# Bathing



## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

I've had a vague plan on bathing post-fan, involving commando baths and baby wipes. That went up in smoke when my water heater crapped out and flooded the basement on Monday. 

I was fine, but the rest of the household completely rebeled. "Wipes and a spray bottle? Forget it, me and the kids are going to my mother's house," said She Who Must Be Obeyed. While the water heater is being replaced, I've been trying to come up with a plan that will work when it comes to getting the girls clean without a full bath-tub.

I am gravitating towards warm water sponge baths and fitting a shower head on a 5-gallon bucket. While I've been long used to field bathing and have used the black plastic "solar showers" before, me thinks Mama and the l'I'll Princess might not fare so well. The real sticker is hair washing, as they've got yards of hair; me and #1 son have buzz cuts, which the girls think is just fine for us. Ack! Any suggestions from those who have fixed this conundrum?


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

Dreds are quite popular in some segments of society... takes care of the hair washing problem...

Truth is I wouldnt have a problem with sponge/spray bath. I envision some way of using rain water from a barrel above an outdoor shower setup if I actually lived in a place that had rain on any regular sort of basis... not in AZ. I know a guy in AR that has a setup like this -- quite nice!


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## siletz (Aug 23, 2011)

Last year we had some septic system problems, and had to get creative. We rigged up the camping shower with a hook inside the normal shower. We stood in a large rubbermaid tote to catch the water, showered with the solar shower filled with hot water. We got a somewhat normal shower and didn't need to go outside in the middle of winter.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

We catch rainwater in buckets and/or barrels where it runs off the roof, heat it on the woodstove in a large kettle, then set it on an over-turned 5-gallon bucket in the shower stall. That gets it up to a reasonable height. A cup with a handle (we used a blue enameled one. Any would work) to dip out water and pour it over our heads/bodies. Get wet, shampoo or soap up, then wash off with cupfulls of dipped water. 

It allows a person to be inside, in their shower/bathroom, and have hot water to wash off with. Other ways to heat water would be on a campstove, barbeque grill, in the sun in a dark kettle, or even those camping solar shower bags. You can pour the water out of the bag and use it in a kettle for showers and even for things like dish washing or laundry. Feels nicer on old hands like mine than cold water does!


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

When the weathers warm I just dive off the boat and lather up. Probably should use environmentally friendly soap & shampoo in Lake Erie. As for cold weather I will boil water and spong bathe @ BOL. As for washing long hair, I should think moderating ammount of shampoo used and repeated rinse with pots of water heated on the stove. Maybe wash hair every 2 or 3 days.


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## Expeditioner (Jan 6, 2009)

Keep my hair short and thinned out to minimize shampoo use. When traveling to remote areas where water for bathing/showering is at premium, I use the following rule:
1. Hands
2. Face
3. Arm pits
4. Feet 
5. Crotch

Keep hair short and thinned out to minimize shampoo usage. Cold water is better than no water at all when it comes to bathing.


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

When ever I used to go to Cuba to see my dad it was always a five gallons bucket of warm water, I used half of it and the next person would use the other half.........like I said before WTSHTF has lasted in Cuba for over fifty years so that we know what and how to do it.


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## Possumfam (Apr 19, 2011)

My daughter and I have perfected the 2 liter bath (shampooing included.) We put the bottle outside in the sun to warm up, and that's all we use to bath and rinse with. Imagine giving a newborn a bath, such a small amount of water - well, that's what we do, using the washcloth to wash with first, then using most of the water and washcloth to rinse. Hubby and son aren't really trying. A little practice now helps, but if they can't bring themselves to do it now, when it HTF, they'll learn real quick.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

For heating water in non-winter months, do you have relatively easy access to your attic?

Put a larger (5+ gallons) bucket or tub in the attic with a line running out that goes to your tub. _Yes, you'll have to poke a hole in the drywall above your tub_.

Using smaller buckets, keep that attic tub filled. The heat radiating off the roof will get that water plenty warm.


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

I bought one of those battery powered pumps with attached hose and tiny shower head. Just drop the pick-up tube in the bucket of water, turn on the pump, and spray, lather, rinse. Problem is, its the biggest piece of crap I ever bought!  I seen puppies pee a stronger stream! 

I guess its back to sitting in the creek. :dunno:


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*My Mama*

My moma could take a bath in a tea cup and give me a quick spit bath before I knew what was going on !


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## Padre (Oct 7, 2011)

Whether its warm or cold out I believe a solar shower would work, the pressure is not great but it works. In the warm weather you can place the bladder on your driveway for quickest heating. In the winter I would put it on the floor in your house behind a large window that gets a lot of sun. 

