The quiet war that will be waged after any catastrophe will be that of an invisible killer.
While the fires rage and the stores are looted outside you will also be battling food and waterborne diseases that are more than capable of killing anyone.
Many of these diseases plague less advanced parts of the world and we need only look to them for examples of what happens to a society without easy access to clean water.
If trash services cease, water treatment stops, power goes out and meds disappear … these five infections will likely become common… and you can become infected.
1. Salmonella (Food Borne)
One of the most common food borne bacteria salmonella is most commonly associated with chickens or poultry. In an unclean world where homes and even meat processing is done by untrained individuals this food-borne illness will skyrocket. Salmonella can kill you in very similar ways as cholera. This is a bacterium that we struggle to control in our world today. Imagine dealing with it in a fallen world.
2. Diarrhea
Diarrhea is the most common illness that people get after disasters. Not only that in some rare cases it is deadly, but it is certain to dehydrate you and make things even worse. I always stock a few extra tablets of Loperamide HCl (2 mg). Our grandparents always had remedies for a runny stomach. Do you know how to immediately treat it with vinegar lemonade?
Read More: 5 Home Remedies for Diarrhea
3. Cholera
This is a disease born of tainted drinking water. This is a massive problem in underdeveloped nations. Once water treatment shuts down and we are left to purify our own water cholera will begin killing people. Diarrhea and vomiting are the most common symptoms as well as abdominal cramps. People often die from massive dehydration brought on by the infection.
Related: H2O Dynamo – The Awesome DIY Device That Turns Air Into Fresh Water! (Video)
4. Tetanus
All over the nation people will be tasked with using their hands and doing physical labor. Whether its building or repairing many Americans have no idea where to start. Frustrated and inexperienced people will cut themselves on rusty metal and other contaminated surfaces. A tetanus infection will bring them a tightening of muscles and possible swelling of the neck that could result in suffocation.
5. E. coli
Most commonly attributed to raw beef the E. coli bacteria are present in your gut as we speak. The issues start when these bacteria reach dangerous levels. E. coli can get ugly fast and cause things like kidney failure or even anemia. One of the most common ways E. coli bacteria are spread is through feces… so low hygiene, no clean water… this will be very common.
Related: Homemade Substitutes for Toilet Paper
Stockpile Bleach
One of the best nonfood items to store is bleach. Bleach is a multi-use chemical that can help you in so many ways post disaster. We always think of water purification when it comes to bleach and survival. That is one of the most powerful things bleach can do for you.
Related: 30 Survival Items You Forgot to Buy
What you may not know about bleach is that many businesses use a bleach solution to sanitize tools and food contact surfaces. This is completely legal and commonly practiced. Once you have reached a scenario where the world is awash in filth you will want to make sure where you prepare food is completely sanitized at all times.
Utilizing a bleach solution to clean counter tops, utensils and storage containers is a great way to eliminate many of the bacteria we mentioned above. Also, use this solution to clean your bathrooms as well. Remember E. coli originates in feces and though that’s disgusting it’s the truth. These areas must be kept clean.
Personal hygiene is the dark horse of the collapse scenario. Many people concern themselves with things like violence and chaos. More people will die from unsanitary living conditions and unsafe water than anything else. This is not a lofty prediction. Look at other places on the planet that have experience similar situations.
Did you know that during WWI twice more people died from Influenza than on the battlefield? An estimated 675,000 Americans died of influenza during the pandemic, ten times as many as in the war. Of the U.S. soldiers who died in Europe, half of them fell to the influenza virus and not to the enemy.
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Also typhus which is carried by body lice. Plague carried by fleas. Rats and mice will proliferate in an EOTW situation. More comments about bleach after I do some further research.
