Human Waste Composting

Each time you flush your toilet, a huge amount of nutrients is lost, along with fresh drinking water, only to become pollution for precious natural waterways. You can avoid all of this by managing an effective human waste composting operation, and the end product is a rich and safe fertilizer for the plants in your garden.

Benefits:

• Creates fertilizer
• Saves nutrients
• Saves water
• Saves the world!

Materials:

• 8 x pallets (single-use)
• 4 x 20L plastic buckets with lids
• 1 x toilet seat
• Scrap wood for making a humanure toilet (composting toilet)
• A regular source of straw/hay/grass clippings
• A regular source of sawdust

About Human Waste

Human waste (affectionately known as ‘humanure’) is a resource that is overlooked. Our feces and urine combined contain enough nutrients to grow all the food we need to survive. Combining human waste with sawdust, kitchen scraps, weeds and prunings in a compost bin can generate enough heat to destroy human pathogens and compost the material, turning it into something new – rich organic fertilizer.

About Human Pathogens

As humans have existed for thousands of years, certain bacteria, viruses, protozoa and worms have developed alongside us, tailored to suit conditions inside our bodies, where they breed and lay eggs, and make us horribly sick.

It’s interesting to note that they can only get from one person to another through contact with human waste. This means that for thousands of years we have been mismanaging our waste, enough for these human pathogens to develop and survive.

Our current answer to the problem of human pathogens is to flush our waste, along with crystal clean drinking water, into a sewer system, where it mixes with anything and everything that is poured down drains and washed off roads, to a waste treatment facility, where toxic chemicals are mixed with the polluted water to kill off pathogens, and the finished product is pumped into rivers and oceans for aquatic creatures to deal with!

A better answer is for our waste to be collected from our homes and taken to a large-scale composting facility, where the natural activity of bacteria and fungi compost the material, destroying pathogens and creating rich fertilizer. Until such an operation is in place, managing your own human waste composting operation is the most sensible and responsible option, and it’s just as effective.

Sourcing Materials

• 8x pallets (single-use) – Single-use pallets can be found outside many shops, especially gardening shops and hardware stores. They should be untreated with no paint, and if you ask, they should be free to take. Choose ones of a similar size, so they can fit together well to form your pallet-style compost bins.
• 4x 20L plastic buckets with lids – These are also called pails, and can be found in many places for free, or purchased from hardware stores, fishing stores, and department stores. Builders and painters use and throw away heaps of them. Keep an eye out for skip bins at building sites. It’s important that you get at least 4 buckets exactly the same, all with lids. Your humanure toilet will need to fit them exactly.
• 1x toilet seat – Any toilet seat will do. If you’re planning to decommission your flushing toilet, take the seat from that.
• Scrap wood for making a humanure toilet – Your humanure toilet is just a box with a hinged lid. It’s easiest to make out of wood, but any material can be used – even an old chair can be retrofitted!
• A regular source of straw/hay/grass clippings – This needs to be used as cover material for your compost piles. It is essential, but can be hay/straw, grass clippings or leaves (finer is best). If you have chickens, you’ll probably have a regular supply of hay/straw anyway, and the compost will benefit from the extra manure.
• A regular source of sawdust – This is used as a cover material in your humanure toilet. It is best sourced from a local timber mill – where fresh logs are cut into planks. Sawdust from hardware stores is not suitable – it is sterile and contains treated wood sawdust which is poisonous. If you can’t get your hands on a regular supply of fresh sawdust, consider using ground newspaper or leaf mold.

How to Make a Compost Bin with Pallets

Pallet-style bins can be as simple as 4 pallets tied together, but here’s a way to make one that’s easy to work with. You will need 4 ‘stringer’ pallets for this construction. (stringer pallets have lengths of wood holding the slats together, whereas ‘block’ pallets have blocks of wood. You will have to modify the design if block pallets are all you can find.)

• Step 1: Dismantle one of the pallets, keeping pieces intact. You will need the slats to build up the last wall of the bin, and the ‘stringers’ (the thicker lengths of wood) to make rails for the slats to slot into. Dismantling is easiest done with a claw hammer and chisel/screw driver.
  
  

  Dismantle the pallets. Be careful not to trip over your daughter's bike while you're at it.
• Step 2: Remove any slats from the bottom of the other 3 pallets.
• Step 3: Clamp the back and side pallets together, such that the back pallet is tucked inside the sides.
• Step 4: Take two of the stringers from the dismantled pallet, and clamp them parallel to the stringers on the side pallets, with enough room between them to allow slats to slot in without getting jammed.
  
