Hygiene and Personal Care Items for Emergency Situations

Good hygiene should be part of your day to day things to do, even if there is no emergency.

When there is an emergency it becomes especially important.

Reasons Why Hygiene is Important – Especially in an Emergency Situation

• You want to be as healthy as possible so you can deal with the emergency situation and take care of your immediate family
• Good hygiene will help stop the spread of sickness or illness for yourself and others
• Good hygiene can help prevent problems occurring, i.e. tooth problems

Basic Hygiene is Simple

Basic hygiene isn’t that hard. It mainly comes down to keeping things clean and don’t let dirty things contaminate non dirty things. 

I’m going to break it down a bit more. Including personal hygiene and the different types of hygiene products you should have on hand. Especially for a household emergency kit.

Basic Personal Hygiene Items

Toiletries

Toothpaste

Makes sure you have some on hand for every member of your immediate family. It can come in a variety of sizes allowing you to pack some in every type of emergency kit. If you are worried about the potential mess of leaking toothpaste or want to reduce the amount of plastic you are using, look for toothpaste tablets.

These are small tablets that are made of toothpaste, all the water has been removed. The don’t take up much room and offer a lot of the same benefits as standard toothpaste.

Toothbrush

This should be a no brainer. If you have toothpaste make sure you have a toothbrush. If you are used to an electric toothbrush, these may be problematic if there is a power outage. They are also quite bulky compared to a regular manual toothbrush. Grab some normal toothbrushes, they are cheap and are better than nothing.

Dental Floss

Won’t take up much room and great for dental health.

Soap

Your options  for soaps are either a bar of soap or a liquid soap. I would go with a bar. Antibacterial is a good option. It will last a whole. Soap and water can be used to help clean yourself and also your clothing. You could also have a hand soap as well.

Wash Cloth

For a wash cloth I’d go with a microfiber type. It will dry quickly and can absorb a lot of moisture. Much better than say a standard cotton wash cloth.

Towel

Again a microfiber type travel towel works well. You can get away with a much smaller towel than an equivalent

Deodorant

Just because the world is falling around next to you and there is an emergency there is no need to smell bad. Plenty of options to choose from. Pick something that works well and lasts a long time. For an emergency kit I’d prefer to go with a roll on or stick type over a spray. Takes up less room, lasts longer and isn’t flammable.

Q-Tips and or Cotton Balls

Handy to have on hand and multi purpose. They can help apply things in a first aid situation or to help clean. Lightweight and easy to pack and cheap.

Shampoo and Conditioner

These days very similar options to soap. Liquid is probably the most common form. It can take up a lot of room, and be heavy. Alternatively there are a lot of companies coming out with shampoo and soap in bars.

Hand Sanitizer

Quick and easy way to make sure your hands are clean. Could also be used in a pinch to help clean down any solid surfaces.

Hair Ties 

Anyone with long hair knows how annoying your hair can be if left flying around on it’s own. Could also be a hazard in some situations. Make sure to have a bunch of hair ties or clips if they work better for your hair type.

Toilet Items

In a big enough emergency there is a good change that the sanitation systems will shut down, meaning your toilet will not work as normal. You really need something in place to help you with this. Your aim is to be as sanitary as possible to stop the spread of germs as much as you can.

Toilet

There’s a couple of ways to approach this. One would be to have a portable toilet. They can be purchased from camping or RV stores. They have standard toilet type shape but are usually a lot smaller. They may need chemicals to work, or may use a cassette type system where the tank can be removed from it to be emptied.

Another option will be to make a toilet with a 5-gallon bucket. There are seats out there that will fit these buckets. Ideally you will have two bucket toilets. One for number 1’s and the other for number 2’s. This can help keep down the smell, and also make it easier for emptying.

Have on hand some kitty litter type material, or some hay or straw. Throwing a handful of this into the bucket after each use can help reduce the smell and reduce the amount of flies that may be present.

If using the bucket option or you are resorting to some sort of long drop situation make sure to position it in a location that is far away from any food and water areas.

Talkin of long drops. If you have to make one, do it away from any water sources you may need to use, and make sure to dig it as deep as you can.

Toilet Paper

Have a bunch of this on hand. You’ll be glad you do when the time comes. Alternatively make sure you have something else that can be used if needed. No one uses phone books these days do they?

Feminine Hygiene Products

There are both disposable and reusable options out there. Make sure to have some on hand.

Diapers

Have some on hand. It can be tricky now knowing when an emergency may occur to know the size you will need on hand. Keep a supply that works for you right now. Make sure to change them out when no longer work for your situation. Alternatively you may want to look into non disposable options.

Baby Wipes

These are great, not only for babies but also can help adults with keeping clean and healthy. You can get a lot in a packet so can go a long way compared to other options.

Garbage Bags

Have a good supply of these or some sort of plastic bags. They can help contain rubbish, be used with your emergency toilet and help with good hygiene during an emergency. 

Laundry Items

Laundry Detergent 

I don’t think this has to be complicated. Have something that can help wash clothes. This could come in liquid, powder or bar form.

Washing Container

In a household situation this is easy, use the bath or a sink. Be mindful of any water you may be using / wasting for this. Do you need to be doing washing right now?

In other situations you can use a bucket or a flexi type tub or even a storage box if you need to.

Cleaning Items

I would have some cleaning items on hand as well. Especially in the household emergency kit. Items that can help clean down hard surfaces if needed.

Ready to use spray

I prefer to make sure this is antibacterial. If space is of concern you may need to find a smaller bottle to put some in.

Antibacterial wipes

Quick and easy to use if you have no spray available

Cleaning cloths

These can vary from being used in conjunction with the ready to use spray. Could be used to wiping down equipment. Or could be used to help dry things. These can be multi purpose. Just make sure to know which each one has been used for. Keep in mind there might not be a chance to wash them.

Other Items

Face Masks

These can help stop the spread of germs amongst people as well as help stop you breathing in particles in the air that could cause you harm. Something is better than nothing. Try to have some N95 or KN95 rated masks on hand.

Disposable Gloves

Disposable gloves come in handy for all sorts of tasks. They help element your hands getting in contact with things that could require a lot of hand cleaning. From food related things, to waste removal or any dirt job.

Look for disposable gloves that are food safe, strong and comes in a size that works for you.

Solar shower

The simple version of these is a black plastic bag you can hang up outside. The sun will warm it up and you have hot or at least warmer water. They are cheap and pack away small. Even if there is no sun, they are a handy was of dispensing water.

Lip Balm

If you are conserving water or are in a dry location lip balm can help keep your keep your lips from cracking and causing pain.

Conclusion

Having a selection of items to go into your hygiene kit which might be part of a another emergency kit will help you reduce the potential of illness and disease. Staying healthy with simple hygiene practices makes sense. Emergency situation or not.

Is there anything else I should have listed here? Let me know by leaving a comment below.