And, we used to gauge plague by how many rodents died. Up on the big rez, Navajo, they found prairie rats that seemed to be resistant to it back when Coke-Nose Clinton was getting stoned in the WH. Folks said even the sheep were getting sick it was so bad. Tony Hillerman wrote an expose in a novel about it and caught hell. niio
Good reminder, need to get more bleach
calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) without additives in one pound bags. one bag will last a loooong time and clean lots more than many gallons of common bleach.
Can you add it to water that has been stored, or collected for drinking???
To kill bacteria?
Yes It only takes a little. A bag will treat a swimming pool. A bag of pool shock is only about 50% and has other ingredients. Best to order pure calcium hypochlorite on EBAY or Amazon.
Calcium Hypochlorite 99% PURE MIN. [Ca(OCl)2] 1 X 1lb Bottle = 10,000ga
Rainwater stored in large tanks, stratifies and becomes “dead water”. It needs a small air pump, like those used in large aquariums, to restore oxygen. Rainwater Ranch in Greenville, Texas is the supplier I use.
Pool Shock is only 68%, you can purchase on Ebay for example 99%,
Calcium Hypochlorite 99% PURE MIN. [Ca(OCl)2] 1 X 1lb Bottle = 10,000ga
99% Ca2(OCI)2 is still only 68% chlorine
vocalpatriot,
You stole my point before I could make it, since calcium hypochlorite or sodium hypochlorite (pool shock) without additives, stored in a sealed glass container can last a long time, generally 2 years or more, allowing one to make a bleach solution when needed for use. Commercially prepared liquid bleach has a shelf life of only 12 months from the date of manufacture, or less if exposed to sunlight or heat. Be careful when handling pool shock, since it is a highly reactive chemical that should be kept away from metals and acids.
You can disinfect water by using 8 drops of bleach per gallon of clear water.
Clorox® has a code system that allows one to determine the manufacture date and using simple math, the shelf life of their product.
https://www.clorox.com/how-to/laundry-basics/bleach-101/bleach-expiration-dates/
The example from the listed website us as follows:
In the example above, the bleach should not be trusted after April 4th, 2010.
Other generic bleach manufacturers may have a similar coding system; but, you will have to check each when you acquire their product.
Bleach will only store for 6 months and then it is no good.
Yes, that has been said. You should read the thread before posting.
Bear,
It’s actually 12 months under proper conditions. See my post above.
Bleach is only good for approximately one year. You must use the old and buy new to replace it.
Don’t buy bleach. Has a 6 month shelf-life at 100%. Get Pool Shock or equivalent. Way less space, more effective and shelf life of years.
not to mention they are adding more crap to bleach like antisplashing gel which can’t be good..
The antisplashing Clorox bleach does not say it it disinfects. Only the regular Clorox Bleach says it kills 99.9.
Anyone expecting disinfection from the antisplash should think again.
Few are aware of this. Call Clorox, check it out for yourself.
From Clorox in response to a question from a user: “Our Clorox Splash-Less Bleach is not sold as a registered disinfectant. If you need a registered disinfectant, you can purchase our EPA-registered Clorox Concentrated Regular Bleach. Be sure that the word “disinfects” or “Kills 99.9% of common household germs” appears on the label.
Read more at https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-concentrated-splash-less-bleach #32uhjCLgT61OTXsF.99
Yes, and most people I mention it to are unaware that the splash-less they buy is not disinfecting. That can have HUGE ramifications if someone is counting on disinfecting something.. For 50 years I bought clorox. It never occured to me to read the label after 50 years of purchasing it. I was surprised and angered when I finally discovered the above fact that what I used it on was not getting disinfected. There are a jillion products for general cleaning. When people think Clorox they think DISINFECT. IMHO, it is terribly irresponsible to change that, and use similar packaging that folks who have been buying the product for decades are unlikely to notice it doesn’t say “kills 99.9” anymore. I felt betrayed.
Lyn,
Splash inhibitors.
I think that most normal people, and that would not likely be any of us, purchase bleach for the laundry to bleach out stains, and are not generally worried about disinfection, since the detergent and the wash and rinse cycles do a rather good job for common laundry tasks.