Of course you could bath in water heated on your stove in the winter as well if the solar shower didn't work.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Ponce said:


> When ever I used to go to Cuba to see my dad it was always a five gallons bucket of warm water, I used half of it and the next person would use the other half.........like I said before WTSHTF has lasted in Cuba for over fifty years so that we know what and how to do it.


but Ponce, it doesn't get *cold* in Cuba!


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I plan on heating up a quart of water and giving myself a sponge bath. After it hits the fan I'm going to have my wife cut off all my hair with a pair of scissors. I'll have very little hair to shampoo.


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## VUnder (Sep 1, 2011)

I lived that way for the better part of five years. Circumstances allowed for me to leave home and it was just me and an old 75 model truck that never quit. After a little while, it was easy, once adjusted. I had an old camper shell with a rod across for my clothes. Enough tools and spare parts to fix anything on the truck. I migrated from south Texas, to New York, working here and there. Southeast Texas was my final place. Life changes when you don't have an address. I got water from truck stops, parts stores, wherever I found an outside faucet. Put it in my 5 gal bucket, every evening after work. Then I had several little hidey holes I would go to. Take the floor mats out to stand on, had my fresh clothes on the tail gate, stripped and cleaned up right there. Did it with cold water, every night, no matter what, all through the winter. Used a gallon jug for water to rinse with. Five gallons was more than plenty. Then, I found a good spot where the highway crossed a river, and there was fishing access. I bought a Texas fishing license, put a couple of poles out every evening, did my business and turned in. Slept on the seat. I moved around a lot so nobody would get any ideas of trying to get the lead out of my .357 revolver. The police kinda got after me, but decided I was a lot better than what could be out there, so they came by late every night and shined a light on me, I stuck my hand up, and they went on. I was behind financially and was getting per diem, so every night I stayed out was extra money I put in my pocket. Having the opportunity to live that way is a priceless experience that I will use forever. I know I can do it, and I know how to do it. I always kept a close shave, neat haircut, and was clean, so those other homeless people, I don't know what their excuse is. I quit it because under the bridge was a guy like me, a likable fella, his family loved him, he was about my age. He and been under the bridge near the top, dead for the entire year I had been there. I kinda took that as a message that maybe it was time for me to get back home so I didn't end up that way. Maybe he froze, snake bite, flu, nobody will ever know. Just a victim of circumstance, lost on chance.


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## AZSas (Oct 27, 2011)

Hello, I've been lurking for a few months and decided to sign up recently so that I could participate. My husband and I camped full time on federal lands for almost a year before buying a small bit of raw land. We've been "camping" on the land for a year and a half now. I mention this only because my shower comments come from experience 

Solar shower bags don't hold up more than about a year with regular use. They're also heavy and bulky to try moving from sun area to shower area. You have to make sure that whatever you hang them from is strong enough too. 

We ended up using the 7 gallon blue drinking water cubes in the end. You can lay it on its side on a counter or bench and use it like a faucet for hand washing, dishes, etc. 

If your counter or stand is tall enough, you can sit or kneel down so that water runs over your head or body. 

When we got a camper trailer we painted one jug black and put it on the roof. We attached a faucet to the end of a hose and ran it into the shower through the skylight/vent. It works on gravity/siphon.

My husband uses a cheap little pump to refill the tank from the ground as needed. We have a 60 watt solar setup that provides all of our power so he plugs the pump into a cigarette lighter socket that he installed. 

We're still saving for a well so we haul our water every 7-10 days. Showers are limited to once or twice a week generally and we wash up multiple times a day. I have hair down to my bottom and I wash it, condition it, full body lather, shave, etc with an average of 5 gallons. 

My few cents


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

My Uncle lives in Fairbanks, Alaska.
He built a custom motor home.
Worth about a million dollars.
That puts it way out of my budget but he did do something interesting with hot water.
He uses the cooling system in the motor home to heat water that runs under the floor to heat the living space. He can keep it warm even at -40.
He also uses a heat exchanger connected to the same system to heat water.
When he is parked he switches to a propane fired boiler to keep everything running. It keeps his motor from freezing as well.
Should be able to rig up a heat exchanger to the cooling system on a truck or car.


