Welcome!
Welcome to week #10 in the “72 Hour Kit Ideas: A week by week approach” series.
This series is all about making it simple and do-able to get a 72 hour kit put together for you and your family.
Creating such a kit can be overwhelming and financially difficult to do all at once. But through this series, I’ve broken it down for you into 26 small steps! You can see all the steps here. Just take one small baby step each week and in 6 months you will have a well stocked, personalized kit!
You can even go through the series a few times over a year or two adding just the most basic supplies the first six months and then a few more “extra” supplies each time you cycle through it again.
Want even more help?
This series is also available as an e-book. Purchasing the e-book gives you a few additional benefits over just reading the free series:
- Additional details and tips
- The ability to print the entire book!
- Pictures of my own kit showing just how I pack each week.
Download “Your Own 72 Hour Kit Plan” E-Book Now!
Last Week
I hope that you were able to add some items to keep you warm to you kit last week.
Week #11: Sanitation
If a member of your family is injured or hurt, you will need to be able to care for them on your own. Obviously, first aid supplies are essential in an emergency. But before you can use bandages and such, you need to be sure the cuts and / or wounds you are covering are well cleaned. This will reduce the risk of infection and scarring as well as promote faster healing.
In addition, you can prevent many problems / illnesses by staying clean. This week, add sanitation supplies to your kit.
Ideas / Suggestions:
First, I like this article (from WebMD) about how to clean a wound. I would suggest printing it out and keeping it with your sanitation / first aid supplies: Cleaning and Bandaging a Wound. Then, consider the following list when deciding what supplies to add to your kit:
- Clorox Wipes
- Hand Sanitizer
- Antiseptic Towelettes
- Water (in boxes or pouches).
- Soap.
- Alcohol pads
- Latex Gloves
- Saline Solution
- Neosporin
What we have done in our family:
I have antiseptic towelettes and alcohol pads, hand sanitizer and soap. I also have a box of distilled water and latex gloves. We have saline solution with our personal care supplies.
Many have asked why I have additional water here in my kit. My answer is that I simply like to have it separated out in my mind: some water is for drinking; other is for cleaning wounds if needed. I like packaging it with my first aid supplies so that it would be easily accessible were I to need it quickly. Most of our drinking water is at the very bottom of our packs while this water sits with our first aid supplies right near the top.
How About You?
Leave me a comment and tell me what sanitation items you will be adding to your kit. Why? Do you know how to use them?
Skip to:
| Week #9: Staying Warm | Week #11: First Aid | Week #1: Packaging Your Kit | Series Into: Survival Kit Series, A Week by Week Approach |
Becky is a wildlife enthusiast and pet and livestock care expert with a diploma in canine nutrition. With over a decade of experience in animal welfare, Becky lends her expertise to Simple Family Preparedness through insightful info about pets, livestock, bee keeping, and the practicalities of homesteading.
we are pretty good about keeping extra alcohol wipes around the house for clean ups, but I didnt even think to include water for wound cleaning. Ill be adding a couple kid size bottles to our kits.
Sounds great Brandon!
And I’m sorry I took so long to respond. I’ve been on vacation!
When it comes to first aid kits and what we need to put in one….everything! We have a very small first aid kit and we’ve been looking to get a larger one. Hopefully this win will be ours.
Good luck Marsha!
And I’m sorry I took so long to respond. I’ve been on vacation!
Along with things to clean and sanitize, I will be adding Salon Pas… They are these wonderful topical pain patches that help to interrupt the pain cycle. I think this would be a helpful thing to have to attend to an under the skin problem!
Thanks for the tip Marianna!
I would add saline solution. It could be used to clean out wounds and the generic kind is only about $2-3.
Thanks Michelle! I will add it in when I get to this week. I will likely add it to the first aid week too.
i know this post is about sanitation. there’s alotta things that can fall in that category. wondering if anybody has done anything about alternatives to pads and tampons. found a link to a website for reusable fabric pads and a reusable sylicon meny cup. has anybody tried any of these products yet? i’m certain i can make my own version of the pads so much cheaper than they sell for online. but it’ll be another project.
Rachel, I’ve had another reader mention this as well. There will be a “personal care” category later on in the series when we cover it. But I have no experience with such products so any feedback any of you have would be great!
i will wait for that subject to come up. should beinteresting that week. 🙂
After looking at the “bandages” section and now seeing your “personal care” section comment, I was wondering if you might mention that feminin sanitary pads (or tampons for that matter) supposedly make great wound dressing. Just a thought for guys or non-menstrating gals to keep in mind.
Luckily I have pretty much all of the products you mention listed in this category! I keep alcohol, peroxide, bleach, hand sanitizers, antibacterial wipes & sprays, etc. on hand at all times and use regularly (keeps the sickness away when it is going around the apartment building-door handles, elevator buttons, etc.)! I also have some of the gloves on hand. It is a relief to know that this section of my preparedness is covered since the last post I was most certainly in the ‘needs improvement’ category. 🙂
We are all doing well in some areas and not so great in others Lisa. It is always nice to find that area in which we are doing well!
I have stocked on on bleach, hand cleaner, and Tp. I plan on stocking up on hand sanitizer after the holidays.
Yes, the Holidays are making this a bit tough! I’m so busy, I’ve barely done anything at all for my 72 hr kit this week!
I like to buy the toilet paper from Costco. Each roll is individually wrapped – great for 72 hr bags. Also, it is recommended for RV’s because it its thinner and not as hard on the plumbing.
Great tip Marica! My toilet paper is never “wrapped” and the outside layer or two always have to be thrown out.
LOVE LOVE LOVE your new Site!!!!!
Thanks! I’m really enjoying it too!