  

  Slide the planks in. Don't forget your pink Crocs. Safety comes first!
• Step 5: Drill holes and screw the pieces together. Slot slats in and build up the front wall, to find out how many slats you’ll need to complete the bin.
• Step 6: Unscrew the pieces. At this point I recommend coating all pieces with raw linseed oil, to preserve and weatherproof the bin. Each bin will need to last at least 2 years in the weather with all manner of decaying material inside them. Collapse is possible if you’re using softer woods prone to rotting. Raw linseed oil is a natural oil which dries to form a waterproof barrier. Coat pieces thickly and leave at least a day to dry.
• Step 7: Prepare the site for your new pallet-style compost bin. It should be level.
• Step 8: Re-assemble the compost bin on the prepared site. I recommend propping it up off the ground with bricks in each corner, to further reduce the chance of rotting. Slot one of the slats in to start the front wall, and store the others somewhere handy.

How to Make a Humanure Toilet (Composting Toilet)

A humanure toilet is a receptacle designed only to collect human waste in buckets for composting later. Human waste is not composted in the buckets, only collected and stored. There are many examples of unique designs for humanure toilets, and one can usually be made using scrap materials you already have. The size of your buckets will determine the dimensions of your toilet. It’s important that your buckets are all the same size, and preferably a popular size so you can easily get more if you need to.

• A simple box can be constructed, large enough to accommodate one of your buckets, with a hinged lid that your toilet seat can be fixed to.
  
  

  Make a simple frame for your bucket and toilet seat
• A hole must be cut in the lid which matches the diameter of the top rim of your buckets, so that the rim can fit inside the hole nicely.
• The height of the toilet should be such that on level ground, your bucket will stick up through the hole in the lid.
  
  

  Draw and cut out a hole. Make sure it allows your bucket to fit through it.
  
  

  Screw the seats on
• The toilet seat should be fitted so that it sits nicely over the hole. There should be no opportunity for urine to get between the bucket and the toilet and escape the system.
  
  

  Loaded and ready for action!

How to Use a Humanure Toilet (Composting Toilet)

Sprinkle some sawdust to help eliminate the turdy odor

A humanure toilet is used in the same way as a regular toilet – all human waste and toilet paper is collected in the bucket. However, instead of flushing when you finish, a scoop of sawdust is thrown in to cover the waste. It’s a simple habit to get into, and odorless if you use a correct amount of sawdust.

The sawdust has two functions. It covers the waste, blocking odors, and it brings to the mix a high carbon component. Feces and especially urine are ‘nitrogenous’ material, which, in composting terms means that it provides bacteria with nitrogen for building proteins and reproducing. ‘Carbonaceous’ materials, such as sawdust, provide bacteria with energy. A good mix of the two is a recipe for rapid hot composting.

When a bucket is almost full, the lid of the humanure toilet is lifted, the lid of the bucket is secured, and the bucket is replaced with an empty one. Full buckets can be stored for weeks before composting with no problems. If you decide to stick with just the 4 buckets in your system, I recommend emptying them 2 at a time. If you’ve got a large family I recommend additional buckets and emptying 4 at a time.

Make sure you have enough sawdust to keep the air fresh

When an empty bucket is placed in your humanure toilet, I recommend adding a few scoops of sawdust to coat the bottom. This helps to ensure all material comes away later when you empty your buckets into the compost pile.

How to Start a Humanure Compost Pile

Once you’ve filled two or more buckets using your humanure toilet, you can begin composting the material, along with your kitchen scraps, weeds, prunings, newspapers and cardboard.

• Using a shovel, scrape into the ground at the center of your bin, and create a dish
  shape. Throw the excess soil up around the edges to further expand the dish. The idea is that if any moisture should leach out from the bottom of the pile, it will concentrate and absorb here, rather than flowing out and off the site.
• Spread a thick layer of hay/straw/grass clippings in the bottom of the bin, at least 45cm thick. This material acts as a sponge (soaking up moisture that might otherwise leach), and allows air to penetrate the pile from below.
• Add a layer of weeds and prunings, newspapers (shredded) and plain cardboard (shredded).
  Add kitchen scraps and any other compostable materials at this stage.
• Empty your humanure toilet buckets into the center of the pile. The consistency should be sloppy but not runny (if it’s runny you should’ve added more sawdust!), and the weight of the material should sink it down into the center nicely. You may wish to hold your breath at this stage – it is the only part of the operation where you may encounter bad smells.
• Cover the pile with a fresh layer of hay/straw/grass clippings, thick enough that the
  pile is not producing any bad smells.
• Rinse your buckets, using a bit of biodegradable soap, water and a dedicated toilet
  brush. Use the same water from the first bucket to rinse the second and third, and then pour the water into the top center of the pile, adding a handful more hay/straw/grass clippings to cover this spot.

