf will be disinfected and scrubbed using the washboard and tub if power is out. Our grandmothers did it, I’m up to the challenge.

The important thing to remember for this thread though, is to store water, get barrels to catch rain water, look around you for possible water sources, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone’s pool will be available for your use because they may not want to share.

Frozen clothes smelled different than clothes dried in wind and sun. I miss that sort of effort. Good for the waist. Clothespins in your mouth. One of my neigbors kept a line in her back yard and another neighbor raised hell, it wasn’t that sort of neighborhood she said. Ah well, they’ll have to put up with it if there is a pandemic, no artificial class distinctions. In switzerland sent the sheets out, were returned damp and you dried them as you could in the drying room. I miss Swiss life.I loved it there, love it here, love my little town, my little county. Now I just go to the most ethnic of laundromats. I enjoy watching how people treasure their belongings, folding them almost reverently, and with such satisfaction.I think for all the work it will be healthy for us all to return to that kind of lifestyle. We have not gained too much. My mother had a lot of joy till the very end of her life at 89. ( Accidental) She had her wits, and while slowed down, she was herself to the end.

I was looking for Minapoo— anyone remember it! Lol! I came across this but have not used it. It sounds great as long as it doesn’t goop up our hair. http://tinyurl.com/ec4mz It’s for No Rinse waterless bathing products. Apple cider vinegar sounds better to me. :>)

Corn starch/baby powder worked into the hair and brushed out doesn’t do a wonderful job, but it’ll be better than nothing if the water supply is tight. Try putting some in a jar with a few drops essential oil (not much!). Try lavender or rose, or maybe even orange. This gives it a nice scent that can help cover up the fact that is doesn’t do the best job in the world.

Also, some of you may find you don’t NEED to wash your hair as often. I typically wash my hair every 2–4 days (depending largely on the weather). If for some reason I wash it every day for more than a couple of days, I find that it actually gets oily faster. I guess the needless extra washing stimulates my oil glands. My friends have had similar experiences, when they stopped washing their hair every single day.

There is a spray for hair. It absorbs grease and dirt. When it dries, brush it out. For dishes and pans, get some bags of garden sand to wipe them out and then use a bit of water and soap. The sand can be used more than once. Keep it outside so that the rain rinses the sand out. Not good for nonstick pans of course. :-) Or get most of the gunk out of cookware using old rags, leaves or whatever. Of course, this is a worse case scenario.

Lily – at 19:59 Frozen clothes smelled different than clothes dried in wind and sun.

They certainly did… and do you remember the smell of those defrosted clothes when they were ironed? The subtle aroma of steam, starch, and an odd chemical smell somewhere between chlorine bleach and Tide.

We’re not allowed to have clothes lines where I live either. Its so ironic… the same people who proudly do their part for ecology by putting their wine bottles in little bins for recycling, have a fit if someone suggests hanging out clean clothes for 10 minutes in the blazing Florida sun.

Can’t say I would object to a bit of logical realignment of social priorities. But I have little hope that a pandemic or anything else would encourage such a wild concept as logic.

I don’t plan on killing myself doing the wash. I was one of those women Boy Scouts and I will first make my washing machine. All you need is a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and a new plunger. cut a hole the size of the plunger handle in the center of the lid. Put plunger in bucket, followed by clothes and some water. Add a dab (1 tsp) of detergent. Put lid on and snap in place. Now for the fun part. Sit down and pretend you are making butter. If you make two, you will have a rinse machine. I never use hot water. Here is the big plus —=Kids think it’s fun! Anyone uo for a cardboard box oven? It really works.

Check out the page lysol.com has up.the word is getting out

I was thinking this weekend that we may not have to toally abandon our regular clothes washing machines for washtubs and scrub buckets. The first washing machine I ever owned was an old wringer and if you have ever used one you know that you wash all of the clothes in the same tub of water. This is similar to bathing multiple people in the same bathtub, you start with the littlest and cleanest and move up to dad who just finished greasing the farm equipment. Anyway, with the clothes, you start with whites and move through your laundry to heavy, dirty jeans and such.

If we have an alternate source of power such as a generator, but don’t have running water, why not use the washing machine anyway? Fill the tub to the appropriate level, add soap and start with some whites. Let them wash but stop the machine before it spins. Take that load out (hand wring dry) and put another in. Several laundry baskets would be a help here. Keep washing but stopping the cycle until you have what you want to be your last load in. Let the machine spin out the water. Fill the washer with rinse water and go through the process again starting with the whites. Again with the last load let the rinse water spin out. You could put the other loads in on spin to help get excess water out. Hang up clothes to dry. For those that have sufficent water this will be a lot less labor intensive than hand washing.

