My Sanitation Prepping Wonderings

Hi Survival forumers, I am a low income person in a high rise small apartment. I recently needed to use alternative toileting, due to a brief shtf occurrence. My scoopable scented cat litter worked good, but that stuff is expennnnnnn$ive! I have been searching about composting sanitation, but people are always trying to sell expensive facilities, like on google. I am not a novice to prepping, I am just becoming a novice to prepping!!! So what about this "peat moss" or "peat", is that like human catlitter? I saw on YouTube, that guys liked it, because they could put it to good fertilizer use, which is irrelevant to me, I think. In another thread, a guy brought up dirt. Now, for me, there is no property where I would be allowed to dig up a bunch of earth. Where could I get that from? Someone else brought up bags, but it's not to me, thee most smell free way to go. Unless I went in one and put it in a barrel full of sand...where would I get a load of sand? (ain't near beach) I was homeless some years back, and at one point, I lived in a garage and used the blue stuff in a camping pottie, but that blue stuff is a chemical, which I find to be more of an inconvenience than something I could bag up and throw out, in an environmentally friendly and smell free way. How about saw dust?
What do you think I could access abundantly and cheaply,

And here is a question/idea in regards to water. What if I got a big ol dehumidifier and pulled water out of the air (like the water farmers in Star wars) and ran it through a Big Berkey water filter? Would that kind of moisture have Fukushima radiation in it, though?


While I'm at it, I have been long intrigued by living-off-the-grid, but my problem with that, is the LAND which you do that on. It seems like NO matter where you are, some county, state, or village authorities, will come and tell One, that One is in VIOLATION of some ordinance of theirs. Where/how do you exempt yourself from that kind of tyranny? Is off-grid very realistic..........In-that-regard???

Hmmm, very good question!

I can say that I have used that pete moss (it was pellets) "litter" stuff for my cats and they hated it, as did I because odor control was non-existant... just sayin'. Saw dust seems plausible and very easy to transport to and from your apartment, but do you have an on-site dumpster or maybe a trash chute? I have had to use alternative toilet facilities myself, but my living situation is ifferent. We used a medical toilet chair with a bucket containing a little water in the bottom and then emptied it out behind the shed. No matter what you choose, you should make it so that it incorporates a toilet seat and a bucket. We also used a wooden box that was 5 sided (a cube without the back piece) with a toilet seat on top. The bucket was inside under the seat and the lid closed for... errr... ummm, containment. In that situation you could use any product you found most desireable in the actual bucket and then empty it in whatever fashion on a regular basis.

Now to the "off the grid" question. Given your current living situation, I personally would wait for the actual SHTF event to "bug-out. However, if you are seriously considerng it there are places you can move to right now that will accomodate that life style. Here's a good link for a multitude of "Commune Living" arrangements you might be interested in. My husband and I have talked about moving to a place like this once thekiddies are grown... if time allows that is. Many of them are set up with luxaries such as electricity and internet access, not to mention indoor plumbing lol!

Buy pharmaceutical grade tea tree oil. It's roughly under $8 a bottle at Wal-Mart. Kills germs including MRSA.

I kill sore throats with application to the throat for a few days. If a toothache is low on the gums, it kills the germs causing the toothache. Adding some to soap will kill lice. I avoid ingesting it because it kills the bacteria you need to break down your food. Also, don't get it directly on sensitive tissue: eyes, ear drums, ect., since it can cause damage the same way it can kill germs. (I ignore the avoiding nasal passages (sensitive tissue), when I have a sinus infection.)

Generally speaking, a drop will do you, though sometimes 2 drops is good for a heavy case. Due to the depth of the throat infection, I coat the throat (roughly, 6 drops). Frequency is roughly every 6 hours?

All quite valid questions. I wish I knew enough to help you out. I am also interested in the answers, especially the last bit about "off-grid" being in noncompliance of some ordinance no matter where one decides to take up residence. I find that outside city limits to be far less strict than anything within a city border. The problem is finding a place that has absolutely no chance of being enveloped by a city within the next few decades. That kind of property, for some reason or another, seems to be prime real-estate and is often-at least where I have been looking- more expensive than property near or in a city or town.

If only. If you do manage to find a piece of property at an affordable price (good luck with that, slave) then I suppose that would contribute to solving your first dilemma. A cheap place to poop could be found anywhere outside that isn't within sight of a passer-by. While you're at it, give those terrain imaging satellites a piece of your mind. It would make for something to do while you go, since you probably won't be reading a shampoo bottle or browsing farcebook on your spyphone.

reply to post by misschareesee2


Sawdust is very good for what you need it for

reply to post by misschareesee2


Ahahahaha I came up with a wild idea. How about cement powder? I found this at my local Menards, a -nearly- 100lb bag for only nine bucks!www.menards.com...
I compare that price-per-volume with the cheapest kind of cat litter, the clay non clumping. (My local PetSmart)
www.petsmart.com... ping&fbc=1&fbn=Type+1%7CNon+Clumping&fbx=0
I have no vested interest in these business' promotion.

reply to post by learnatic

And I think,......(someone correct me if I'm wrong) a lumber place might give me a bunch for free? I was just speaking to my mom and she feels certain of that.

reply to post by misschareesee2


That would make for some interesting "rocks". I would like to see the look on a person's face when they find one.

