HYGIENE

Bug Out Hygiene

This is a topic which, to me, is far too under addressed when it comes to outdoor/disaster readiness. And this surprises me.

Plenty of food on hand is great. But if you are ejecting it from either end as quickly as you take it in, because of pathogens you ingested due to poor hygiene, are you really better off than someone with a limited supply of food that can be consumed worry-free, with all its nourishment available because of proper attention to basic sanitation? All these factors apply to drinking water as well as food, as we shall see.

During the American Civil War, as many died from diseases brought about by poor sanitation as died by enemy bullets. Soldiers were forced to march, without rest or break, despite the ravages of uncontrollable diarhea, brought on, in part, by unsanitary disposal of human waste, which situation further befouled their food and water supplies. Sometimes the food was marginally acceptable, but they infected themselves via their own hands.

These warnings stand true whether you decide to Shelter In Place (SIP) or Bug Out. As well, the methods described here are easily adaptable to either cited (or another as yet unknown) scenario.

I will outline these as delicately as possible, yet as clearly as necessary. If the situation absolutely demands that I must decide between the two, clarity will prevail. We, as Americans, have far too many assumed "delicacies" or "sensitivies" when it comes to "bathroom talk" and the like. And in the wrong situation, they could become, as they say Across the Pond, "our undoing."

So, we'll discuss:

• Responsible and realistic waste disposal,
• Body and oral hygiene,
• "Comfort Hygienics" (one of my coined terms), and
• How to avoid having your shelter mates threaten to drop you bound into a body of water until you cease to reek.
• A limited supply of water can create a quandry when it comes to the allocation of such to hygiene. There are ways to deal with this as well.

On the other hand, let's discuss the things that we need to learn to live with now (as most of the ancient and modern world already have) to reduce dangerous and unnecessary personal offense causing.

If our collective expectations are reasonable and universally recognized, then we can truly become what we need now, and will need in greater measure, at some indefinite but near time, truly a united and supportive collection of citizens.