Periods Will Still Happen

This video came up in my Facebook feed awhile back and I just haven't been able to get it off my mind. I'm not thinking about the information in quite the spirit it was presented, though.  This got me thinking in a whole different direction.

The producers, a group called Bustle, make an excellent point about how hard it is to be a woman when you are living on the streets.  I don't want to detract from their message in any way because it's good and valid and something so very overlooked.  I know when I've been part of a humanitarian project supplying sanitary supplies to homeless people, or to refugee families being re-settled in my town or that were being sent to an area with a recent natural disaster, we all thought about things like soap and toothpaste and even toilet paper and disposable razors.  But no one thought to add tampons or pads to the personal care packages. Not even once. As a woman it blows my mind that it didn't come to mind as a need for other women.

If that aspect of the film touches your heart and you feel inspired to do something about it... please, do!

While you are watching, the Mormon girl in me who's heard the lifelong drill to be prepared and have an emergency supply of food and other needs set aside in storage is asking you to think about the setting you see yourself living in after a disaster.  Doesn't it look a lot like today's homelessness?

I think we can take a very good lesson from these ladies who were brave enough to share their very personal stories for our own preparations.  Add feminine hygiene products to your emergency preparedness supplies/food storage.  Maybe you've already thought about it and have some, even enough to take care of your anticipated needs quite well, so think about adding more for these two reasons:

• You'll have some to share with women who have the need but no supplies.  That will do your heart and spirit good.
• You'll also have a valuable commodity for trading in an emergency situation.  You can use them to get things you need, or want, but don't have. That will do your survival and comfort good.

If you think trading them sounds cold and heartless...  I'd also ask you to consider other products that will be valuable for trading in that situation.  Even if they don't have a place in your personal lifestyle choices there will be people desperately trying to get their hands on these items so they will quickly become very valuable commodities. For example:

Wine
Hard liquor
Tobacco
Coffee (both for brewing and instant)
Coffee Creamer
Condoms

My Prepper Potty

My tolerance point with the outhouse was met during the rainstorm last week. I don't really like it at its very best and I especially dislike the nighttime mad runs to go pee. And I outright hate it when rain has turned the trail into slippery, slimy, sink-to-your-ankles, slurping, sucking mud where you get "stuck" and dirty yourself in the attempt to avoid dirtying yourself all while trying to keep your cell phone dry and clean because it also functions as your only flashlight.  Yeah... the experience was all that, with a cherry on top!

For years I've seen various prepper potties on Facebook, Pinterest, Blogs and other places and I've intended to add one to my own camping/emergency provisions but, honestly, it took this wilderness adventure to motivate me into action.  I was planning on spending around $10 on it.  I spent more. If you take the time to shop around you can probably find the pieces well inside that budget but, as noted, I had met my utmost point of tolerance with the available bathroom facilities so price wasn't my #1 concern.

$12.97 at Walmart.

To make your own prepper potty you need just 2 things: a 5-gallon bucket and a special lid. I'm using it only for nighttime needs and will be dumping it in the outhouse and rinsing it out the next morning.  And I'll rinse it with bleach water periodically, too.

$3 at Home Depot.

If you're going to use it in the traditional camping, or apocalypse, setting there are additional sanitation issues you'll need to consider. Since other bloggers have covered that in varying degrees of graphic detail, I'm just going to give you a few links to check out and not include that part here.

http://preparednessnibblesandbits.blogspot.com/search/label/Emergency%20Toilet

http://momwithaprep.com/potty/

http://www.cheaprvliving.com/bathroom/go-bathroom-van/

http://www.foodstoragemoms.com/2014/09/emergency-toilet-set/

So... you went shopping and you've got your bucket and lid.  What to do with them?

Start by taking your lid out of its cardboard packaging.  Then snap it on the bucket pretty much the same way you'd snap the seal on your favorite Tupperware bowl.  That's about it... Congrats!  You are now the proud owner of your very own prepper potty!!

Lid up.                            Lid down.                           Lid up.

I think Home Depot's tag line is really appropriate for this project!

Using your prepper potty is interesting the first time or two.  It's not exactly ideal height... so getting yourself positioned can be a bit of a challenge.  (If you can find it, opt for a 6-gallon bucket and it's a little better!  Those extra two inches make a lot of difference!!)  Put an old towel under it if you're using it indoors just in case, you know, you don't "do this" in a straight stream.  Hey, sometimes it happens. TMI?  I sort of thought so, too, but decided since we are all friends I'd be safe sharing that sort of weird intimate personal detail.  This prepper potty is not a perfect substitute for indoor plumbing but it sure beats the outhouse! I highly suggest one for your tent camping/emergency equipment.

If you subscribe to any apocalyptic theories - End of the World, disaster bug outs, civil unrest pending the outcome of next month's Presidential election (all well within the realm of possibility) - I have an additional bit of advice.  Make your prepper potty NOW!!  And practice using it a few times so that it's familiar, especially if you have kids.  When the world around you is in a state of utter chaos is not the time to be perfecting your technique to squat!!

Emergency Sanitation

Let's say there's just been an earthquake.  And the sewer lines were broken.  Where are you going to go to the bathroom?  I mean... there is a limit to how long you can cross your legs and keep up the pee-pee dance. At some point, no matter what the facilities look like, you will have to go!

That's kind of a scary thought that can cause some tension...  especially if you haven't given it consideration enough before-hand to be prepared.

Supplies you will need on hand if the toilet isn't working include:

    Medium-sized plastic bucket with a tight lid.  (5-gallon storage bucket)

    Household chlorine bleach

    Toilet paper

    Heavy duty plastic garbage bags and ties

    Soap, liquid detergent, hand sanitizer

    Towelettes

    Shovel

If sewer lines are broken and your toilet bowl is usable, you can place a garbage bag inside the bowl.  If not, you'll need to build a makeshift toilet:

• Line a medium sized bucket with a garbage bag.
• Make a toilet seat out of two boards placed parallel to each other across the bucket or use an old toilet seat or buy a toilet seat made especially to fit those 5-gallon storage buckets.
• After each use, pour a disinfectant, such as bleach, into the container.
• Be sure to keep the container covered tightly when not in use.

To dispose of this waste, you'll need to bury it.  With human waste, especially, it's important to avoid spreading disease by rats and insects.  To do this, dig a pit 2-3 feet deep and at least 50 feet downhill or away from any well, spring or water supply and bury the bags here.

I'm thinking about the 5-gallon bucket with the made to fit toilet seat for my emergency supplies.  I like the idea that I can easily store a small bottle of bleach, a few rolls of toilet paper and a roll or two of plastic bags inside.  Everything is compact and together so I don't have to search for all the parts (think of the added stress in an already stressful situation!) when I need it.  Friends who go tent camping use one as their camp toilet... and that's a great way to be in practice of using it.  And, if you have small children, it's a great way to get them used to the idea because it isn't going to look, feel (or smell) like the bathroom we are accustomed to using now.


Disclaimer:  the link above takes you to a retail site where emergency supplies can be purchased.  This is just one of many sources to obtain the materials you need.  I have no financial interest in this company or experience with their products or service so I cannot endorse them.  The link was provided solely to show an example of an emergency toilet made from a 5-gallon bucket.