When the Poo Hits the Fan- lets talk sanitation

[WILL]

Oct 5, 2012 14:43:30 GMT -7 missj said:

with regards to "renewable" hygiene items don't overlook the "Peri Bottle" for rinsing off your bum...

it is just a small squeeze bottle designed to work effectively "back there"...the pressure of the hand squeezed water is a gentle enough pressure to not cause problems, but a strong enough pressure to clean things up.

They give these out free on most labor and delivery units because new moms are not supposed to use toilet paper for a while....no reason that they couldn't work for men too.... No matter how much TP you store, eventually you will run out....

"Glad rags" for feminine hygiene issues....an oldie but a goodie

Also, very quickly people will have to adjust their criteria for what is an "acceptable" level of personal cleanliness. No more washing clothes every time you wear them....no more daily showers

Great idea, thanks.

[thywar]

I'm gonna miss those daily showers (sometimes more depending on what's going on).. plenty of hot water... oh well.. I do have a solar shower set up and I've done it for over a week before in the middle of the boundary waters..
and for another hygiene issue, I'm having my own pair of scissors that nobody gets to use cause I'm not growing a forest in my nose, ears or eyebrows.. I am going to buy a straight razor (yeah I know all you woodsmen are growing a beard or can shave with your knives.. lol... Heck even Jeremiah Johnson shaved for his indian wife) and when I want to be 'clean cut' I'll have that option..
I really believe hygiene can be the biggest shortfall in post SHTF.. bad hygiene and that little cut or even that infected hangnail can give you big problems.

[olebama]

How about hydrogen peroxide? I know it has a finite shelf life. However, I have had a few minor infections that nothing seems to touch but hydrogen peroxide.

Bleach also for cleaning surfaces and purifying water.

[WILL]

Oct 5, 2012 16:43:22 GMT -7 olebama said:

How about hydrogen peroxide? I know it has a finite shelf life. However, I have had a few minor infections that nothing seems to touch but hydrogen peroxide.

Bleach also for cleaning surfaces and purifying water.

I hear Bleach also has a finite shelf life. I believe its 6 months, but I'm not sure.

[blacksmith]

we have been working on getting the stuff we need to make a nice wood fire hot water tank
I have made one years back out of a 55 gal. drum and some thing to keep it up out of the fire
hot water in 10 to 15 min. and you had over 45 gal. of hot water but do not go 30 min. or was way to hot

[rollerpig]

Sept 28, 2012 9:45:43 GMT -7 missj said:

Let's say somebody in your house gets real sick. Diarrhea, fever. This is your spouse or child so you are most likely NOT going to put them out in some quarantine tent (or maybe you would?)

How would you care for this person?

I'd say give them a quarantine "room" or wing of the house.

Wear a mask and latex gloves when caring for them....if the illness seems unusually dangerous you may want to wear an "overgown" when you go in the room to bring them food etc. that you can strip off before you go around the house, sitting on other furniture etc.

If this person is having a lot of vomiting or diarrhea issues they may need to be camped out in the bathroom with an air mattress or sleeping bag (also, bathrooms have more hard surfaces that are easier to disinfect).

Try to designate ONE person to care for them so that everybody doesn't get sick at the same time.

Frequently wipe down hard surfaces in the house with a diluted bleach solution (door knobs, countertops, faucets).

everybody in the house use hand sanitizer frequently (like maybe 10+ times per day).

those are just some thoughts off the top of my head....I don't actually know if they are valid quarantine procedures or not....just seem logical to me.

One of the more common reasons for severe diarrhea is C-diff infection. C-diff is a spore and is not killed by hand sanitizer. If you are caring for someone who has severe diarrhea, you will need to wash your hands with soap and water after each contact with them. Otherwise it sounds pretty good.

One of the things I am stocking up on is Immodium and Flagyl. If someone gets diarrhea and it is not bloody or smells like C-diff. Just let it go for about 2 days to see if it is a virus that the body can take care of on it's own. The most important thing is to not let the person become too dehydrated. One of the best things you can use for dehydration is rice water. If someone is having severe diarrhea they need to drink as much water as possible and at least one "serving" of rice water a day. A "serving" of rice water is 1/2 cup of rice boiled in 3 cups of water for about 45 min then strained. This can either be drank as is or diluted down. If after 2 days they are still having severe diarrhea, start treating them with the immodium. If you suspect that they are infected with Giardia or C-Diff, you can treat it with Flagyl. Just know that if they drink any alcohol with the Flagyl not only will they have explosive diarrhea but also explosive vomiting.

[rollerpig]

Oct 5, 2012 16:47:26 GMT -7 WILL said:

Oct 5, 2012 16:43:22 GMT -7 olebama said:

How about hydrogen peroxide? I know it has a finite shelf life. However, I have had a few minor infections that nothing seems to touch but hydrogen peroxide.

Bleach also for cleaning surfaces and purifying water.

I hear Bleach also has a finite shelf life. I believe its 6 months, but I'm not sure.

I am stocking up on pool "shock" powder instead of bleach. I don't think it would looses it's potency like liquid bleach and it takes up less space.

[missj]

Oct 6, 2012 2:40:36 GMT -7 rollerpig said:

Oct 5, 2012 16:47:26 GMT -7 WILL said:

I hear Bleach also has a finite shelf life. I believe its 6 months, but I'm not sure.

I am stocking up on pool "shock" powder instead of bleach. I don't think it would looses it's potency like liquid bleach and it takes up less space.

me too