Posted on 10/07/2012 12:20:20 PM PDT by Kartographer
There are some topics that people maybe sometimes do not want to read or hear about, or other folks just thinking that is not too important when SHTF. Hygiene is something that we all agree is important, but how dirty is gonna be is other thing.
If you look for example to definition of Cholera you can see this: „Cholera is an acute enteric infection caused by the ingestion of bacterium Vibrio cholerae present in faecally contaminated water or food. Primarily linked to insufficient access to safe water and proper sanitation, its impact can be even more dramatic in areas where basic environmental infrastructures are disrupted or have been destroyed.„
I already mentioned that I suffered (together with lot of folks from that time) few serious cases of diarrhea, I mean cases when you can not lift your head up for days, i was so exhausted.
Did I have Cholera? I do not have clue, no hospitals, no labs, no doctors. Probably yes. All what I could do is to take fluids, menthol tea, chamomile tea and „Rosa Canina“ tea.
(Excerpt) Read more at shtfschool.com ...
late 14c., first attested in Scottish English, apparently a dialectal variant of Scottish stob "to pierce, stab," of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of stub (n.) "stake, nail." Figurative use, of emotions, etc., is from 1590s. Related: Stabbed; stabbing.
This part of the Florida Panhandle was settled by highland Scots. In fact the area around DeFuniak Springs was composed of 70% Scots names on maybe the 1960 census but not certain which one.
I do know all my class mates had names like McDonald, Campbell, Douglass, McDuffie, Morrison, McClean and so on. I once saw a census of the Island of Colonsay in the Inner Hebrides and the names were just about identical to those around here. I think that census was around 1700.
P4L
Not sure that everyone knows bleach has a rather short self life. About 9 months.
I did not know that ! Thanks
Karty,
Where does one buy that calcium h stuff ?
Body Functions:
I have a portable potty, has metal frame with seat and seat cover, and plastic bucket underneath seat – put plastic bag in bucket, putting down the seat holds bag securely in bucket. That potty is for bowel movement only. Adding water causes more smell. After a bowel movement, add a bit of Arm and Hammer cat litter. That absorbs moisture, cuts down on smell and makes a more solid mass. After removing plastic bag, bury in ground below any outlet for water you are using if using ground water and not piped in town water.
Use another potty for urine such as a house potty that isn’t working. Put a plate in bottom of potty. That sounds strange, but a plastic bag tries to slide down into the potty and a plate will prevent that. Use only for urine. After using, put a bit, just a bit is all it takes, of Pine Sol into the bag. That prevents odor from developing. When bag is full, whatever you want full to be, take bag out and bury as the potty bag is buried. If you have two regular potties, you can use one for bowel movement and other for urine. Be sure to plug that potty so the bag cannot go down the toilet. The portable potty I have can be placed anywhere it needs to go and, of course, the stationary potties are there to stay.
I have stacks of hand sanitizer packets to use after going to potty. Make sure everyone uses them. Also have big bottles of hand sanitizer for that purpose and anytime someone comes in from the outside.
Buy a stack of N95 facemasks. If someone has a bad cold or especially flu, have the ill person wear a mask before you approach him/her. That is to keep spittle from a cough landing on you. Wear a mask yourself as double protection to keep spittle from invading your nose or mouth. If you wear glasses, your eyes have some protection from spittle. One can guy cheap clear plastic goggles for this and other reasons at Walmart for less than $3-4. I saw them on line a few months ago.
Buy medical gloves and wear them when approaching the sick person. To take off gloves, pull them down and off so the inside is now on the outside, and do this stripping them off into a plastic bag.
Sewer lines:
If you are on a city sewer line, you sewage may back up after several days when power to water/sewage goes off. If your house is higher than other houses around it, their sewage backs up before yours does. If you are the lower side, you get backup before others do. Know where to cut off the sewer line to your house.
Re-hydrating:
I have Gatorade powder and Pedialyte powder for re-hydrating.
Swimming-pool section of stores like WalMart and swimming-pool speciality stores.
I've been told that it loses 50% of its strength in about a year.
That's why I stopped trying to store household bleach and just got some of the Calcium Hydrochlorite...I'll make my own bleach when the time comes.
I would love to know how your grandparents rigged the hot and cold running water
Great Grandpa Bill as I called him was a very resourceful man. He owned a large steam powered sawmill and also a single locomotive and a rail line.
They had a really nice two story house. It sat below a natural spring. The spring water was channeled into a cement reservoir. This gave it pressure to flow into the house. The plumbing system was basically a standard one like houses have today.
One water line was run through a steam boiler then to the house. Water was also run through the kitchen stove which also had a hot water reservoir.
The house also had a carbide light system which was as bright as electric lights.
Also had a battery and generator powered telephone system which ran to his relatives houses.
The house won an award from the “Progressive Farmer” magazine as the most modern rural house in the country.
Gradnpa Bill died in the early 50s and all the children eventually moved away. The house sat abandoned for many years. My Great Uncle actually caught a guy trying to steal the ornate old bath tub.
It finally got to where it was dangerous to go in and was demolished.
My little shotgun shack here doesn't have a washer/dryer (or room for them). I either hire my laundry out, or go to a laundromat, or hand wash.
When I was a mountain man, I handwashed.
Handwashing clothes takes some special tools, and lots of hot water and patience.
I have a converted stainless steel keg that I used to boil clothes.
Soap for clothes washing is important to have. It can be made from scratch, but you need that skillset now, or have plenty of commercial soap on hand.
/johnny
Pool Supply stores are the best. Make sure it’s pure and as high a chlorine continent that’s available.
I from this on line I am sure there are others:
Not all pool shock is the same. Many are made with other chemicals which will not perform the same way. They can also contain algeacides which can poison you if consumed in high enough concentrations.
This place sells it online at a 57% concentration. http://www.poolgeek.com/BioGuard-Burn-Out-3-P9506.aspx
As with other chemicals its important to store this stuff correctly. Its an oxidizer and will contaminate any food it comes into contact with or is stored with. It also will rust metals quickly. Store it in a mylar bag or a glass jar and keep it clean. Do not store it in the same cabinet or space as any food products.
As an oxidizer it also represents a fire hazard and it will create an oxygen rich environment in a fire.
For hot water, I use camp showers - put the bags in the sun and get hot water fairly fast. There is a tube on the camp showers and a cut off, so use them for running water when there is no running water. Use those for regular body showers, too.
I boil mine, in 1700s-1800s era style. It is very hard on clothes over time, though.
While I have used homemade lye soap to wash with... I prefer the modern stuff. ;)
/johnny
>> “It can be made from scratch...” <<
.
But only if you happen to have ‘scratch.’
Everything could be equally hard to come by in any sort of disruption; doesn’t have to be TEOTW.
I can burn wood, in fact have stored wood ashes anyway for other uses. We have way too many feral hogs around here. Fats I can get.
/johnny
>> “Not sure that everyone knows bleach has a rather short self life. About 9 months.” <<
.
That is only when srored in sunlight.
If you’re buying bleach at Costco, or Sam’s club, you would be wise to keep it in the cardboard boxes that it comes in.
If that cannot be done, aluminum foil works even better.
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