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

I think a lot of people need to take into account what life is going to be like after it hits the fan. In a lot of areas it'll be too dangerous to go outside to set up something in the sun to heat water. Any water you have in barrels will be taken by the mobs of hungry and thirsty people. They'll be killing every bird and animal they can find for food. If it's cold outside they'll be chopping down all your trees, decks, wooden porches, mail box poles, garages and vacant homes into wood that can be burned for heat. Depending on where you live, any time you go outside you'll be risking your life. It'll probably be like that for months. I think here in semi-rural Wisconsin it'll become 100 times more dangerous than living in Detroit.


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

No access to running water? I would recommend a simple basin, something small. A sponge bath will have to suffice if they can't get to a normal bath.


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

In the Jeep-world (and expedition-touring) there is a kit that you can install on your vehicle. It consists of a filter, a 12-volt pump and a heat-exchanger with shower-head. You place the filter into any water-source (a large bucket or a stream or other natural water-source). The pump pulls the water to the heat-exchanger, warms it up and then forces the water through the shower-head to wash your body.

It might be difficult to understand, so, here is a video for you on how it works and how it does what it does ..


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## kyhoti (Nov 16, 2008)

Great responses! I have a much better idea of where to head with this.


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

NaeKid said:


> In the Jeep-world (and expedition-touring) there is a kit that you can install on your vehicle. It consists of a filter, a 12-volt pump and a heat-exchanger with shower-head. You place the filter into any water-source (a large bucket or a stream or other natural water-source). The pump pulls the water to the heat-exchanger, warms it up and then forces the water through the shower-head to wash your body. ...


Isn't that just one of the old heater hose type engine block heaters us northerners have used for years?


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## mosquitomountainman (Jan 25, 2010)

You need to get Gypsysue to tell you how to wash your hair in one cup of water. I didn't believe it until she did it with one of our daughters. This girl has thick, long hair (down to her waist!) and it was squeaky clean when she finished.


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## PopPop (Sep 14, 2010)

On about the third day of a week long wilderness deer hunt, I discovered the discomfort of not planning a way to bathe. On the fourth day I was feeling pretty cruddy and had to do something. I hiked down to the local river with the dish soap and took the quickest bath on record. It was truly invigorating and I have never bathed with such enthusiasim. My hunting partner could not do it and decided to wash at the ranger station with the benefit of the water hose and nearly froze to death. This was late november in north georgia. If SHTF we will all have to be tougher and will not bathe as often, PEW!


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## Jezcruzen (Oct 21, 2008)

Wow... there is a lot of ingenuity out there about a subject that seldom comes up - bathing under primitive conditions. 

I think I could get by with a sponge/wash rag and a pan of warm water.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

How come no one has mentioned a sauna? 
We had an old farm building converted to a sauna when growing up. When I moved to town, I built a small one (8' x 8' x 8') in the back yard and used a $50 "barrel stove" kit for the fire-holder.

All you do is drink a some water, get it good and hot inside and sweat all the nastiness off. Then you can rinse off the sweat with very little water. It works great, feels great and smells great! It's a win-win-win all around.



BillS said:


> In a lot of areas it'll be too dangerous to go outside to set up something in the sun to heat water. Any water you have in barrels will be taken by the mobs of hungry and thirsty people. They'll be killing every bird and animal they can find for food. Depending on where you live, any time you go outside you'll be risking your life. It'll probably be like that for months.


Well, that certianly would be a "worst-case" scenario, but I doubt things will ever get that bad.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

I've been an advid saltwater fisherman for a years. When we make overnite trips to the islands, we take gallon jugs of water. 1 gallon per nite, per person. I can take a fine shower/bath with 1 gallon of water on the fantail any time. In fact have done it with 3 qts out of that gallon jug. A sponge full of water to wet down. Use different sponge to soap up with, then 2-3 sponge fulls of water and your pretty much done. Splash out of jug to finish up.

Trust me, after a day out on the saltwater, it's heaven to have...

Been doing it for years. Jugs get warmed by the sun while fishing during the day. Just another way to think about.

Jimmy


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I've heard of people using body brushes and not actually bathing. I haven't tried it myself but it's intrigueing. I'm supposing it more or less exfoliates and removes dead skin cells and any other funky-odor causing stuff.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

BillS said:


> I plan on heating up a quart of water and giving myself a sponge bath. After it hits the fan I'm going to have my wife cut off all my hair with a pair of scissors. I'll have very little hair to shampoo.


You seem to be the one with common sense...yes, a sponge bath and proud to have that---my water will NOT be used for showers or tubs/it will be used for cooking and drinking.
We barely have 750 gallons saved.

I had a preschool/daycare for 4 years...ever heard of waterless soap?? No paper towels either.

That is on my list to stock.