Good idea Bill, i used a wringer washer just until a year ago…i still have it on the poarch and like to use it in the summer with the garden hose and all my clothes just go to the clothes line. I love doing laundry outside. Any who, i am lucky i guess in the fact that we have a brook in the back of the house that runs in to two ponds. I wiil take the washin to the brook and scub on a rock. In the winter i will lug water to the house and wash in the tub.

Psssssst Instant Spray Shampoo, Unscented

Just cut and pasted this from drugstore.com

This is the stuff we used as a kid when we couldn’t wash our hair and it worked pretty well as I recall.

Wow, some excellent ideas on this thread! (Kathy in Fl you rock)

If you have camped/backpacked in the desert, you learn lots of ways to conserve water.

For dishes, eat EVERYTHING then use your finger to wipe out the bowl (clean finger with tongue). Heat some water for after dinner tea, and use just a few tablespoons of water in your bowl. Scrub out with finger and hot water. You can discard that couple of tablespoons of water, or if you are hard-core, you drink it. Sounds gross, but really its just warm water with a bit of food residue in it. No soap is used in this system. This system also assumes each person takes care of his/her own eating bowl and spoon, so getting every germ off each meal is not really necessary because you are always using your own stuff.

Backpackers frequently simplify even more by cooking a one pot meal, and spooning directly out of the pot. Voila, only one dish to do, and a few spoons!

Keeping your body clean is actually important both for comfort and good health. You can do a lot of cleaning with less than a quart of water, a small washcloth or sponge and a little soap. You really need to do this at least every other day or you risk getting nasty fungal diseases, not to mention you will feel a LOT better clean than grungy. Remember keeping our spirits up, I think, will be a good part of the battle.

Clothes. I agree you can wear a shirt for many days. We once had a teenager on a long back country trip who, on his own dare, wore the same T-shirt for 3 weeks. It was more tan than white at the end, but actually not too terrible. (the desert environment is quite forgiving in this respect) If you regularly just hang stuff out in the sun, or by the wood stove, it is remarkable how clothes can get “freshened up” and sort of reach a maximum dirtiness then don’t get much worse. Its really your skin that gets odiferous if you don’t wash regularly.

Hair: You can wash your hair with less than a quart of water. Dampen using a washcloth. Use a minimal amount of shampoo. Rinse using some sort of squirt bottle such as an old water bottle with one of those snap up nipple type lids. And those of you with long gorgeous hair, maybe if TSHTF you can cut it, save it, and donate it to cancer patients if we all make it out of this alive. Short hair is MUCH easier to deal with.

Underwear and sox: Yes, wash and air out regularly. This is a health issue. The last thing you need is a yeast infection (sorry guys… but you can get something similar too) or a bad case of athlete’s foot.

Speaking of fungal issues, I would recommend keeping in your SIP supplies some tinactin and some sort of generic myconizol cream. When you need that stuff, you really need it and I don’t know of any substitutes.

I read that it’s the water that get clothes clean, so soaking for hours softens the oils and dirt so it comes out with wringing. Soaking in plain water for 24 hours is supposed to be as good as washing with soap.

I don’t know whether the alcohol gels actually remove dirt. They seem to be meant for circumstances between handwashings. I think if we tried using only Purell-type gel all day, then wet our hands and wiped them on a white washcloth, we’d see a lot of dirt. Maybe it would be enough to use thin cloth to rub our hands along with the gel. We should clean our fingernails regularly, too. Impetigo is a skin disease that could come from scratching the skin with dirty fingernails, allowing a common bacteria to cause infection. There may be other problems with not keeping clean. impetigo

ColdClimatePrepper – at 21:05

Thanks for the kind words. I’ve added foot powder and female hygiene items to the prep closet in spades. You are right … when you need ‘em, there is no real substitute. <grin>

The other thing that people might want to consider is that even those that don’t normally use moisturizers may wish to lay in some stock now. Washing clothes by hand, and washing less frequently period, may mean that you will develop dry skin issues.

Certainly, a good foot moisturizer may be nice. I’m prone to getting cracked heels because I am a bad girl and go barefoot a lot. The hot pavement and sand dry the heck out of my skin from mid-calf down. It is a year round battle for me. It helps to wear cotton socks, but my toes do like their freedom. <grin>

I don’t see how this will work in a pandemic situation, but I’ve read that putting dirty clothes in a lidded bucket of soapy water in the back of the car and driving around with it, the vibrations dislodge the dirt from the fabric. This would be great for people with bad backs and/or other physical limitations, if only it was possible to drive around in cars…

I’m mentioning it in case any of the bright people on this wiki can figure out an alternative. Maybe put the bucket on top of the generator, if you have one (I don’t). Other thoughts?