Misty, just an FYI…. i can only get to this page through my FB act. if i try to get to it from your weekly list, when i click on Week #12 it sends me to #11 instead.
That was happening to me also, Rachel. Hopefully, now that the new site is up, that won’t happen again.
Actually, I still have to go fix it. Working on fixing LOTS of links! Let me know if there are still issues by tonight!
You can get gloves at costco but some times they stop carrying things….I buy gloves, nitrile, in two packs…I also use them when i need to handle hot peppers, raw meat, or mix things with my hands.
Another thing that I use is Norwex products that have silver stiched into the microfibers…this kills 99% of bacteria etc and dry quickly and don't have that yucky wet towel smell. Check out their products. I have a rep if you need any info…It is a great way of cleaning without the use of chemicals!
@ Jill: Yes, you will likely "raid" your stuff. I do all the time! But that is one of the side benefits to being prepared this way. It isn't always for the BIG emergencies, more often than not, it is for the small ones.
A while back, I was driving to my parents house and passed a fresh picked raspberry stand. My Dad LOVES raspberries and b/c of some recent generosity he had extended toward me, I wanted to do something nice for him. I thought of stopping, but didn't think I had any cash on me. I passed the stand and then remembered I had cash in my 72 hr kit. I quickly turned around and bought the raspberries. Yes, I had to replace the cash, but it having it in the first place allowed me more freedom. I've had similar situations with needing wipes, or children's tylenol or and extra jacket etc.
@ Heidi, Marcia is right. Bleach does have a shelf life.
@Rachel: in addition to the large kit, I keep a very small emergency kit in our van. We have an odyssey and there is storage space under the floor. I have basic first aid supplies, some snack food, and a few blankets. Typically my large kit is in the van and has plenty of supplies to get us through an emergency. I keep it there b/c my kids and I are almost always where the van is. If it is home, so are we. If it is gone, so are we. That way, the large kit goes wherever we go. Occasionally I do take it out: usually b/c we need the space for LONG trips, but then we have all sort of supplies in our suitcases plus the small kit in the floor.
As for my husband, same thing: he keeps his kit in his car b/c he is almost always where his car is.
This isn't true of all families. Some don't have two cars. Some don't have any cars, but it works for us and has eliminated the need to have two completely separate kits. I don't want mine in my basement or some random hard to reach closet. I want my kits where I can easily and quickly access them.
Also, I don't think we can ever be prepared for EVERY possible scenario that could EVER possibly happen. So, my philosophy has been to prepare for those that are most likely first and then start preparing for additional scenarios.
I do have a few extra things in the car that aren't in our large kit though: a fire extinguisher, an extra pair of running shoes (in case I'm in sandals / slippers (yes that happens) and need shoes), and jumper cables.
I hope that helps!
We have an 8 month old baby and a 4 year old, so I have a lot of the items already. However, I need to pack it into a backpack so it would be ready to go. I think the hard part might be that I might occasionally "raid" my stuff.
I've been reading through some of the previous pages on here and have a couple questions. On hte page where you talk about what is in each of your packs, and where they are located,your husband has the smaller adult pack in his car and the larger one is at home.
My questions on that are from me thinking along the lines of… if we had an EMP happen (whether man made or natural), our vehicles would no longer start or run. This is what actually kick started us into deciding we needed to prepare for emergencies. It's possible that my husband would be at work up to an hour drive from home and i could be shopping 30 min from hom w our two little ones. We would need emergency supplies enough to be able to walk and make it home. The loss of our vehicles puts a different spin on the prepping needed.
I know preps for dif emergencies and dif families are all dif. Feel like we need additional Go Bags in the vehicles that are not the same ones we store in our basement. But any thought on this?
taking a trip to the local goodwill this morning. let's see if i can find anything useful for our Go Bags. Wish me luck. 🙂
@Heidi: I recently discovered that bleach, while it doesn't go bad, does lose it's potency over a short period of time.
@Misty: I am taking still taking my grandkids to the dollar store over Christmas vacation. I will let you know what we find.
I have most of that stuff too…I wouldn't say I have tons of any of them except hydrogen peroxide (cleanse wounds), alcohol swabs, bleach, hand sanitizer, soaps, antiseptic wipes, etc….yes, I am playing catch up too and it is challenging to think I'll be prepared enough. I also have trowels for digging to bury any waste…
The documents are all gathered up and the things for the vehicle is almost done…so much still to work on!
Kristy, I know you can get a whole box at Costco, but I actually just got a few pairs from a dentist. (-:
I have lots of Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer around here. I would like to get some latex gloves. Where is a good place to get them?
LOL Def not getting the week off. I jumped in here late so have sooooo much to get caught up on from previous weeks. Just felt great getting a breath of relief…when i realized that i have most of this weeks stuff already. playing catch-up it difficult.
@ Heidi, Just make sure you have some an actual kit you can grab and go if needed!
@Rachel: Glad you get a week "off!" And no, you don't HAVE to have distilled water! Everything here is just a suggestion! I wanted a bit of water that was dedicated just to cleansing wounds in addition to my drinking water. But that is just me! Do what works for you / your family!
this weeks assignment seems easy enough. but then, perhaps that's because i already have most of all this stuff. do i really need to buy distilled water. we will be carrying drinking water in the bags. what exactly is the purpose of the distilled water?
Something is wrong with the tweet button otherwise I'd use it 🙁
We have lots of bleach, bleach never goes bad right? I also have hand sanitizer…tons! I have a stockpile of clorox and lysol wipes. I pretty much have a really large shelf full of things that can sanitize. Oh and I have an awesome box packed full of concentrate that you can use alone or mix with water and it is earth friendly! 🙂