# Every day preps



## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

I couldn't think of a good title for this thread. :laugh:

A while back I started thinking of what we'd run out of after TEOTWAWKI that we couldn't make or grow, but that we use all the time. We've been moving away from things like paper towels for awhile - too expensive and wasteful, but here are a few ordinary things I have set aside for if/when:

48 huck towels (instead of paper towels)
48 shop towels 
24 handkerchiefs
60 cloth diapers (with pins)
~120 linen 8x8" squares (instead of tp)

I'd like to hear what other people have stored for a time when stockpiles run out. And - am I the only person who would save the tp to barter?


----------



## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

OrneryOldBat said:


> I couldn't think of a good title for this thread. :laugh:
> 
> A while back I started thinking of what we'd run out of after TEOTWAWKI that we couldn't make or grow, but that we use all the time. We've been moving away from things like paper towels for awhile - too expensive and wasteful, but here are a few ordinary things I have set aside for if/when:
> 
> ...


 @OrneryOldBat Thanks for your post . It has surely got me thinking about what I would have to barter (rice or barley maybe?) TP would definitely be a hot commodity. BTW what is a huck towel?


----------



## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

One thing I have been wondering about is a replacement for TP. In my mind the only thing 
would be a piece of cloth that would need to be laundered. Obviously down here in southern 
AZ corn cobs aren't an option. Local vegetation isn't an option either, especially prickly pear.


----------



## AnotherSOFSurvivor (Sep 7, 2016)

Shit tickets are definitely a hot button issue - as is waste disposal for people living in urban centers - no sanitation infrastructure is begging for a bacterial/parasitic out break

sent from a paper cup and string via quantum wierdness


----------



## JustAnotherNut (Feb 27, 2017)

Soap. Bar soap especially, since that is one I'm not interested in learning how to make. I do make laundry soap and that could work for other cleaning as well.


----------



## Leon (Jan 30, 2012)

I just bend down like a dog and


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Yes, I too have lately been thinking of the things we take for granted... like wiping our privates. I include sleeping. Now we take for granted we can sleep in our beds, in temperature controlled comfort, and not worry about the bugs that bite. But during a crisis, without electricity, where will you & the others sleep? For me on my farm, being in the deep south, that means sleeping on the porches to stay cooler. So just recently I've ordered a bunch of mosquito netting, as I expect visitors. Everyone have plenty? I also wonder how many have lots of good old fashioned clothes line clips?


----------



## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

Clothespins! never thought of these. Added to the list.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Prepared One said:


> Clothespins! never thought of these. Added to the list.


Well, and to wash those clothes, this tool is reviewed well. I have a couple. You can use any large bucket or pail, such as the 6 gallon ones used to store food.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002QUAPSO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1



















Then of course, bulk detergent for preppers.


----------



## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

I'm not keen on reuseable toilet cloths, it's a personal failing of mine. So I stock enough T.P. for an army on the march. My BIL saw my stock once and asked if I was getting ready for a nuclear war. Maybe.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

sideKahr said:


> I'm not keen on reuseable toilet cloths, it's a personal failing of mine. So I stock enough T.P. for an army on the march. My BIL saw my stock once and asked if I was getting ready for a nuclear war. Maybe.


I'm hesitant to store huge volumes of TP as I think mice would find a way to get in and build a mouse hotel.


----------



## sideKahr (Oct 15, 2014)

******* said:


> I'm hesitant to store huge volumes of TP as I think mice would find a way to get in and build a mouse hotel.


LOL. Had that happen to a car I stored in a dirt floored garage. They took up residence in the air cleaner and chewed up the ignition system. $600 damage.


----------



## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

Joe said:


> BTW what is a huck towel?


 They're 100% cotton, very low lint towels often used in a surgical setting. Very similar to a shop towel, except more dye-fast than some. You can buy them new or reclaimed. They are my #1 in-house utility towel. (I rarely have clothes suitable for rags, so I might as well buy what I need)


----------



## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

paraquack said:


> One thing I have been wondering about is a replacement for TP. In my mind the only thing
> would be a piece of cloth that would need to be laundered.


If it gets to that point, I'd treat them like diapers - keep a covered pail with water and a bit of soap, borax or bleach by the toilet; launder when you get a load.


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> I'm not keen on reuseable toilet cloths, it's a personal failing of mine. So I stock enough T.P. for an army on the march. .


The average American uses 23 rolls of TP a year. We stock enough to last a year assuming average usage but.... I suspect that in hard times that supply will be stretched out to over 12 months due to careful use of every little paper square.

I fully expect to be able to keep the toilets working and have no interest in using a cloth rag. My backup location is a seasonal business that buys TP in 96 roll cases.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

John Galt said:


> The average American uses 23 rolls of TP a year. We stock enough to last a year assuming average usage but.... I suspect that in hard times that supply will be stretched out to over 12 months due to careful use of every little paper square.


Probably will be stretched also due the change of diet. Most will be eating less plus will be eating less meat & fatty items. I've been dieting since Thanksgiving & my TP usage is way down.


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

******* said:


> I'm hesitant to store huge volumes of TP as I think mice would find a way to get in and build a mouse hotel.


storing TP paper - a steel barrel is the best - I've used fiber (layered kraft paper) drums for decades .... squish the paper roll center and layer the flat rolls into the barrel - about 100+ rolls into a 40 gallon drum .... add some moth balls and desiccant packs for moisture insurance .... without this much prep the TP paper stored away in the Civil Defense shelters lasted decades ....


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Illini Warrior said:


> storing TP paper - a steel barrel is the best - I've used fiber (layered kraft paper) drums for decades...