Your humanure compost pile is now started, and the materials should heat to at least
38degC (100degF) within a few days.

How to Add to a Humanure Compost Pile

Try asking your friends, neighbors, or gardeners for some straw/hay/grass clippings

It’s important to maintain a layer of hay/straw/grass clippings completely surrounding the
composting material; on the bottom, sides and top of the pile. This both insulates the pile – retaining warmth, and prevents evaporation the same way mulch does. It also prevents material falling out of the bin! Keep this in mind as you add to your piles.

• Using a dedicated pitch fork (used only for your human waste composting operation), scrape the hay/straw/grass clippings from the top center of the pile to the sides. You shouldn’t have to dig into the pile to do this, just gently comb it back against the walls of the bin.
• Using the fork, dig into the top center of the pile, pulling material back toward the walls to create a hole in the center. Make sure nothing leaves the bin. If you add to your pile on a weekly basis, you should notice some heat in the center. It’s the heat which destroys pathogens, and it’s into this heat we dump our fresh material.
• At this point you can add any kitchen scraps, weeds, prunings, newspaper (shredded) or plain cardboard (shredded). Ensure the hole is big enough to accommodate all of your fresh materials.
• Empty your buckets into the hole. As always, the consistency should be sloppy but not runny.
• Add a layer of hay/straw/grass clippings until all odors are blocked.
• Rinse your buckets, using a bit of biodegradable soap, water and a dedicated toilet brush. Use the same water from the first bucket to rinse the second and third, and then pour the water into the top center of the pile, adding a handful more hay/straw/grass clippings to cover this spot.
• I recommend adding a few scoops of sawdust to each of your buckets, replacing the lids and shaking them, so the sawdust is dusted all around. The sawdust absorbs moisture and residual smells.

Allow yourself about 30mins to complete this task. Take the time to do a thorough job, and make sure no waste leaves the system. With practice, it may only take you 15mins.

Allowing Compost to Age and Cure

Human pathogens are destroyed in minutes in a hot compost pile (50degC [122degF] or above), and while a compost thermometer can measure the general temperature of the pile, it’s hard to be sure that all materials have been exposed to these temperatures, which is why a human waste composting operation must involve a retention period, during which the pile is left to age and cure for a year before it is used.

Pathogens cannot survive so long outside a human host.

With both measures in place, your human waste composting operation is a responsible one, and the resultant compost is safe for use in the garden. Once your first humanure compost bin is filled, start a new one, and leave the first alone for a year. Since it takes a family of 4 about a year to fill a bin, using two bins in rotation should be all you need.

• After the one-year retention period, the material in the first bin will have shrunk a little, but from a pallet-style bin you should have about 1 cubic meter of rich compost, ready for use in your garden.
• Remember that your finished compost is something completely different to the waste and other materials you originally added. It has been consumed by bacteria, fungi, worms and other bugs, all of whom have contributed to the composting process, converting it to something new.

Using Your Compost

After leaving your first full bin for a year, it is ready to use. Grab a wheelbarrow and shovel, and start digging the compost out of the bin, removing slats as you go.

Spread compost around the base of trees, in vegetable gardens, even over lawn. It can be dug into the soil or mulched over. After only a few years of application, your soil will be rich in organic matter, sustaining life, retaining moisture and nourishing anything you wish to grow.

Using a Compost Thermometer

I recommend purchasing a compost thermometer to monitor temperatures in your humanure compost piles, especially when you are starting out, and experimenting with what you’re adding to your bins.

Compost thermometers have a long skewer which penetrates right into the center of the pile. They are waterproof and, if handled properly should last you a lifetime. After adding material to your humanure compost pile, stick your compost thermometer into the top center, right down until the dial is just above the surface. This will give an accurate reading.

As you experiment with different amounts of kitchen scraps, weeds, prunings, newspapers and cardboard, your focus should be on achieving temperatures 50degC (122degF) or above.

