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Hygiene and Sanitation

Stay clean and contain waste

When the water stops, hygiene and human waste become the fastest health threats on the property. Keep a way to stay clean and a way to contain and treat waste.

Start with the full guide

Field guideStockpile Essentials Field GuideThe master checklist: 239 items across 16 categories, the shelf life class of each, and the 20 multi-use items that cover the most jobs. 39 pages.Open the field guide Master guideWhat to stock: the long shelf life master listOne list of what to stock, sorted by need, with the real shelf life of each item, how to store it, and the products I buy.Open the full page Master guideHygiene and Sanitation When the Water Is OffWhat to do when the water goes off: bucket toilet, hand washing, waste, body, teeth, laundry, dishes, disinfecting, and pests, with the shelf item and recipe page for every job.Open the full page

Plan for the toilet before you need it

A gravity sewer needs the water main to flush, and a septic system needs power to pump. When either stops, a lined bucket and cover material is what keeps your home safe.

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Formulas 28

Formula All-Purpose Liquid Castile Soap from Bar Grate a bar of castile soap into hot water and it melts into a soft, gel-like liquid soap for hands, dishes, laundry, and cleaning. It will not look like store-bought pump soap, since a bar always thickens toward a gel, but it lathers and cleans just the same. Handle with care Formula Anti-Chafing and Rash Prevention Powder Chafing starts as simple friction and quickly turns into raw, stinging skin that can slow you down and let infection in. A light dusting of plain cornstarch keeps skin-on-skin areas dry and slick, heading off the damage before it starts. Handle with care Formula Antifungal Foot Soak A warm boric acid soak makes the skin a hard place for fungus to grow, calming the itch and sting of athlete's foot while it keeps the feet clean and dry. Hazardous Formula Baking soda bath for itchy, irritated skin When irritation covers large areas of skin, spot treatments are not practical. Handle with care Formula Baking soda deodorizer for enclosed spaces and surfaces Rooms: open container; Items: small pouch; Fabric: thin layer Handle with care Formula Baking soda field scrub for body odor How to use baking soda as a dry deodorant, a scrub paste or an oil-based deodorant cream when soap and showers are not available. Handle with care Buckhorn CliffsThe full field manualEvery member article, all six field guide PDFs, and a printable manual of your own.See membership Formula Baking soda foot soak for odor, itch and athlete's foot Foot problems are common in extended outdoor or survival situations. This warm soak eases foot odor, itching, and the discomfort of athlete's foot. Handle with care Formula Baking soda for teeth and gums Baking soda's mild alkalinity neutralizes the acids that mouth bacteria produce and soothes inflamed tissue, making it a workable stand-in for both toothpaste and mouthwash. Handle with care Formula Baking soda surface cleaner and scrub Cleaning paste: 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water Formula Clay Mask for Oily Skin and Minor Irritation As a bentonite clay mask dries, it absorbs surface oil, sweat, and grime, and its negatively charged particles bind impurities on the skin, leaving the surface clean, matte, and briefly tightened. Handle with care Formula Cold Process Bar Soap Soap is the product of a simple chemical reaction between fat and lye that humans have used for thousands of years. Hazardous Formula Deodorize and sanitize shoes without washing A two-step method using a vinegar mist, sun drying, and baking soda to cut odor and bacteria in shoes or boots when washing is not possible. Formula DIY Hand Sanitizer The best version leans on two of this book's own compounds: isopropyl alcohol to kill the germs, and a little glycerin to keep the alcohol from cracking your skin. The trick is that the glycerin is tiny, under a teaspoon to a cup, so the alcohol stays high where it has to be. Hazardous Formula Dry Shampoo for Extended Field Use When water is scarce, cornstarch buys a few more days between hair washes. Dusted onto the roots, it soaks up the oil and sweat that make hair look greasy and flat, so your hair looks and feels cleaner with no water at all. Handle with care Formula Field Body Wash and Shampoo Castile soap bars work in cold water, need no preparation, and last a couple of weeks of daily washing. One bar covers body, hands, and hair. Handle with care Formula Foot powder for moisture and friction (baking soda, cornstarch) Used to reduce foot moisture, friction, and odor in situations where hygiene is limited and foot care is essential, such as during long hikes, shelter stays, or off-grid living. Handle with care Formula Freshen bedding and sleeping pads without washing (vinegar, sun) Foam pads, sleeping bags, and boots harbor bacteria in places you cannot easily wash with soap and water. Handle with care Formula Homemade squeezable toothpaste (bentonite clay and baking soda) A squeezable toothpaste recipe using bentonite clay, calcium carbonate, baking soda, arrowroot and glycerin, with essential oil options. Formula Laundry Booster and Fabric Stripping Solution Over time, detergent residue, hard water minerals, body oils, and fabric softener build up invisibly in cloth fibers, trapping odors and reducing absorbency. Hazardous Formula Lime Treatment for an Emergency Toilet or Latrine When the plumbing stops, human waste becomes the fastest route to cholera and dysentery in a home or camp. A layer of hydrated lime over a bucket toilet or pit turns the waste strongly alkaline, which knocks down the bacteria and viruses behind those diseases, cuts the smell, and keeps flies off it while you deal with it. Hazardous Formula Mattress, fabric and upholstery freshener (baking soda) How to use baking soda to pull odors and moisture out of mattresses, cushions, sleeping pads and upholstery when washing is not possible. Formula Muscle Soak for Soreness and Recovery A warm soak eases sore, tense muscles after hard work. The warmth is doing the work: there is no good evidence the Epsom salt adds anything beyond the warm water. It is comforting, cheap, and low-risk as long as the water stays warm rather than hot. Handle with care Formula Odor-Stripping Soak for Stinky Clothes Clothes stink because bacteria feed on body oils trapped deep in the fibers, so the fix is a long soak that lifts those oils out and shifts the pH the bacteria depend on, matched to the smell and the fabric. Hazardous Formula Shelf-stable laundry powder (baking soda, borax, washing soda) Base: soda + borax + soda ash; Plus: grated bar soap; Machine: 2-3 tbsp / load Hazardous Formula Surface and Tool Sanitizer Peroxide breaks down into water and oxygen, so it leaves no residue and no fumes. That makes it the disinfectant for enclosed spaces, sickrooms, and anyone with asthma, where bleach is a problem. It works, but it works slowly, and it only works on a surface you have already cleaned. Handle with care Formula Unclog and deodorize drains (baking soda and vinegar) Step 1: ½ cup dry soda; Wait: 30 min; Step 2: ½ cup vinegar Handle with care Formula Vinegar deodorant and fabric freshener spray Vinegar's acetic acid kills the bacteria that produce body and fabric odor, making it a practical substitute for commercial deodorants and fabric fresheners when those products are unavailable. Handle with care Formula Wash hair without shampoo (baking soda) For days when hair smells off and a full shampoo isn't an option, or as an occasional rescue between regular washes. Handle with care

Guides 1

Guide Hygiene and Sanitation When the Water Is Off When the water stops, human waste and unwashed hands become the fastest health threats on the property, so a working toilet plan with soap beside it comes before anything else.

Spare parts lists 1

Parts list Spare parts: Sanitation & Waste If the toilet will not flush, human waste becomes the fastest health threat on the property. Keep a way to contain and treat it, even if you are on city sewer.

Common mistake

Ignoring the toilet plan until the water is already off.

Skills to learn

build a bucket toilet · treat waste with lime · ration wash water

When it matters

Blackout Wildfire and evacuation Water outage Rising prices and shortages No doctor available