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20 Hygiene Products to Stockpile Like Crazy
If the year 2020 taught us anything, it’s that life can be turned upside down in the blink of an eye. But more than that, all kinds of things that you wouldn’t expect could suddenly become scarce or even totally non-existent.
hygiene kit next to pouch
Remember the great toilet paper shortage? That was a rough time, and arguably not even that bad because the factories were still running, making more toilet paper! Imagine how much worse things will be when society well and truly falls apart.
Stocking up on hygiene supplies is a good idea not just for the use of yourself, your loved ones, and your neighbors, but also as trade fodder so you can get what you want from other people. I consider the following 20 items absolutely indispensable.
Toilet Paper
No surprises here: toilet paper might not be strictly necessary when it comes to wiping your backside, but life is going to get a whole lot more laborious, unpleasant, and grosser without it.
Having lots of TP on hand, and preferably the good stuff that’s both strong and soft, ensures that you won’t have to worry about this when nature calls.
Consider that in many survival situations your normal way of going to the bathroom might already be compromised, so even having toilet paper as a nod to normality will be a comfort.
And don’t forget, people already prove they’ll do nearly anything to get this stuff when they don’t have any.
Wet Wipes
When it comes to preparation, wet wipes are my favorite hygiene item.
You can use them for getting extra clean when going to the bathroom, of course, but they also make a wonderful improvised bath, especially if you’re in the field and don’t have access to water. Naturally, they are tops for taking care of babies, too…
They’re highly portable, will save you water, and help keep you clean and fresh. Either buy large packages and be ready to break them down into Ziploc bags when you open them, or buy the smaller packs and keep them sealed until you need them.
Heavy-Duty Contractor Bags
This might seem like a peculiar inclusion on a list of hygiene supplies, but you’ll soon see there’s method to my madness.
Regrettably, there are many events which might completely ruin your sewer or septic system. Hell, you might not even have a house or toilet to do your business in on the backside of a crisis!
In that case, you might need to store your waste until you can dispose of it properly. These are strong enough to do the job with no leaks, and naturally, they also work like a charm for disposing of all kinds of other trash. Get several jumbo rolls.
Concentrated Disinfectant
Most preppers keep a stash of cleaning supplies on hand with good reason, but you can save space and stretch your supplies by purchasing concentrated disinfectants that you cut with water in a spray bottle.
This saves shelf space and can allow you to maximize your return on investment by thinning the solution a little more than you would normally. It’s convenient and cheap, another one of my favorites.
Bleach
Bleach really can be a prepper’s best friend, right after duct tape and paracord, of course! Bleach isn’t just useful for keeping your white laundry pearly white, but also for disinfecting hard surfaces, sterilizing water, and preventing contamination generally.
Bleach is so cheap and so versatile that there’s no reason you shouldn’t have some on hand, but do mind the shelf life on the quantity you buy and be ready to rotate regularly…
Opened bleach has a shelf life of no longer than about 6 months, and when sealed it will on average lose anywhere from 12% to 20% of its potency every year.
Don’t buy industrial quantities if you have no hope of using it up before it becomes useless.
Feminine Care Items
Most women require specialized hygiene items in the form of pads, tampons, and the like. For us guys, we don’t need this stuff but the women in our lives, and that includes our neighbors and even strangers who are in a bind, do. Or, we might have friends who have their own girls they need to take care of…
Having this stuff on hand, and a variety of sizes and applications, might very well save someone’s day and make you a hero.
Diapers
Babies go through diapers by the cartload, as you know if you’ve raised your own little one. But even if you don’t have a child of your own, other people do.
Diapers just make sense to keep on hand. You can invest in disposables or, my preference for long-term prepping, cloth diapers that are washable and reusable.
If you’ve never done it, it sounds gross, but the process really isn’t bad and bleach makes it even easier. In any case, those with babies of their own will pay nearly any price to get these once they run out.
Toothbrush
Don’t neglect your teeth, even in the middle of a crisis.
If you have time to take care of yourself you should, not only because this will help keep your head in the game and cut down on offensive odors that will upset the people around you but also because it will help prevent infection and other show-stopping problems.
A large carton of disposable toothbrushes won’t cost very much and will certainly do the job for a long time.
Toothpaste
If you’re going to do a good job of caring for your teeth, you’ll need toothpaste in addition to toothbrushes.
Get whatever kind you like here, just make sure you have it on hand and keep it somewhere that isn’t too hot or too cold so it doesn’t degrade. Room temperature storage is best.