Don’t panic if your pile doesn’t reach these temperatures as you begin; keep experimenting until you find a ‘recipe’ that works.

Why compost human waste?

Flushing our waste down the toilet is the start of a costly process which ends in the pollution of waterways and oceans. Composting human waste is a simple and practical way of taking responsibility for ourselves. It’s regenerative too, which means it encourages life and soil fertility.

Are there any smells?

There are no smells in the use of a humanure toilet, as the deposits are covered with sawdust which traps odors. There are no smells from a human waste compost pile, as the pile is surrounded and covered with hay/straw/grass clippings, which traps odors. The only smell encountered is when buckets are emptied into the pile, before the pile is re-covered. This is a short period of time – about 5 minutes.

Isn’t it dangerous?

Human feces can carry human disease-causing pathogens. A well-managed human waste composting operation will destroy pathogens in minutes, and just to be sure, the compost piles are left to age for a year after filling – too long for pathogens to survive outside a human host.

Is it legal?

As we are slowly changing our attitudes toward recycling human waste, more and more commercial composting toilets are being approved. Check with your local authority whether or not your system can be approved, and consider all risks before you launch.

Will flies be attracted?

Flies should neither be attracted to a composting toilet, nor to a humanure compost pile, as there are no smells produced to attract them. If flies do hang around, it is an indicator that not enough cover material has been added – just add more!

What about pet poo?

Dog and cat feces potentially brings with it a host of other pathogens, some of which can infect humans. While I’ve read of people practicing mixing pet poo in with their human waste, I have yet to read of studies concluding it is safe. I recommend either having a separate compost pile to manage pet poo, or bury it in an isolated area of your yard, away from animals and children.

http://shaunsbackyard.com/191/human-waste-composting/#C5

The Outhouse Build

When #2 Becomes the #1 Priority

When #2 Becomes the #1 Priority

 

by Road Warrior on July 16, 2014

Let’s face it: lots of us were drawn to the “prepper movement” because of, well, the romance of the possibilities. The purity, the sheer glamour of testing one’s mettle against anything the world can throw at you. No Big Brother looking over your shoulder. No government taking what you worked hard for to give to someone who didn’t. A great reason to stock pantries and rifle magazines, loading the shelves with crates of ammo and freeze dried food, huge containers of water. You and you alone are 100% responsible for what happens to you. I’ll admit, it definitely has a primal allure!



But one of the most overlooked things I see when people get ready (probably because it is far less romantic that geeking out over gear) for that big apocalyptic event is sanitation and waste disposal…specifically human waste disposal. For those of us here in the sticks, it’s not nearly the looming disaster that it will be for those of you in urban areas, living in multi-story apartment buildings, or even suburban layouts. But after a few days, we all end up in the same pot (no pun intended): I don’t care how many bullets the magazine in your multi-thousand dollar tricked out AK-47 holds; shooting your shitter ain’t gonna help when it fills up and you have no way to flush it, chief.

So a great, region-wide event occurs. In the big city, the power grid is down. City water no longer flows. It’s the middle of summer. People have no AC, no running water to wash the sweat off their worried brows. People are dealing the best they can at first, but basic needs and instincts kick in. The toilets everywhere very quickly fill up with no water to flush them. Once the toilets fill, the urinals fill up. Then the sinks and bathtubs. Within three days, any toilet in an urban area is overflowing with feces, festering and fly-covered in the sweltering summer heat. The stench and sanitary conditions are repulsive, and people start migrating out of their comfort zones to do their business. Closets, corners, alleys, dumpsters, even vacant cars are quickly turned into makeshift bathrooms. Humans, knowing deep down that water equals sanitation, relieve themselves near public water ways, park ponds. Within two weeks, by my best guess, a large city with no running water or sanitation facilities, and no paid public employees to clean them up, will become a giant cesspool of filth, sickness and disease, largely because that little porcelain doohickey in your bathroom won’t flush. People start heading into the surrounding areas to get away from the spectacle, and then the people in rural areas start feeling the pressure. So what can you do to protect yourself from the basic issue? This isn’t something you can overlook.



