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Hygiene

Cleanliness is an important factor in preventing infection and disease. It becomes even more crucial in a survival situation. Poor hygiene drastically reduces your chances of survival.

Wash yourself

A good daily wash with soap is ideal, but you can stay clean without it. Using cold water and cloth, you can still wash yourself. You should take special care of your feet, armpits, crotch, hand and hair as these are prime areas for infestation or infection.

or at least Have an Air bath

If water is a scarce resource, get yourself an air bath. Remove as much of your clothing as possible and expose your body to the sun and fresh air for at least 1 hour. Be careful not to sunburn. You should use this opportunity to inspect yourself for any infections, infestations or injures – early treated, they will be easier to manage. In survival situations you may be used to being sore and it is easy to overlook changes on your skin till it's too late.

Make soap

If you don't have soap, you can use ash or sand. If your situation allows, you can also make soap from animal fat and wood ashes. To make soap, you need to follow the steps:

  1. Extract grease from animal fat by cutting the fat into small pieces and then cooking them in a pot.
  2. You have to add water to the pot to keep the fat from sticking as it cooks.
  3. Cook the fat slowly, stirring frequently.
  4. After the fat is rendered, pour the grease into a container, where it will harden.
  5. Place ashes in a container with a spout near the bottom.
  6. Pour water over the ashes and collect in a separate container the liquid that drips out of the spout. This liquid is the potash or lye. Another way to get it is to pour slurry (the mixture of ashes and water) through a straining cloth.
  7. Mix two parts of grease with one part of potash in a cooking pot.
  8. Place the mixture over a fire and boil util it thickens.

After the mixture cools, you can use it in its semiliquid state directly from the pot, but you can also pour it into a pan and allow it to harden. You would then cut it into bars for later use.

Clean your hands

If you have germs on your hands, they can infect food and wounds. Wash your hands after handling any material that can potentially carry germs. Also wash them after visiting the latrine, caring for the sick, and before handling any food, food utensils or drinking water. Keep your fingernails closely trimmed and clean, and keep your fingers out of your mouth. Biting your fingernails is the best way to get gems into your system.

Clean your hair

Your hair can become a haven for parasites and bacteria. Keeping it clean, combed, and trimmed helps you avoid this danger. Actually, the shorter hair you have, the easier it is to keep it clean. Remember though, that if you have a very short hair or non at all, extra precautions have to be taken to protect your head from the sun and cold.

Clean your clothing and bedding

Keep your clothing and bedding as clean as possible. This reduces the chance of skin infection and the danger of parasitic infestation. Clean your outer clothing whenever it becomes soiled. Wear clean underclothing. If there is insufficient water, ”air” clean your clothing – shake it, air, and expose it to sun for 2 hours. If you use a sleeping bag, turn it inside out every day, fluff it, and air it. These small activities may prevent you from getting skin infections and parasites.

Clean your teeth

Clean your mouth and teeth at least once a day.

If you don't have a toothbrush

If you do not have a toothbrush, you can make a chewing stick. To do it – find a twig about 15–25 centimetres long and about 1 cm wide, then chew one end of the twig until fibres get separated. You can now clean your teeth with the fibres.

Another method for cleaning your teeth is to wrap a strip of clean cloth around one finger and rub your teeth with it.

You can also brush your teeth with sand, baking soda, salt of soap, rinsing your mouth with water, salt water or bark tea afterwards.

Floss your teeth

Use a string or fibre to floss your teeth. This is especially important if you do not have a toothbrush. Provisional toothbrushes may not get in between your teeth to remove food particles form there.

Care for your feet

Ability to move on your own is of great importance in survival situations. You have to pay special attention to your feet to keep them in a good condition.

Wash your feet

Wash your feet every day. If they are tired, give them a massage. If you do not have sufficient water, clean them with ash or sand and with a clean cloth. On any occasion possible ”air” them. Keep your socks and shoes in a good condition, and especially - try to keep them dry. There is nothing worse for your feet than being locked in a damp shoes for several days. If your shoes are wet, put them on only when you need to walk, dry them for the rest of the time. If it is cold wrap your feet in a cloth, while drying your shoes.

Treat your blisters

Check your feet for blisters daily. Blisters are potentially dangerous, because if they burst open, they expose your system to germs, what may cause infections. If you have a small blister, do not open it. Intact blister is safe from infection. Yet be careful not to burst it. Secure it, so that it does not grow while you walk. If it bursts, you will have to treat it as an open wound.

If you have large blisters, risk of their burst or tear under pressure is too big to leave them to heal alone. To help the blister heal quicker, you will have to remove the liquid form it. The best way to do that is to use a sewing type sterilised needle and a sterilised thread. You should run the needle with the thread through the blister at its base. Then detach the needle and leave the thread in the blister – it will ensure that it does not close and will dive the liquid outside, keeping the hole as small as possible. Secure the blister to prevent it from tearing or growing. You will remove the thread, when the blister is almost healed. Remember that this method is not recommended if you will have to walk in wet shoes as water with germs will get into your blister.

If you do not have sterilised thread, you should use needle only. You can easily sterilise it by exposing it to open fire. You should make a puncture at the base of the blister and squeeze the liquid outside through the hole. Leave your foot to air for a while and then secure it with a clean cloth and protect it from tearing. In most cases, you will have to repeat the operation several times, before the liquid stops gathering. Remember to always sterilise your needle and always clean the blister properly and secure it with clean cloth.

If you notice that dirt got into your blister, it is usually best to tear of the whole blister and treat as an open wound. Dirt in a blister can easily cause a serious infection.

Rest

You need to get sufficient rest to keep going for many days. Plan your rest. Try to sleep enough amount of hours and get some rest during the day between activities. Even a change between mental and physical activities can be refreshing.

Keep your campsite clean

Do not soil your campsite area with urine or faeces. Use latrines, if available. When latrines are not available, dig holes and cover the waste or at least find a good place, which is distant from your camp, yet easy for you to access. In the same way dispose the remaining of your food. This will prevent germs from spreading around your camp.