Floss
Floss is another item that might seem like a luxury or tertiary concern at best, but it makes a lot of sense for preppers to keep this stuff on hand and not just for proper oral care.
Floss can be repurposed as fishing line, strong thread, a tripwire, whipping, and a lot more. If you sharpen your MacGyver skills there’s a lot you can do with floss!
Soap
Soap is fundamentally important to staying clean. Washing your hands, washing your body, and everything else that needs washing.
I recommend you keep a combo of bar soap and foaming hand wash for quick and thorough washing anytime you need to clean up.
Hand Sanitizer
Sometimes soap just won’t cut it or you don’t have water at hand or water you are willing to use for the purpose. In these cases, hand sanitizer is a good stopgap that will absolutely obliterate germs and help to tame odor.
It’s quick, easy, and undeniably effective. It’s also quite harsh, so don’t get this to the exclusion of soap. Also, do keep in mind this stuff is very flammable in some cases, so store it safely.
Shampoo and Conditioner
I know that some preppers either have the notion in mind or love the idea that once you are really in the middle of it in a survival scenario we all just give up on personal care and start dressing in our best wild wasteland fashions.
A quaint idea, but it doesn’t have to be that way most of the time.
For folks who have hair on their heads and especially a lot of it, shampoo and conditioner are both needed to keep it clean.
You might not need this yourself, or even want it, but again I promise you this is something that will be worth a pretty penny if supplies dry up. Stock up now and thank me later.
Deodorant
Even the manliest of wild mountain men among us who don’t mind their own stink probably don’t want to be around other people that stink, or subject loved ones to their unique fragrance.
You don’t need me to lecture you on this. Deodorant might well and truly be a luxury because using it doesn’t keep you clean, but that’s no reason why you shouldn’t have it on hand.
The sticks tend to last longer than the gel types, so that’s my recommendation, but a few of either type will last a very long time.
fully-packed hygiene kit pouch
Foot / Body Powder
Two of my favorite hygiene items that are oh so easily forgotten by preppers.
Foot and body powder will help dry you out, reduce friction, reduce odor, and generally just make you feel good, especially between baths or “improvised baths” with the wet wipes.
If you’re on the move or working really hard, the stuff also does wonders to prevent blisters, and in the middle of a survival scenario, blisters can be show-stoppers! The stuff is cheap and absolutely worth its weight in gold. Get it!
Working Hands Cream
Another inclusion in your hygiene survival stash that is constantly overlooked based on my talks with peers and fellow preppers out there.
Whether you engage in regular manual labor or not, you’re going to have a ton to do in a survival situation and you might not be the one setting the tempo.
The demands of hard, high-impact labor will cause the skin of your palms and fingers to harden and then split painfully. Routine treatment with these creams and salves can prevent it or ease the pain.
Razors
Who’s thinking about shaving at a time like this? Maybe a lot of people, maybe not. I’m one of them, as a good shave helps center me and keep my mind in the game. Plus, I’m not risking my beard interfering with my gas mask, you know what I mean?
Hypotheticals aside, decent disposable razors don’t cost very much and can let you and family members take care of grooming if circumstances and other resources permit.
And once again, do not underestimate the value of these things in trade once market resources dry up.
Sunscreen
Whether you’re bugging in or bugging out, it rarely fails that you’ll be spending more time outside than you could plan for when SHTF.
Sunburns are irritating, painful, and will cause you to dehydrate quicker. Severe ones are debilitating and can put you out of action.
Proper clothing and headwear will go a long way toward reducing the impact of UV on your delicate skin, but sunblock is really your last line of defense. Stock up, but keep in mind it does break down over time so you’ll need to rotate it.
Chapstick
Chapsticks, whatever brand and whatever the ingredients, are a real relief when your lips are torn up by wind, cold, sun, or anything else.
It’s true that there are various home remedies and DIY solutions for cracked, dry, chapped lips but nothing works as well or is as comforting as a simple tube of chapstick.
Get a bunch and keep them cool.
Distilled Water
No prepper by now needs to be told about the importance of a personal water supply when it comes to readiness, but I think you should go a step further and keep a stash of distilled water on hand, too.
Distilled water is crucially useful for operating CPAP machines, humidifiers, and mixing with various medications like eye and nasal rinses. Other kinds of water might be usable in a pinch, but it can cause unintended effects or discomfort.
Keep plenty of on hand, clearly marked and separate from your other stash – and mind the containers, too. Plus, if worse comes to worst, you can still drink the stuff normally.
The post 20 Hygiene Products to Stockpile Like Crazy appeared first on Survival Sullivan.
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