The easiest way to counteract the immediate issue is water. Lots and lots and lots of water. If you live in a home with a septic tank, you’re made in the shade, more or less…IF you have a steady supply of water, like a nearby pond or river. Once your toilet is full (don’t let it go too long, or it will clog), you can take a bucket of water and either full the back tank on the toilet until it engages the float, then flush, or you can simply dump water in the bowl until suction occurs, and the toilet will flush on its own. This system is a luxury, though, and can’t be counted on. Luckily, gray or non-potable water can be used for this task, but count on a couple gallons per flush. If you have a city septic system or sewer, try to ensure the system is still functioning and not clogged. If it’s not, then you can use the water-filling method with your toilet. If it IS clogged, sewage could back up, causing big time problems.

If you don’t live in a home with a septic tank, you have some planning to do. Not only do you have to supply a way to get rid of the waste from the immediate area, you will have to deal with the fact that you will have to deal with the possibility of built-up waste and smell from others around you (say, if you live in apartment building). YOU may have a way, however basic or complicated, of dealing with the issue, but those around you who did not plan ahead will possibly make the area unbearable to be in. Keep that in mind and have a second location to go to if necessary.

If you plan on bugging in during a long-term event, a nice, simple portable toilet is a 5-gallon bucket. It’s not extravagant, but if you line it with trash bags or some other catching system it works surprisingly well. I find that the plastic bags that grocery stores use to pack your groceries in can work OK…just check them for holes first! They usually have “handle” holes built into them, which you can run 2×4′s through to keep them in place while acting as a makeshift toilet seat. Once you’re done with your business, pull the bag out, tie it up using the handles, (it won’t be airtight) and dispose of it elsewhere (preferably outside if possible.) If you line the 5-gallon bucket with a heavy-duty trash bag, you can use it multiple times; just be sure to sprinkle wood ash, kitty litter, or even dirt over the waste between uses to keep the smell down and the flies and other vermin out of it. I’d probably try not to urinate in this bucket and keep it solid-waste only, just in the off chance you utilize the bucket for other uses that might require some degree of cleanliness. This toilet system is dirt cheap and very portable. You can also line your (emptied) existing toilet (if you have a really good magazine rack by it, say) with a trash bag and use it the same way. Having a disinfecting spray made up of bleach and water will keep things sanitary and knock the smell down too.

If you live in a rural area with some real estate around you (and hopefully privacy), you can dig cat-holes. These are basically one-time use holes, preferably around a foot deep, where you can leave your business behind after you bury it. Or, if you’re staying where you are and you’re pretty sure it’s permanent, you can dig a latrine (a large, deep trench in the ground) or even build an outhouse if you have materials. The really big thing to watch for with these ground-dependent receptacles is proximity to drinking water. If you’re pulling water from a well, keep your waste 100 yards or further away. Bacteria will get in your drinking water, and I’m sure in a serious SHTF event, you won’t want to get sick.

They also sell completely non-electric, non-water dependent composting toilets for the prepper with a few bucks. These convert poo into usable compost, supposedly, though I’d do my research first before I bought one, and make sure that it’s right for your conditions. Chemical toilets may work OK too, but they need to be flushed and re-filled with chemicals to work properly…and who needs another thing to stock up on?

Speaking of stocking up, toilet paper, toilet paper, toilet paper! I’m pretty sure my wife would rather die than have to wipe her bum with a series of nature’s own leaves. Yes, it’s bulky, but TP provides a level of comfort that’s hard to parallel. Have you ever cleaned your backside with leaves? Any serious prepper should go out and try it sometime…yeah, you heard me. When you get done reading this, go take a crap in the woods, back to a nice sturdy tree, and wipe up with green leaves. (Dead leaves break and crumble, with obvious consequences.) You will immediately go buy stock in Charmin. Trust me on this one…I know frontiersmen and explorers cleaned up with leaves for millenia, but we have the technology…put that little bit of SHTF romance behind you (hah! I kill me!) for as long as you can. It would also pay off to research poison ivy, oak, and sumac to know what NOT to contact your derriere with. Nobody wants to fight the zombie horde with an itchy nether region.

Hand sanitizers, antibactetrial soaps, and disinfectants should be kept on hand for obvious reasons. Stock up…staying clean means staying healthy. And while you’re at it, keep things as fly- and vermin-free as possible. Flies have no problem walking around in poo then stamping around happily on your next meal…the more you can keep that sort of thing OUT, the healthier you will be as well.
What did I miss? THere must be a million ways to handle this subject; I just touched on the matter at hand. What do you have planned to dispose of solid human waste once the SHTF?
Stay safe!

Sew Your Own Poo Wipes ;)

 

Oh my, do we really have to talk about this? Can’t I just store a year’s supply of toilet paper and never think about such things?

