Reducing Water Usage

Having addressed storing water and obtaining water, I now want to turn to reducing water usage, as part of the "water plan" for a disaster.

It's obvious that the things we use large quantities of water for- namely, sanitation and personal hygiene- will still be a necessity in a crisis scenario . In fact, cleanliness and sanitation is more crucial in a crisis environment, since earthquakes, flooding, fires, etc., create unsanitary conditions.

Finding ways to reduce water usage conserves water for consumption.

Showering: The greatest water usage for personal hygiene, by far, is bathing. Simply making a decision to bathe less is not an option. Also, your home plumbing may not be functional, so it's important to have a means of keeping your body clean without a working shower.

An inexpensive (and waterless) option is flushable wet wipes (basically, the adult version of baby wipes). A resealable bag of 240 of these wipes can be bought for $5 at Walmart. 240 of these wipes can be a substitute for several dozen showers. If the wipes dry out in the bag, a very small amount of water can be added to the bag to rehydrate them. Also, the wipes can be easily warmed, in the bag, to simulate the psychological effect of a hot shower. Particular attention must be paid to small cuts and scrapes on your body, as well as the areas which produce and accumulate bacteria (we all know where I mean). Clean these areas with Povidone-Iodine solution (commonly labelled as "First Aid Antiseptic"). $20 will buy several bottles of it.

Additionally, it will still be a good idea to have an actual water shower regularly. For this purpose, you can purchase a solar camp shower, such as this model or this model. The shower bag is filled with water and hung in sunlight to heat. If the available sunlight isn't intense enough to warm the water, hot water can simply be put into the bag. There are dozens of models available, simply search Google for the terms "solar shower" and "camp shower".

For other personal hygiene uses, such as shaving and brushing teeth, simply learning to perform these tasks with minimal water is a good idea. Practicing these activities with a small cup of water is a useful exercise for emergency water rationing. Also, stocking hand sanitizer to use in lieu of routine handwashing will help reduce emergency water usage.

Sanitation: We will still need to flush toilets, wash clothes and dishes, and keep your home environment clean. Learning to reuse water will dramatically reduce your total water usage.

When buying detergent for your emergency supplies, purchase the "cold water" detergent now available in grocery stores. Less water is required to dissolve this detergent.

Obtain several buckets (empty sherbet buckets with handles and lids are excellent for this, and can be stacked together for compact storage), and label them "Gray Water" (the commonly-accepted term for "already-used" water which is not suitable for consumption). After hand-washing laundry and dishes, save the water in these containers, and use it for toilet flushing. Adding a small amount of bleach to this water is a good idea, since this water will contain microorganisms.

In addition to the obvious need for sanitation, there is a psychological component. Survival scenarios have a dehumanizing effect. People feel "less human" when having to survive under less-than-ideal circumstances. Good cleanliness provides a dramatic morale booster- it will help make you feel "more human".