Comments on: Step 10: Non-Food Items

By: CouponCook

CouponCook — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:58:00 +0000

I stock up on paper goods when they go on sale. In our everyday lives we do not use paper towels, paper plates, ect. I am currently storing them in the top of my sons closet. I’m having to get creative and think UP when storing.

By: emorra

emorra — Sun, 06 May 2012 22:40:00 +0000

Thanks for the explanation, and also for posting my links (now showing just below this post)

It’s very important to be as educated as possible about any products you plan to store

By: Jodi and Julie

Jodi and Julie — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:04:00 +0000

Links are automatically disabled… sorry. If you send it through and it’s relevant we usually always approve them. We just approve them about once a week or so. If we don’t have this setting, we get spammed like you wouldn’t believe

By: emorra

emorra — Thu, 03 May 2012 14:02:00 +0000

I tried replying yesterday, but I guess my links weren’t appreciated. In any case, hand sanitizer is NOT a replacement for proper hand washing. Not to mention the serious health and environmental concerns relating to the anti-bacterial chemical TRICLOSAN when it comes to creating antibiotic resistant bugs and the negative effects of this chemical on human health–just google it since I can’t post links here.

By: emorra

emorra — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:59:00 +0000

Very important to USE these things, rather than just STORING them. This is not aimed at the OP but rather at the readers:

If you don’t know how to do laundry by hand (wringing out is very difficult and hard on the hands) you need to PRACTICE in advance of emergencies.

Laundry is easy to wash if you walk on it and swirl it around in soapy water with your feet in either a laundry tub or bathtub. But wringing out is difficult, and rinsing takes a LOT of water. Think about how to minimize your laundry needs by wearing clothes longer, till they are ACTUALLY dirty rather than just having been worn once or twice.

Cloth items like feminine supplies and handkerchiefs are a great way to save the environment on a more everyday basis since they take up very little extra space/water in a normal laundry wash, however in a water-less emergency you will run out of these items quickly, so be prepared for this type of disaster as well.

By: emorra

emorra — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000

The printing inks used today are all soy-based and safe, no lead or toxic chemicals anymore because of the prevalence of recycling. So no problems using phone books and newspapers, other than the “softness” factor. Take it from someone who works at a newspaper

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:48:00 +0000

One of those plunger type things sold in hardware stores for washing clothes is the solution. It is a plunger with holes and you just plunge the clothes in a bucket of water and with your homemade soap. They work pretty good. Another thing to have on hand would be a ringer on a mop bucket to ring the clothes. Unless you’re lucky enough to find an old ringer off a ringer wash machine.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:40:00 +0000

Kindles are great. They store so many books, games, copies of important papers and maps etc., and can check email etc..

By: Jodi and Julie

Jodi and Julie — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 19:19:00 +0000

In a short-term powerless situation where you may have not been able to get enough water stored beyond drinking water, I’d rather drink water than use it to clean….Ideally you should plan around it, and do the best you can to avoid using paper products. This is a last case scenario type thing.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:37:00 +0000

“Paper plates, plastic utensils, etc. are helpful to avoid wasting water washing dishes.”

Sorry to say, I don’t think that the water you save makes up for the environmental impact that using disposable dishes and utensils has on the planet. There are many more reasons not to use these products that reasons to use them, so I think it’s unfortunate that you’re promoting them here.