Yes. But what happens when your one year supply only lasts six months because eating wheat and beans caused more intestinal problems than you anticipated? Every wise plan includes backups. Even if you never use them, you’ll still have the option to should the need arise and options are a very good thing. If you change your mind and decide during a disaster that flannel is better than tree leaves, you may no longer have electricity to run a sewing machine. So while we have the ability now, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty and sew some poo wipes!

I began with 100% cotton flannel in a nice shade of brown (because let’s face it, that’s what color they will be in the end!) I cut mine into roughly 6×7 inch rectangles that were larger than my open hand. You’ll want to stitch your wipes two layers thick to protect your hands when wiping. If you’re in a situation where you’re having to use these, chances are water is pretty scarce and the last thing you need is to contaminate your hands with no way to thoroughly clean them.

I’m using the same triple zigzag stitch and upholstery thread that I used in an earlier post to sew washable hankies. Believe me, you do NOT want these babies coming undone when you need them the most!

Stitch the two pieces of fabric together, sewing off each edge to create nice, secure corners.

Trim away hanging threads and cut the flannel close to the stitching to lessen fraying when these are washed later. Repeat, making enough wipes for your family. (Our best estimation is 6 wipes per person per day with a minimum 2 day supply on-hand.) These are large enough that you can wipe, fold in half to reveal the clean backside and wipe again but you’ll still need at least 6 per person per day. Children in diapers will need more. Leftover scraps can be stitched into smaller squares for them and they can be single ply instead of double ply if necessary.

Now stack them up, tie a ribbon around them, print out the directions below, shove the wipes and the printout in a lidded plastic container and PRAY you never have to use them!

How to Use Washable Flannel Bathroom Wipes

Needless to say these wipes will be contaminated and will need special handling. To use them, first find a large plastic container with a lid that closes. Some people online have suggested things like plastic cereal containers but anything that is large enough to hold ten wipes and doesn’t tip over easily will do. The closed lid prevents odors and poo water spills.

1. Fill your plastic container 1/3 to 1/2 full of water and add a few drops of laundry detergent (or 2 drops dish soap if that happens to be all you have.)
2. Use the wipe as needed. When it is dirty, place it in the plastic container to soak.
3. At the end of EVERY DAY, collect the container from the bathroom. The water is dangerously contaminated and if you are in a situation where it has to be dumped outside, it MUST be kept from splashing on food-growing gardens and trees. Dump the liquid in a designated spot far away from the garden and places where children play. The wipes left inside the container have been pre-soaked and are no dirtier than a pair of lightly soiled children’s underwear. You can run them through your wash as usual or they can be washed on their own in a wash bucket.
4. Rinse and refill the plastic container with soapy water and immediately return it to the bathroom. You should have a two day supply of wipes so that while the previous day’s wipes are drying, you have another set already waiting to be used in the bathroom.

No Toilet Paper Now What?

 

The commercial manufacturing of toilet paper didn’t start until about 1857. So for most of human history mankind survived without it. The ancient Greeks used stones and pieces of clay (ouch). The Romans used a sponge on the end of a long stick that was shared by everyone in the community. When not in use, that stick was placed in a bucket of heavily salted seawater.

By the time of the American Revolution, things weren’t much better. Corncobs were in common use. Later they started using old newspapers and catalogues. The Old Farmer’s Almanac had a hole in the corner so people would be able to hang them up.

In India and most of the Middle East, they still use their left hand and a bucket of water. This is why they eat with their right hands. Many of them will claim that this method is cleaner than using toilet paper.

So what should preppers do about toilet paper?

First, stock as much as you consider practical. But remember, while it seems like a necessity in today’s world, many other items have a higher priority for your survival. We can get by without it and maintain sanitary conditions. In many parts of the world, they use sanitary washcloths often called family cloths. These are often made of squares of flannel. You will need up to three to five washcloths a day for each family member.

After they are used, place them in a closed container full of soapy water. You may want to stock a small garbage can with a tight fitting lid for this purpose. If you don’t have soap, add lemon juice or vinegar to the water. The cloths need to be washed every couple of days an if possible dried in the sun. The sun helps to sanitize them.

If you are bugging out you may have to use whatever is available. This could include old magazines, corncobs or leaves. If you are using plant leaves be careful not to use something that will cause irritation for example poison oak, poison ivy or sting nettles.

Just remember your great grandfather got by without toilet paper you can too