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## Ravensoracle (Oct 4, 2010)

I saw the setup on another site and tried it myself. It worked really well. I can't remember the site where I found it or I would give credit. 

The idea is to take a gallon garden sprayer and replumb the sprayer with a lowflo shower head. I used one from an old camper I salvaged parts from before my dad turned it into a trailer. Add a valve to control the water flow. 

I put the tank of the sprayer into a 5 gallon bucket and lining it with what my wife calls the silver bubble wrap insulation. All you have to do is heat the water someway. Normally we use a jug that is left out in the sun. If there isn't enough sun that day, I'l use the big canning pot I keep in the camper. I just set it out on the fire after I'm done cooking and let the water get warm. 

You don't need any batteries or have to lift anything up high. just pump up the sprayer and you get something akin to a real shower.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

My great aunt (passed away in '97) used waterless soap for the last couple years she was around. She'd moved from her big house into a small apartment (her choice) and I really don't think she took a bath once while she was there. She just got into the habit of using the waterless soap and used it exclusively. Not my first choice, but I've seen that it's an effective option. That said, we have none here at the house. Another thing to add to The List...


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

Here in the deep south, if your in a EOTWAWKI, SHTF, WORL or whatever you want to call it, you will be working hard everyday to keep things going. Cutting/chopping wood, farming by hand, scouting your property, taking care of livestock, hauling water from a well or spring or well or pond, cooking in an ac-less kitchen. All that and more in 100 degree weather with the humidity in the 60-90% range. 

Waterless soap ain't gonna cut it. Oh, washing your hands, freshen up for meals, waking in the morning I could see, but after working all day in that sort environment, sorry you'll need more or have to get used to the various aromas, rashes and other maladies. 

Drinking water you have saved does not have to be used for bathing. I have several homemade filters, using coffee filters to get water to a point that I can bath with it. A 5 gallon bucket of water from rain catchments, pond, creek will provide nearly a weeks worth of showers/baths per person. And if you use a catch basin of sorts, you can catch the gray water to flush the toilet and with some minor filtering it could be used for watering the garden.

Also just saving water is not really a complete plan. What will one do when what they have saved up is gone?? Water is the #1 thing one should plan for. 3-4 days is all you can make it without water. Period. Storing and acquiring...very important. I'm lucky, I have 7 sources of water. You may also have that many too and don't realize it. Think out the box. Ponds, lakes, streams, creeks, rivers, ditches...

What about clothes? They have to be cleaned. How's that gonna happen? Well that's for another thread, in fact I may start one about that.

Just some things to think about.

Jimmy


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## mdprepper (Jan 22, 2010)

Jason said:


> My great aunt (passed away in '97) used waterless soap for the last couple years she was around. She'd moved from her big house into a small apartment (her choice) and I really don't think she took a bath once while she was there. She just got into the habit of using the waterless soap and used it exclusively. Not my first choice, but I've seen that it's an effective option. That said, we have none here at the house. Another thing to add to The List...


You can also buy No Rinse Shampoos. I used that after my back surgeries, not the best in the world, but after not being able to shower for a few days it felt great!


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Personally, I don't hae any water stored. We are less than a mile from a major river and have (knock on wood) 2 good springs here on the farm. So we use our limited space for other stuff and in a pinch, I'll lug water to the house. Our old cow trough is about an 8'x3'high concrete circle that is always full and fresh and about a 5 minute walk from the house. At this point in time, right where I live, water is thankfully not hard to come by. That said, the spring that feeds the house does have a limited output so we conserve water all the time-short showers, that kind of stuff.

I wasn't saying the waterless soap is a be all end all, just another option that might work for some people, and a good thing to have a little of on hand.


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## Jimmy24 (Apr 20, 2011)

Jason said:


> I wasn't saying the waterless soap is a be all end all, just another option that might work for some people, and a good thing to have a little of on hand.


Yes sir you are right. In fact your use is one of the ways I see waterless soap being used.

Make sure everyone understands, I didn't mean waterless soap has no uses, I just know here in the south, a person will need more to keep somewhat clean. Trying to keep ones self as clean as possible will not only keep them socialy acceptable :beercheer:, but will help with health too.

Jimmy


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## tugboats (Feb 15, 2009)

Try a five gallon bucket with a small bilge pump connected to a hose and a small spray head. Heat the water on the stove or in my case I heated it on the burner on the BBQ. Add hot water to to the cool water in the bucket and step into the shower. This works well for me when the power goes out and I do not wish to dig out the generator. Turn on the pump and you're clean. Use only enough water to soap up.....save the rest for rinsing.


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