"Hey mommy, what's this rock made of?"

misschareesee2
reply to post by learnatic

 

And I think,......(someone correct me if I'm wrong) a lumber place might give me a bunch for free? I was just speaking to my mom and she feels certain of that.

If you're talking about sawdust, hit up the local parks and recreation department. Most towns have a giant chipper to which you can haul your sticks, twigs, tree branches, leaves, and the like. I believe- at least in my town- that those wood chips/dust are free. If that's the case, bring the largest container that you have or can fit into your vehicle or carry. Depends on your mode of transportation.

I love all you'all's replies so far, they are super helpful, thank you.

reply to post by misschareesee2


ive been really looking into living off grid....you may be able to find some farmer who will rent some wooded part of his land to you....also honestly there is some really cheap land if you look around...it may be a desert patch or some dump of woods in the middle of no where but then it would yours and taxes would be cheap...you may ask to use some land from a friend though.

For toilets im not sure how to do it cheaply..im looking at those sun mar ones or whatever they are called..but those are expensive...maybe build and out house away from ya.

As for water...id imagine boiling most water would do what you need...theres iodine tablets too...or you could hang tarp making a large water still....you can google it but ive never actually seen how much water it will produce..i just know how to make them. I recently watched the series The Legend of Mick Dodge or something like that and I was so impressed how he got along with so very little...they guy made me repack my survival bags and I havent touched them in years......its tough cause like you...i have some research put in and some time in the military and camping...but there is always a safe zone with that when you just step back into reality. In the shtf scenario you dont get that option....good luck mate.

Holy Literal Smokes!!!

According what is said here, www.homesteadingtoday.com...
sawdust, if damp and enclosed, can "spontaneously combust". Goll. That's a good tip. To say the utmost least!

Well it looks so far, to those of us in small enclosures within high-populated structures, the largest bags of clay rocks -litter-, is our best safest bet. My mother grew up using an outhouse (natural waste back into earth) and her father grew up watching some of his expired family members buried "out back behind the farm." Back to the "clay", from whence we came!

Years ago I was taking some alternative energy engineering classes. We had a guy come in and talk one day. He was interesting as anybody ive ever met.

He talked about how back in the 70's I think, they got a grant from the gov't and built a small sustainable community or commune, in California.

He said they built the outhouses over some cliff like terrain and everything just dropped down and cooked off.

In a shtf scenario do you plan on staying put in the high rise? The sawdust plan sounds flawed to me. First you have to get a lot of sawdust upstairs and contain it. Its not too heavy so large heavy duty garbage bags. But bulky and takes up space. And once you have "used" it will still require disposal.

reply to post by tinner07

In a shtf scenario do you plan on staying put in the high rise?

That's a good question! It may depend on numerous things: How long a state of emergency exists, if my family members (who are under 20 miles away in a house) are in it too, and if authorities come and say we have to go to FEMA camps.
Or per this, ~pre fab housing units~
www.thedailysheeple.com...

How about saw dust?

Works fine...been used in outhouses for ages.

And here is a question/idea in regards to water. What if I got a big ol dehumidifier and pulled water out of the air (like the water farmers in Star wars) and ran it through a Big Berkey water filter? Would that kind of moisture have Fukushima radiation in it, though?

Unless you are some kind of master engineer, don't count on this. It's Star Wars, not reality. For water in the city, hot water heaters, toilet tanks (not bowls), garden hoses, rain collection in a barrel, and/or tapping an unused faucet (non SHTF scenario).

While I'm at it, I have been long intrigued by living-off-the-grid, but my problem with that, is the LAND which you do that on. It seems like NO matter where you are, some county, state, or village authorities, will come and tell One, that One is in VIOLATION of some ordinance of theirs. Where/how do you exempt yourself from that kind of tyranny? Is off-grid very realistic..........In-that-regard???

Well, most who go off-grid OWN the land they plan to do it on. Otherwise, you're always going to be subject to some kind of authority. Of course, many places on the globe you can go, but if folks don't live there, generally a REASON for it. So, you have to choose carefully here...and make sure the land will provide what you need. Deserts and tundras, probably a safe bet, but both have their challenges. Same with jungle, just more poisonous threats.