For those planning to remain at home, there’s a product called the waterbob which makes it easier to safely store drinking water in a bathtub. You have to fill it while the water is still on, of course, but people often have hours or even days of notice when an event likely to interrupt their water supply is likely to happen.
Rain catchment water is safe for hygiene purposes in many types of emergency. Water from a hot water heater can also be used for hygiene, and can sometimes be safe to drink depending on how gross your hot water heater is. It can be helpful to have a camping shower on hand if you expect to lose water pressure and still want to be able to bathe. Water for bathing can be heated on any fire that you’d cook on, and shelf-stable packaged foods like curries, precooked rice, and even canned goods can be warmed quite quickly by dropping them into a pot of hot water.
Water needs for hygiene can be reduced by:
Using disposable plates and utensils for eating, though this creates the problem of disposing of garbage
Replacing some hand washing with correctly used hand sanitizer
Wearing clothes of materials which require less-frequent washing, such as wool instead of synthetics
Cooking single-pot recipes instead of elaborate meals
Removing all food debris from dishes to be washed before putting them in water—wiping them with leaves or a handful of snow can help, depending on what’s available.
Flushing toilets with the grey water left over from washing things, if the septic system is still functioning
Reducing shower frequency
It would be good to have some pedialyte or other electrolytes to help you re-hydrate.
Liquid rehydration solutions are bulky to store. Search for “oral rehydration salts” in your online marketplace of choice, and you’ll find single-serving packets that last basically forever and can be mixed with a specified amount of water. This is easier to store and carry, as you can mix them with water that you get from anywhere. They’re great for recovering more rapidly from hangovers and food poisoning even without a disaster, as well.
filters
In the prepper community, the Sawyer Mini is an extremely popular portable water filter. The 2 issues with it are that it can’t filter huge amounts of water in a hurry, and if you allow it to freeze after it’s gotten wet, the filtration tubes inside will break. The latter can be addressed by storing it in a pocket near your body if you’re traveling in freezing conditions with it.
For those planning to remain at home, there’s a product called the waterbob which makes it easier to safely store drinking water in a bathtub. You have to fill it while the water is still on, of course, but people often have hours or even days of notice when an event likely to interrupt their water supply is likely to happen.
Rain catchment water is safe for hygiene purposes in many types of emergency. Water from a hot water heater can also be used for hygiene, and can sometimes be safe to drink depending on how gross your hot water heater is. It can be helpful to have a camping shower on hand if you expect to lose water pressure and still want to be able to bathe. Water for bathing can be heated on any fire that you’d cook on, and shelf-stable packaged foods like curries, precooked rice, and even canned goods can be warmed quite quickly by dropping them into a pot of hot water.
Water needs for hygiene can be reduced by:
Using disposable plates and utensils for eating, though this creates the problem of disposing of garbage
Replacing some hand washing with correctly used hand sanitizer
Wearing clothes of materials which require less-frequent washing, such as wool instead of synthetics
Cooking single-pot recipes instead of elaborate meals
Removing all food debris from dishes to be washed before putting them in water—wiping them with leaves or a handful of snow can help, depending on what’s available.
Flushing toilets with the grey water left over from washing things, if the septic system is still functioning
Reducing shower frequency
Liquid rehydration solutions are bulky to store. Search for “oral rehydration salts” in your online marketplace of choice, and you’ll find single-serving packets that last basically forever and can be mixed with a specified amount of water. This is easier to store and carry, as you can mix them with water that you get from anywhere. They’re great for recovering more rapidly from hangovers and food poisoning even without a disaster, as well.
In the prepper community, the Sawyer Mini is an extremely popular portable water filter. The 2 issues with it are that it can’t filter huge amounts of water in a hurry, and if you allow it to freeze after it’s gotten wet, the filtration tubes inside will break. The latter can be addressed by storing it in a pocket near your body if you’re traveling in freezing conditions with it.