Use as a disinfectant, is a specialty need and one needs to read the label to verify that function of the chemical.
Yes you can use Clorox crystals for drinking wTer decontamination although it isn’t publicized and there lacks a formal recipie for reconstitution. Here is a scientific journal article on the very question and efficacy.
https://www.unicef.org/cholera/Annexes/Supporting_Resources/Annex_9/Clasen-NaDCC2.pdf
Most interesting. And I thought I liked the splash-proof stuff . . . Serves me right for not ‘reading the bloody label !!’
I thought bleach loses its strength after awhile. So how long will I be able to keep it?
No longer than a year past date of manufacturing
I checked out scooters comment and it does have a shelf life. Glad I didn’t buy a bunch of it for long term storage. Thanks for heads up
Also, while bleach is good, hydrogenperoxide is also a good disinfectant. especially 35% which can be diluted.
Food Grade 35% hydrogen peroxide even has medicinal applications that the regular H2O2 does not due to preservatives.
Peroxide is good, but the higher concentrations are nothing to be casual about in handling. I had some gallons of 17% kept in a climate controlled area and the containers literally turned brittle and dumped the contents. Get it on you skin and you have a problem. As Scooter says above – get pool shock and mix your own “bleach” when needed. Like pool chlorine, pool shock is a terrific oxidizer and needs to be sealed up tightly .. or all your steel tools will rust.
I’ve kept 35% food-grade H2O2 in my refrigerator for years, reusing the same (plastic) container (wrapped in foil to keep out light). The container is still flexible after 8 years, so perhaps it depends on the type of plastic from which the container is made. My container has a recycling designation of #2 if that helps.
Farmer & all,
While Food Grade hydrogen peroxide is a great disinfectant, it is also a great oxidizer with a shelf life shorter than the hypochlorite mentioned above.
Hydrogen peroxide expires 6 months after opening; but, it can last for up to 3 years unopened. To test its effectiveness, you can pour it in to a sink and see if it fizzes and bubbles. If it does, it’s still good. Expired hydrogen peroxide is ineffective but not harmful since it converts to plain water and oxygen gas.
H2O2 decomposes into H2O & O2.
Mixed with kerosene or alcohol, hydrogen peroxide is used as a component of rocket fuel, so handle it with care.
Agree, however there are some things you need to know about hydrogen peroxide: it MUST be kept dark. If you buy some from a store that is sitting in the sun, it probably, even with the brown bottle, is gone”bad” . By bad, I mean it has turned into water and won’t do a thing! To test it, put it on skin or something with a small cut.. if it fizzes, it’s good. the fizzier, the better for being good. That is what happens when H.P. is old, it turns into water. Harmless, but non effective for purifying water, or anything else.
So, buy stuff not stored in sunlight, keep in dark bottles and store in the dark, you’ll be good to go.
Any one have experience with bleach substitutes such as “pool-shock” and equine stall cleaners?
OK for general sanitizing purposes – same same with all the pool shocks – but absolutely NOT for sanitizing for potable (drinking) water ….
the calcium hypochlorite (pool shock) for potable water is specific for the purpose …. good advise is to stock in this direction and use it also for the downgraded purposes ….
Illini: https://www.backdoorsurvival.com/how-to-use-pool-shock-to-purify-water/
A lot of good conversation. Make us think about cleanliness, food prep, sanitation, first-aid, etc…
When even a scratch or small cut could escalate to a serious situation, simple items like, bleach, alcohol, soap, ointments, etc…, can be life savers.
I work in a hospital environment so I know how important bleach is. Just remember this, bleach will lose it’s strength after 6 months. I would suggest that you stock the powdered or granule type bleach like you use in pools. This kind of bleach stays good a long time just be sure to get the right kind. Do your research!
And for those who are not reading the label, your Clorox, if the Splash-less, apparently doesn’t disinfect from day 1.
