Gunner Quinn
(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)
Bars of Soap and Healing Ointment
I stockpile bars of soap because there are so many uses for a good bar of soap. I use several different kinds of soap bars, but the nice thing about them is they are compact and you can stuff them into numerous places for safekeeping. You can grate them to make a liquid detergent for washing just about anything, yourself included. Bars of soap are probably the cheapest, and most easily storable form of soap you can buy. There are many, many, recipes online for making laundry detergent, liquid dish soap detergent, etc.
When the skin gets dry and cracked, it’s important to cover those cracks and get them healed up as quickly as possible to avoid infection. By “cover them” I mean thoroughly coat them in a mineral cream or the tried and true Vaseline (petroleum jelly). This prevents entry of more bacteria and will heal the cracks. I use a mineral cream because it is the most effective for me (brand: Nivea), but Vaseline is cheap and readily available. A little goes a long way. You can purchase bottles of mineral oil inexpensively and coat your hands in the oil before bed, or glove your hands in cotton or nitrile gloves during the day. You can make your own soaps and salves with tallow (beef fat), plus a few more ingredients, if available to you. The reason I suggest the above is that today’s common “hand cream” is not effective. You need something more heavy-duty.
Apple Cider Vinegar
I use Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in cooking primarily, and I put it in the large cow water troughs for the benefit of the cow’s digestion. If you have a bad chest cold, you can put ACV in a pot of water, bring it to a gentle boil, remove the pot from the stove and carefully inhale the steam. That vinegar can kill the bacteria in the lungs and is safe for children to inhale. It helps to cover your head and shoulders with a towel to make a tent over the pot. Repeat the exercise several times a day. This can prevent an urgent care or doctor visit and possibly, if the infection is not too far advanced, help you avoid antibiotics. ACV is also helpful to wash produce with because it is “food safe”.
Tea Tree Oil
I keep a large bottle of tea tree oil on hand. It comes in a dark bottle and must be kept in a dark location in order to retain its effectiveness. I use it primarily for fungal issues. It’s cheap and effective. One time I had become very sick with a flu and due to the vomiting for a week, I developed “thrush”, which is a fungal infection in the mouth. I bravely took a Q-tip, dipped it in the tea tree oil, and swabbed my mouth with it. It tastes horrible. I let it sit in my mouth for as long as I could stand it, probably 3 minutes, then rinsed my mouth with warm water. I repeated that a couple of times a day for two days and it completely healed the thrush. The thrush was mostly gone in the first 24 hours. Thrush is generally treated with a prescription anti-fungal, but if there is no doctor/dentist, tea tree oil is my go to. It would have to be very carefully administered to children since it’s not to be swallowed and they would hate the taste. If you can’t control those things, I don’t recommend it for children. I have also used it to treat foot fungus.
Buckets
You can’t have too many 5 gallon buckets, in my opinion, but that’s mostly because I live on a farm. Buckets are great for storing dried foods such as grains, beans, and other dry food stuff. They are easily stackable. I use them for carrying tools, water, and for picking up trash or random items left around the farm. I use them to clabber extra milk for the animals. One time, years ago, my well ran dry and we needed water quickly while we waited for the longer term solution. I knew of a fresh stream coming out of the side of a nearby mountain. We loaded up buckets in the truck, and drove down to that stream and filled the buckets with water and drove them back home, just as an example. A 5 gallon bucket filled with water weighs about 40lbs, so it’s possible for a strong person to carry it. When the buckets are not in use, they can be nested so that they are easily storable. Just remember to never nest damp buckets, you’ll have a very hard time un-nesting them. Ask me how I know. They need to be dry as a bone before nesting. Water is critically important during SHTF, but how are you going to carry it? Buckets. As well, they can be used as “poop buckets” if you have no way to flush a toilet. With the addition of plastic bags to line them, you have an instant toilet. 5 gallon buckets are still inexpensive, readily available, and take up little space if nested. It can’t hurt to have a stack of buckets on standby.
Baby Wipes
I always keep a case of baby wipes in the house. And not just because I have small grandchildren. If you lack water, you can’t wash anything or bathe. One case purchased from Costco lasts me two years, but mostly because they are not regularly used. While a slow way to bathe, baby wipes will help you keep your body clean if you lack water. A case doesn’t take up much room and is a good standby prep. The wipes for babies are gentle and do not have a lot of chemicals in them so they are “safe” for cleaning the most sensitive parts.
Paper Towels and Washcloths
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention paper towels and washcloths. I use paper towels copiously on the farm because it helps with sanitation, but it’s not feasible to store them in large quantity. It’s also not a sustainable option for WTSHTF. I buy them by the case at Costco, but they are a convenience item. I will use them while I can. As a backup, I buy stacks of washcloths, also from Costco because the quality is very good. They are thick and last a long time. They are small in size, so easily storable. They wash and dry quickly. Get as close to 100% cotton as you can. I go through a lot of washcloths for cleaning up the milk cows, but I can’t see how too many washcloths is a bad thing. I keep animal use washcloths, and people use washcloths separate.
Large Tubs, Laundry Lines, Burn Barrels, and a Shovel
It’s good to have at least two large sized tubs – plastic is cheap but doesn’t last; thick rubber is better. Galvanized metal will last a long time as long as it is of “stock tank” quality, meaning it will hold water without leaking. Again, this is related to lack of water, but also electricity. If you have mostly solved your water issues, but not electrical, having something to bathe in, wash clothes and dishes in, wash kids or animals in, is priceless if you don’t have running water. If you live in the country, you most likely already have a few around, but if you live in the suburbs or city, you probably don’t. Get the largest size you can afford and that you can fit in your space. You can use them for something else until you need them in SHTF.
Having a way to dry your laundry is critically important. I keep several packages of laundry line and wooden clips on standby. Line drying clothes is a centuries-old practice. You can tie the lines up almost anywhere inside and outside the house, or erect a permanent laundry line outside if you have room to do that. The sun is the best disinfectant. It’s better to have those few small things on hand than not, no matter where you live.
A burn barrel is critical for burning trash and things that are germ-filled and cannot be cleaned. You may live in an area where burning trash is not legal. Disposing of waste becomes a huge challenge and if not disposed of properly can become the source of disease. If you can’t burn it, then you need to think hard about how you are going to dispose of unsanitary waste.
Having a good couple of shovels is also critical. You may have to bury the body of a person or animal. Gross and horrible to think about, but necessary to confront. A shovel will also allow you to bury human waste in a dedicated area, deep enough that it won’t be dug up by animals and spread about (think outhouse). Investigate composting human waste. In a SHTF scenario, the garbage trucks will not be running, the dumps will become full and closed. We need to consider disposing of all kinds of waste to prevent disease.
Boiling Water
Having a method for boiling large quantities of water without electricity is essential. If you have an outdoor fire pit, you can construct a method for boiling water. You used to be able to use a galvanized metal trash can, but no longer. They don’t hold water and leak through countless seams. What I decided to do is use a turkey scalder that attaches to a propane tank. I can use it for scalding birds, but also for boiling a large pot of water. It’s also useful for heating up large pots of food if needed. A large stainless steel pot or cast iron pot would be good over an open flame as long as you have a grate to hold the pots. It’s important to think about boiling water, and test your method, in advance.
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