ColdClimatePrepper – at 21:05, “Speaking of fungal issues, I would recommend keeping in your SIP supplies some tinactin and some sort of generic myconizol cream. When you need that stuff, you really need it and I don’t know of any substitutes.”

Iodine is an excellent fungicide. Betadine (solution or scrub, either one) works well, or simply iodine tincture painted on (NOT merthiolate, it has to be iodine).

blackbird – at 01:54

If you have a generator and gas to run it, you can use your washing machine. See my post above, June 27 09:43.

blackbird – at 01:54 HaHa…I remember reading a book to our kids about a man who put all his dirty dishes in the back of the truck and drove around in the rain. It seemed like a good idea to them. Maybe if you can’t drive, you can put the bucket in a cradle and rock it for a while. Seriously.

Speaking of rocking to wash clothes … back in my grandparents early years, I’m 40 next month so it wasn’t all that many decades ago, there was a contraption or barrel thing that could be attached to a regular porch rocker and you would put the cream in it and rock the cream into butter. <grin>

I actually CAN see the same thing being done for moderately dirty clothes.

To “perk” your dirtiest clothing, you can actually boil them. The boiling action dislodges the dirt, oils, etc. I’ve used this for socks and really dirty clothes while camping. You have to take the stuff out of the water with a stick or similar, but it does work.

flourbug – at 17:50 Thank you for reminding us to take care of our hands. I unnecessarily destroyed mine when doing laundry for a big family using a bathtub and wringing by hand. If I had had a role model for this hard work I would have taken better care of myself.

Thanks for all these good ideas and reminders! Here’s an idea. Our big dog was really smelling bad in the winter, and it was too cold to wash her outside, plus she refuses to go into the tub. I rubbed powdered clay into her fur and brushed it out real good. When the dustiness was wearing off, the smell was gone too. I tried it in my own hair, and it might do in a pinch. One thing for sure, the hair had lots of extra body after I brushed the clay out!

Lorelle, thanks, that sounds like a good solution. What kind of clay? Where do you get it?

For washing clothes and dishes, I have a couple of pairs of rubber gloves, but probably they wouldn’t last long with hard use. Hardware stores have a variety of tough gloves that might work for laundry but maybe wouldn’t grip a dish very well.

Too bad the composting barrels are so expensive-one could be rolled around easily, but maybe it would leak. Maybe wearing clean rubber boots and stomping on the clothes in a big tub, like crushing grapes for wine. There would have to be a chair or some kind of safety railing for a hand grab.

It is bentonite clay, cosmetic grade. Eyton’s Earth is one company, but you can Google “Bentonite Clay” to find other companies. It’s heavy to ship, but I like having it around for a variety of uses.

Let’s see, get 3 rocking chairs and simultaneously rock the baby, wash the clothes and rock the cream into butter. Sounds good to me. Then the baby eats the butter, spilling some on the clothes and you start all over. That’s life.

Lord, I hope we don’t get bumped back to the stone ages, but if we do, I hope it isn’t for long! Wind and sun have “cleaning” power… so, a clothesline. I plan on making solutions of diluted lysol concentrate in spray bottles to spray on clothes hung out on the clothesline. Light weight stuff I can wash by hand using my grandma’s rub board… but jeans and heavy weight stuff… ugggh. Men can do it themselves or go back to wearing dresses… like stonage men did. ;)-

OK, before all of you begin beating your clothes with rocks in the stream, lets consider another possible scenario. The power is still on, at least part of the time, but the water is not safe to drink. Wouldn’t it still be possible to wash clothes in the washing machine? Between the detergent and some bleach, (regular or color-safe), that should take care of any nasties in the water, right?

I agree that it is always prudent to have at least several backup plans in place, but we don’t have to go to the most primitive right from the get-go.

That is my plan as well HB. I don’t foresee an immediate power loss. Perhaps a gradual loss with occasional brown or black outs.

At least I really hope so. I’m still trying to figure out a feasible way to store 6 months of water for a family of 7. In other words, it really isn’t possible in my situation.

My second plan is to have a way of bridging those times when water becomes scarce.

And, worse case scenario, I’ll go with EnoughAlready’s suggestion at 07:22 and wear a dress as long as it is short enough to show off my legs…

or…. dare i say we all just resort to the nudist way of living?!!

EnoughAlready - at 07:22

I’ve also thought about the “hang and spray” method for some of the laundry. I use “Bac-Out Stain and Odor Eliminator”, made by Bi-O-Kleen, as a laundry additive now and would try spraying it on the bulkiest and smelliest laundry (sheets, towels, jeans, etc.) then let dry in the sun. It uses enzymes to destroy stains and odors and is gentle to skin. Would be a little pricey for any long-term use though:(

I’m also thinking of buying a Wonder Washer for smaller/lighter things. Would be doing laundry for only 2 or 3 people, so might be helpful. The 5-gal bucket with toilet plunger-as-agitator (HBB’s idea, I think?) would work well too.