Colloidal silver has not yet been mentioned. In a post-SHTF scenario, if you can assemble a makeshift still and distill your water, you’ve got a leg up already. Then, if you were smart &/or lucky enough to have rechargeable batteries and a solar power source (or bicycle/human power), you can make your own (ionic) colloidal silver.
Right now all the marketing glitz is toward the nanoparticulate and atomic-scale colloidal silver, but if you’ve got a case of the runs, it’s great to be able to down an ounce of (ionic, home-made) colloidal silver and watch the symptoms fade away. Washing out puncture wounds with colloidal silver will disinfect and prevent tetanus.
Cutting boards and countertops can be sanitized with colloidal silver spray, without having to rinse them off afterward (better than bleach). Plus, bleach is chlorine, which is a halogen and inhalation or ingestion of it has undesirable health consequences.
Just a tiny bit of silver will make many gallons of colloidal silver (the distilled water will be the larger challenge). Right now silver’s under $20 an ounce; a good time to buy a couple of ounces and download the plans to make your own colloidal silver (ionic) from a simple battery-powered circuit.
You are so right about colloidal silver. It seems like nothing can live in the presence of colloidal silver.
We have so many medicinal uses for it.
To make ours, we use .9999 silver wire instead of ingots or coins since they have other metals in them to harden them so they keep their shape. For the price of one bottle of commercially-made colloidal silver, we can make gallons of the stuff. If you are on a septic tank, you have to be careful how much colloidal silver gets washed down the drain. It can kill the beneficial bacteria in the tank and cause all kinds of problems.
My go-to cleaner is undiluted white vinegar. I use it for nearly everything even in the laundry in the place of fabric softener.
Vodka has a lot of applications also and will be better than cash when the “shtf”.
All through my life, I’m 69, we have used a cup of bleach in 5 gal. of water to rid ourselves of chiggers. Just wet the body everywhere with a rag or sponge and then air dry. Worked for all of us and we cut, bailed, and hauled hay. Walked in the pasture to get livestock in, and hunted year round. Also if you want to keep chiggers and ticks from getting on you. Prior to being exposed, rub sulphur powder on you legs from the top of ;your socks to your knees, on your forearms, and around your neck up to your hairline and over your ears. If I am going to be walking in weeds, I also cover my pants legs, and belt line.
Dust with sulphur prior to going into the weeds, as Uncle T says and you won’t need the bleach treated bath. Most hunters, hikers and outdoor types learn this lesson, early.
Dry bleach, AKA calcium hypochlorite is the active ingredient in pool shock but is only at about 50% concentration. You can order pure calcium hypochlorite on ebay for less money. I keep mine in a plastic coffee can as it will rust a metal can. The jug of bleach in the laundry just gets a little added to it as needed so I never buy bleach.
you need better storage for that pool shock – it off gases to the point of pressuring off something like that coffee can lid …
you need a gasketed lid also – lid that is screw on and has a tension locking mechanism …. this kind of container is wide thru the pool industry – check with a distributor or pool owner ….
I have not had a problem with the coffee can lid popping off or a chlorine oder in the cabinet.
As a side note I also keep idoine crystals for water purification and they are a problem. At first I kept them in a glass jar with a metal lid and they ate a hole in the lid.
If you’re going to get pool shock as a replacement to common bleach, be sure to get the highest concentration of calcium hypochlorite available. and with no other additives like algicide or something.
if you’re prepping for pandemic type SHTFs – the simple quart spray bottles and sanitizing wipes will get the small jobs done – but the common garden pump up sprayers are the go to tool for handling a vehicle or an entire room/home ….
I see a lot of comments recommending pool shock (calcium hypochlorite). This is a good recommendation. Just be aware that this compound is a super concentrated oxidizer.
