Just in Case (16 page)
Disposable gloves
Have one first-aid kit for your home and one for each car. Your kits can contain many more items than are listed here, but you must be sure you know how and when to use them. It is also possible to purchase first-aid kits from most preparedness supply catalogs. The kits are convenient but cost more than preparing your own. A good first-aid and CPR class should be high on your to-do list for preparedness. First-responder classes are a big commitment but could be a lifesaver for yourself or a loved one. Even young children can be taught basic first aid through 4-H or Scout troops. A health care handbook and the Red Cross
First Aid and Emergency Preparedness Quick Reference Guide
should be on everyone’s bookshelf.
BATHROOM AND LAUNDRY SUPPLIES
For bathroom and laundry supplies, I listed the things we would really need in an emergency. That did not include things like styling gel, nail polish, and dryer sheets. Both lists, in fact, were quite short.
The biggest challenge in this category is figuring out how you will wash clothes if you have no power. Hand washing systems can be as simple as a plunger or washboard and your bathtub, or you can invest in a complete system with a hand wringer. However, these can cost as much as an electric model. There is a hand-operated model that will wash a very small load (two or three shirts) in a couple of cups of water that costs less than fifty dollars. It would at least keep you in clean diapers. The hardest part of hand washing isn’t the washing; it’s the wringing out. A good wringer will cost between $130 and $190 but is worth the money to someone who has tried to hand-wring a pair of men’s jeans or a couple dozen diapers. You would also need a tub to clamp it to, and that will add about fifty bucks to the price.
LAUNDRY WRINGER
BATHROOM SUPPLIES