I just use the top shelf in the hall closet. it's easier.

We had one guy here a few years ago who worked in a hospital or something. He would purloin a roll regularly and probably had over a thousand rolls by the way he talked.


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

******* said:


> Probably will be stretched also due the change of diet. Most will be eating less plus will be eating less meat & fatty items. I've been dieting since Thanksgiving & my TP usage is way down.


How much weight have you lost? I need to drop 15 lbs myself. I dropped it a few years ago which helped the blood pressure but it's slowly built back up. @*******

Between the stored food and the livestock neighbors have in addition to my chickens I suspect we won't be dropping much weight for a while which can be a problem. Looking well fed in a world of hungry people may not be a good thing.


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

John Galt said:


> How much weight have you lost? I need to drop 15 lbs myself.


35 lbs.



John Galt said:


> Between the stored food and the livestock neighbors have in addition to my chickens I suspect we won't be dropping much weight for a while which can be a problem. Looking well fed in a world of hungry people may not be a good thing.


I'm in exactly the same boat.


----------



## Joe (Nov 1, 2016)

******* said:


> Yes, I too have lately been thinking of the things we take for granted... like wiping our privates. I include sleeping. Now we take for granted we can sleep in our beds, in temperature controlled comfort, and not worry about the bugs that bite. But during a crisis, without electricity, where will you & the others sleep? For me on my farm, being in the deep south, that means sleeping on the porches to stay cooler. So just recently I've ordered a bunch of mosquito netting, as I expect visitors. Everyone have plenty? I also wonder how many have lots of good old fashioned clothes line clips?


 Mister @******* we have loads of them as we hang out our clothes to dry all spring summer fall. we had a prolonged power outage years ago and you could not find clothes pins. Good idea to bring them up as an idea. They are a very cheap prep. Do not buy the plastic ones as they dry rot quickly and break


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

John Galt said:


> I just use the top shelf in the hall closet. it's easier.
> 
> We had one guy here a few years ago who worked in a hospital or something. He would purloin a roll regularly and probably had over a thousand rolls by the way he talked.


*lucky you* - most of us preppers reserve the better storage space for SHTF items requiring climate controlled storage conditions .... TP being one of the rare SHTF items that doesn't need premium storage - just protection from pest & rodents ....


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

sideKahr said:


> LOL. Had that happen to a car I stored in a dirt floored garage. They took up residence in the air cleaner and chewed up the ignition system. $600 damage.


I read an article the other day about how a lot of modern cars are now having problems with mice chewing the wiring. It seems that in an attempt to be environmentally friendly many car companies have been using a soy based insulation on the wiring which mice find tasty. Volvo and another foreign car company were referenced in the article as having more problems with mice than other companies' vehicles.


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Illini Warrior said:


> *lucky you* - most of us preppers reserve the better storage space for SHTF items requiring climate controlled storage conditions .... TP being one of the rare SHTF items that doesn't need premium storage - just protection from pest & rodents ....


The kids are grown, many of the food stores are under the house and down at the shop in rodent resistant containers, the hallway closet is barely used... What can I say, I've got plenty of storage space.


----------



## Illini Warrior (Jan 24, 2015)

John Galt said:


> The kids are grown, many of the food stores are under the house and down at the shop in rodent resistant containers, the hallway closet is barely used... What can I say, I've got plenty of storage space.


*again - great for you* .... some people are looking for methods to stock SHTF items properly that DON'T have this unlimited space - that's why people are here - telling them to go screw themselves is hardly helpful ....


----------



## Redneck (Oct 6, 2016)

Illini Warrior said:


> *again - great for you* .... some people are looking for methods to stock SHTF items properly that DON'T have this unlimited space - that's why people are here - telling them to go screw themselves is hardly helpful ....


You reading the same reply as me? Where does John say screw anything? He simply stated he has extra room due to the kids being grown.

I too have plenty of space but that surely doesn't alleviate the issue of proper storage to prevent rodent damage. While cleaning my brooder tonight, I realized a similar design should work well for TP storage. The hardware cloth should stop any rodent but allow for air flow.


----------



## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Illini Warrior said:


> *again - great for you* .... some people are looking for methods to stock SHTF items properly that DON'T have this unlimited space - that's why people are here - telling them to go screw themselves is hardly helpful ....


WTF? Illini Warrier, not sure why you are becoming so touchy unless you're the person who used to bring all the TP home from work I mentioned in the 1st post. Either way let's just move on.


----------



## Targetshooter (Dec 4, 2015)

we get extra tp, paper towels , soap , vinegar ,can fruit , salt every month , not a lot just a few extra packages.


----------



## PAPrepper (Oct 24, 2013)

Always a smart idea!


----------



## OrneryOldBat (Feb 10, 2017)

Less every day prepping...

I've stocked a lot of medical supplies, but knowing that some day the band-aids could run out, I've stored a couple of cans of rolled linen bandages in various sizes and lengths; cotton flannel for pads; scrubs, gowns, masks, heavy full aprons, and drape cloths - all new, then washed in hot water with bleach, tumble dried, and packed straight from the dryer. So clean packed, not sterile, but my pressure canner doubles as an autoclave. Plenty of safety pins of every size. 12 pairs of heavy duty rubber gloves.


----------



## dmet (Jun 5, 2016)

Thanks for all the great ideas. I've added a few things to my list. I know most of you already have these, but a friend of mine injured her thumb and had an extra thumb/finger guard at home to help protect it. So I already had that on my list to pick up since I hadn't thought of that yet.


----------