Store it in a sealed container, and DO NOT allow it to come in contact with the smallest amount of any petroleum based product (oil, brake fluid, diesel, fuel oils). Check out vids on Youtube about the reactions between pool shock and brake fluid.
Even allowing two different types of pool shock to mix can be dangerous.
Read the instructions, and exercise caution.
le chlore choc des piscines contient des anti-algues (risque de cancer). La teinture d’iode peut servir comme désinfectant mais tache tout.
Mais oui, cherchez un produit d’hypochlorate de calcium pur sans aucun additif
Très vrai, Jean-Michel. Le moins d’ingrédients inconnus en temps de crise, le mieux. Teinture d’iode était le seul antiseptique topique que nous avions en tant qu’enfants.
I bought a colloidal generator last year ($125.00) that employs a bidirectional current which electronically changes the positive and negative positions. The pulse induced by the polarity change, in efect, causes the silver particles to be electrokinetically stirred. This inhibits clumping and essentially gives it an extremely long shelf life. And you can set the desired PPM. I set mine at 10 PPM.
Consider the ebola outbreak in Africa. Strange that the 2014 ebola outbreaks that started (untraditionally) in four countries, there just happened to be US bio-weapons labs in three of them. It wasn’t the classical hemorrhagic ebola virus of the past either, but one that was bio-engineered. Also, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA – part of the Department of Defense) tested nano-silver in 1999 and disclosed (declassified in 2009 (FOIA)) that definitively, Nano Silver 10 PPM supports normal cell membrane integrity and stops ebola dead in its tracks.
Ironically, the FDA itself raised the concern about Colloidal Silver getting into the environment where it would likely interfere with the ecology “by killing amoeba in vast quantities”, which is total BS. So typical of the FDA (Fraud and Death Administration) to try and discredit nanosilver; favoring corporate profit as opposed to saving lives where it should really matter.
One more thing. During that period, a WHO representative publically announced that any and all options (cures) that anyone or agency would like to try would be automatically approved by Who… (anything that is, except Nano Silver because it works.)
Well, President Koroma ejected the WHO Representative for trying to stop Nano Silver 10 PPM from getting to Ebola-Torn Sierra Leone… and lives were saved and the media was suddenly silenced.
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA – part of the Department of Defense) tested nano-silver in 1999 and disclosed (declassified in 2009) that definitively, Nano Silver 10 PPM supports normal cell membrane integrity and stops ebola dead in its tracks.
Hi. Can you please email me the website you bought the colloidal generator?
Thank you,
Heidi
Sorry Heidi that I didn’t get back to you sooner. Been pretty busy.
Here you go:
https://wishgranted.com/product/colloid-master-ac-colloidal-silver-maker/
I would like to hear more about this as I am a paranoid mother about everything LOL especially brain eating amoeba’s viruses that cannot be cured or so they say we have a bottle of colonial silver that we use every once in a while usually just if we get sick or have a small cut a burn we used to also use that red iodine when I was a kid and we have food grade peroxide that we wash our foods and vegetables with it’s extremely strong burns your skin turns white even diluted with water it’s still strong I think it’s 35% my mom had bought it she drinks it very diluted and I have had everyone’s a while but it does not taste that great but it’s supposed to be really good for you I have been looking into how to really protect our tapwater from getting amoeba I know the city says there’s chlorine in the water but I just don’t trust that there is always enough and then chlorine is also bad for you we do not drink our tapwater anyways but with kids you know brushing their teeth are taking baths it’s easy to get a little bit in your nose I always put sea salt in there bathtubs a couple of handfuls I am not sure if that does enough I never thought about colonial silver if it would kill amoeba nor did Try putting any peroxide in the water because of their private parts and I am Not sure if it would burn or be bad. PS sorry for not having any commas or periods I’m obviously talk texting in the middle of the night LOL and don’t want to stop to go back and Correct it
Also I think it’s called MMS for curing a lot of stuff there’s a whole interview video on it and viruses but it helps and just keep your immune system strong to fight off all kinds of stuff I heard that they used it to cure malaria in Africa and the Red Cross tried To keep it hush-hush they were the ones who tried it and it worked it Try looking it up on YouTube you’ll see the interview with the Guy who uses it I think he’s a doctor or Is in holistic practice
Hi Anna. Most antibiotics have an optimal effectiveness against only a few different disease germs; even broad-spectrum antibiotics may kill only 10-20 different types of bacteria. Also, most antibiotics that kill bacteria will not kill fungus/yeasts, protozoal parasites or viruses; antifungal antibiotics will not kill bacteria, viruses, parasites, etc. And virtually all known viruses are immune to virtually all known antibiotics.