As Hillbilly Bill said, hopefully we would have water and electricity, but I’ve also considered the possibility of being SIP and the washing machine breaks down. Would we have a repairman come in (if they even would) or go buy a new one (if you even could)? Just one more thing that COULD go wrong.

Would it be useful to wear both a light layer next to the skin and a light-to-medium top layer (for example a long apron) to catch spills? Then what needs to be washed is the lightweight layers. Also a bandana around the neck or a silk scarf to keep shirt collars cleaner. (I live in Chicage with lots of cool to cold weather.) Washing jeans sounds like a new endurance sport-ugh!

If anyone is interested in a non-electric”washing machine”, check out the James Hand Washer with wringer at Lehman’s. Only $600 and delivery in 2–12 weeks;)

jane – at 11:44

Brings to mind all of those aprons the women in my family’s history would wear over their clothes. They weren’t just a fashion trend but served a very real purpose of protecting their outer wear.

It is a heck of a lot easier to wash an apron … even one of those huge old-fashioned on … compared to other things.

Hillbilly Bill @09:43

I do hope you plan on shavinf your legs first!!! Unsightly “tidy whitie” lines is one thing but hairy legs is another. Make sure to get a picture, ‘cause noone will believe you. gina

Hurricane Alley RN – at 14:19 LOL!!! OK, will do. And no worries about the “tighty whities”, I don’t wear them…

Hillbilly Bill, Ok, boxers will sub for a half slip in a crunch or you could do the Scottish thing and do the Regimental Kilt. I’m still ROTFLOL. gina

I hope this is not considered off-topic; many people plan on using paper plates and cups or styrofoam so they don’t have to run the dishwasher or use water to wash plates. Seems to make sense. But….what do you do with the dirty paper/styrofoam plates, cups and platicware?

I have used a burn barrel in the past and learned that burning any kind of paper product is dangerous. It ‘flakes’ and becomes a hot, airborne ash/cinder very quickly. This is often how brush fires start. I use heavy and lighter gauge hardware cloth over the barrel to minimize this but it is not fool proof.

What do others plan to do with the paper refuse?

ssol – at 15:06

If … and that’s a big if because for me it just isn’t really financially feasible for every meal for 7 folks … I’ll refrain from using styrofoam and plastic utensils. Anything paper, such as paper plates and napkins, I will only use the cheap white ones. I have one of those old fashioned, manuel shredders. I’ll shred what we use and put it on the compost pile that I hope to create.

Not the greatest plan, but better than nothing. The only other option that I can think of would be to dig a hole and put the shredded material in it.

Kathy in FL, I’m imagining the shredder getting gummed up with food remains, then getting stinky-ewww! Maybe cutting up plates with scissors? In all your spare time. ;) If everyone is healthy, maybe we’ll become like bachelors and eat out of the pots. Or if we have failures of bread making, the bottoms crusts could be trenchers, like the Middle Ages. Then throw them to the dogs. But that’s a lot of work unless you love making bread.

Manual shredder? I just reread your post-I was picturing my electric one with baked bean gravy….:P Haven’t seen a manual one.

“if we have failures of bread making, the bottoms crusts could be trenchers”

Hey! I can make those! I have several recipes that turn those out consistently.

jane – at 15:47

Its a really old, all metal handcrank thing that the university was just throwing out.

I also have one of those manual small limb shredders that might work also.

I think using paper products is a trade off. You might save a little water, but you have a never ending mess to clean up one way or the other. To me there is actually less mess by doing dishes by hand. Less storage to have to find. Less worry about pests and assorted varmints getting into the paper goods. Etc.

Besides … I have kids that can help. <grin> One of the beauties of large families is that there are more people to share the load. Buwhahahahahah. <a mother’s “evil” cackle>

Kathy in FL, I love it. Now my kids are grown and still eat up our food, but I can’t force them to wash dishes anymore. What happened? I need a bigger switch.

I wonder if the old fashioned clothes soap you can make yourself (with Fels Naptha Soap, Borax and Arm & Hammer washing soda) might be a good alternative to store bought laundry detergents, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, it doesn’t suds up. It requires less product to do the same job (2 cents/load of laundry), you will find you need less fabric softener (if any), and it rinses out much easier.

Shad.

I suppose if things get all that bad we could cook everything mixed together in one pot (rice, beans, tuna and greens. Then we eat this stew out of mugs. Then we drink water in our mugs (a rinse). There will be less to clean up (three mugs, 1 pot and 3 spoons) and clean up will be easy and nothing goes to waste.

flotsum

Closed to maintain Forum speed.