(silver=Ag)
Ag is unique among antimicrobial agents in its broad spectrum of action. It has been claimed to kill some 650 different disease organisms. And unlike antibiotics, Ag is an ‘equal opportunity destroyer’ – it doesn’t discriminate, but effectively kills germs of all major types: gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, spore-forming bacteria, fungus/yeasts, viruses and protozoal parasites. Ag sulfadiazine is used almost universally in hospitals to prevent serious burn infections, but it kills dozens of different bacteria; it also kills 95% of 72 strains of herpesvirus, as well as the protozoal parasite Plasmodium berghei (malaria). It also kills various yeasts, including several Aspergillus varieties, Mucor pusillus, Rhizopus nigricans and 50 different clinical isolates of Candida albicans.
Another thing. You will find people pushing a homemade colloidal silver maker using three 9V batteries in a series. That is NOT a colloidal silver generator but is instead an “ionic silver generator.”
It would make a safe disinfectant and/or be OK for surface abrasions. The problem with ionic silver is that over time it clumps up and becomes too large for viruses and most of it if taken orally does not survive stomach acids.
You might look into a “Five Stage Reverse Osmosis” water filtration system as it sounds like your water source is questionable. It also removes chlorine – which is not really the best thing in your body as it is toxic.
Steven G,
We use a Reverse Osmosis system on our softened well water; but, for urban use, make sure that the first filter cartridge in the system is activated charcoal to remove the chlorine and fluorine, since these chemicals will destroy the R/O membrane.
Other than that, R/O system water is great for any cooking or drinking.
Anna: it’s MSM. :MethylSulphonylMethane
I get mine here:
Health Talk Hawaii
Pretty yucky tasting. Some put in water and then down something like orange juice. I prefer to just take it by spoonful with a water chaser.
OH, you can’t be on any city water for this: chlorine blocks the uptake of sulfur.
You may get results that make you feel sick, like flu symptoms. Could last several days. Either increase the product or take with food.
Do all of you “Clorox” bleach advocates understand that a new bottles strength is compromised in six months and just a bottle of salt water within less than two years?
Yes, we all do understand. That is why there is a fair amount of discussion in the above comments. Please read and pay attention to what some of us have gone through.
Recently I opened up the last bottle of Clorox of a batch of 3 that I purchased at Costco. The bottle is dated by me 3/20/14. That would make it more than three years old. It still smells strongly of chlorine. It makes my hands slippery. More importantly, I use it for killing mold with a disinfecting solution of 1/2 cup Clorox to 1 gallon of water and it still kills mold and removes it from surfaces. Now, would I trust it to purify water at this late date? No, I would not totally. Would I use it for a disinfecting spray on surfaces that I wanted to clean, say, after gutting and scaling fish or gutting and cleaning an animal? I certainly would and I think it would do the job. I have read all the articles and posts that say that household bleach is dead as a doornail after six month, a year, etc etc as well as most of the readers of this list. However, I am of the unsupported opinion that it isn’t useless as a disinfectant and if were all I had to purify some water, I would certainly use it. I would increase the dosage somewhat to offset the effects of aging, but I would use it. I think it is like a lot of things in life. The date on the can says “use by xx/xx/xx”. That doesn’t mean that the day after “xx/xx/xx” suddenly the can of tomatoes is full of raging botulism. It means that the taste isn’t going to be like a fresh-picked, vine-ripened tomato just off the vine (when was the last time you tasted canned tomatoes like that anyway?) and maybe instead of 20% of the daily recommended quantity of Vitamin C you are only going to get 18.5%, but the tomatoes are still edible and still have food value. Now most of the readers of this list are adults and have life experience and we learn (hopefully) as we go through life that certain things are true and certain things are not true. We learn, (again, hopefully) to trust our own judgment when it comes to things we have long life experience with. We used to depend on what life had taught us a lot more than we seem to today. Today we have all kinds of so-called experts spewing forth gushing streams of advice ( much like what you are reading right now) and I think too often we tend to following that advice sheep-like, even when we have life’s hard-earned lessons that taught us differently. So, I would sum up this again, rather lengthy post, by saying I wouldn’t recommend dumping all your household bleach (assuming you didn’t buy it at the 99¢ store) down the drain because it is six months old or a year old or even three years old. I think until it smells just like a jug of plain tap water, it will still have some value to it as a disinfectant. As I am suggesting about advice from other sources, you are free to totally disregard this post as the posting of some crackpot who has no scientific evidence upon which to base his opinion, just his life experience.
How long it lasts depends a lot on how it is stored. Cool dry place without much jostling and tightly closed caps will make it last much longer than the 6 months proclamed in many postings.
LCC: Wonder if that isn’t another marketing ploy to get you to buy more when what you have is already fine?
I wouldn’t be surprised!
BUT: I WOULD re package it in glass containers to avoid it eating through the plastic.
Essential oils are better than all these alternatives for diseases. Do some research on them.
shortnsweetFinn,
Since you state that “Essential oils are better than all these alternatives for diseases.”, perhaps you could elucidate your assertion and save us some of the research or give us a starting point.
Unfounded assertions really have no meaning, unless you can back them up.
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Diarrhea is a symptom of an infection, it is not a type of infection itself. E. coli, salmonella, cholera, etc are bacteria that cause diarrhea and it frequently, not rarely, causes death, as stated in the article.
Doccmt,
I had not written this yet; but, had the same thoughts. E. coli, salmonella, cholera, and other bacterial contaminants can be dealt with easily with proper sanitation and thorough cooking. Boiling water will also kill these contaminants, with perhaps the biggest problem to overcome, being that of eating uncooked vegetables, like salad greens. I have an aunt and uncle who were once stationed in Greece decades ago, and all of the produce purchased at the local market was first washed in bleach water, and then rinsed with cooled, boiled water.
My thought also. Diarrhea is a symptom, although it can be deadly. Reading accounts of the middle ages and even later it is amazing how many notable people died from the “bloody flux” which was medieval speak for serious diarrhea. No telling what disease entity it was. Streams, lakes and rivers were used for sewage disposal and people still obtained water from them and used it without boiling.
Still, few people drank water. Most drank ale which was brewed daily, much like baking bread daily. Wealthier types drank wine. Ale and wine were even given to children once weaned. People instinctively knew better than to drink water.
Disagree. Diarrhea can be caused by some prescription drugs, by disease (diabetes is one that causes diarrhea) and by taking too high doses of vitamin C. None of which are related to an infection.
There are better and safer ways to disinfect than bleach. A really good one is vinegar, which is edible. (I buy the regular one for cleaning because it is often made with chemicals although they show vegetables in the label, and the ones made with natural produce for cooking.) Also stock up on baking soda for cleaning and cooking, together they work well. There are other disinfectants that are natural so just look for homemade natural cleaning solutions. For things like fleas, roaches, ants, etc. the best thing is FOOD GRADE Diatomaceous earth. It is used to protect thing like rice from bugs so humans can ingest it. Not only does it kill the aforementioned, it sticks to their legs and kills the nests. I buy it at Amazon, a large bag last for years. For personal hygiene think boy scout. A cup of water, a small towel, and just a small amount of soap is enough to clean your entire body, just don’t start from the back end, lol. Since you are not drinking it just filtering it will do. This last one is the #1 most essential thing, just check out how bad it can get, in news about PR, a true SHTF situation. Make sure to have containers that can be used to collect rain water from roofs, a simple water filtration system made from instructions on YouTube, and add a simple rocket stove (also YouTube) that can use small pieces of wood to boil the water after it’s filtered. Of course, you can get high tech but this is as simple as it gets and just about as effective.
Como se va? White vinegar is easy to make. 2 cups sugar in 3 quarts water, add yeast. cover with a cloth to keep bugs out. In 6 weeks, it’s vinegar. the junk on the bottom is high protein dead yeast.
Grain vinegar takes longer, but partially cooked grain converts some starch to sugars. We eat Asian noodles, which call for fermenting the rice. Beer is strained out and jugged to finish fermenting. Once its done, it needs no refrigeration and if capped tightly, stays good for several years. Very high in vitamin C and so on. The dough is made in the food processor. The black mold is supposed to be eatable, and its used to make soy sauce. We use regular beans, not soy. niio
Thank you. This is a good article!
Salmonella: In case of food poisoning, one level teaspoon of dried rosemary leaves. Put in cup, fill with boiling water. Let steep for 10 minutes, then sip. It counters the toxins, as the French will tell you. If needed, one more cup, but NO MORE for the day.
Diarrhea: Chewing tobacco will stop most cases fast.
Cholera: Same here. There is work being done on simply acidifying the stomach to stop it.
Tetanus: My prayers are with you. Get your shots up to date!
E. coli: You can carry this in the lower GI. It’s a feces digester. Get it in the upper tract, we use tobacco. Anyone or any animal will carry it. Always clean up with a little bleach in the water.
Reminder to self, buy more dry bleach. My excuse is, we have a bathhouse 🙂 niio
what will everyone do two, three, four or more years after TEOTWAWKI and the majority of your sanitation supplies are either used up or expired beyond use? Chuck, I agree with you that the “expiration” dates are just a guide that lets you know the product will start deteriorating but might still be edible / functional long after the “expiration” has passed. I have not really researched but I think I need to find some easily self produced antiseptic cleaning / sanitation materials such as home made vinegar, etc. I have a lemon tree that produces way more lemons than my family, neighbors, and friends at work normally use, so I end up using the ones that finally get to old and fall off to clean my kitchen sink and then let the cleaning “juice” sit in the sink drain overnight to loosen greasy deposits, and it works pretty good for cleaning, especially if you add a little vinegar and baking soda, and smells good too, but enough about cleaning…
is lemon juice from actual fruit grown on your own property antiseptic?, and I mean just the squeezed lemon juice, nothing added expect maybe water? I know it sure stings when you get some on a cut or scrape.
I am a proponent of vinegar. Use it for everything in the Kitchen & Cleaning in rest of house. Easier to store sugar to make more of it, than bleach & I always have yeast or can gather it.
That leaves storing just 2ea. 1#. packages of dry Sodium Hypochlorite (because “1 is none & 2 is one…”) for Water Disinfection as my “headach” to store.
I like keeping my kitchen sink sponge dampened with vinegar once I squeeze it out after rinsing up from a chore. I have extremely hard water in the Desert & I wipe down my sink & faucets with that sponge to prevent lime & scale, water spots & it leaves my sponge clean & smelling good. Mixed-up bottles of 1:10 bleach cleaning solution has to be dumped and remade every 24 hrs… as a retired Nurse, I have mixed, used, dumped & remixed tons of bottles of bleach solution. It was painful, horrid to inhale & burned my skin when even a tiny droplet splashed past my gloves to my wrist or arm…Not Vinegar! Its vinegar for my house!