So I’ve been busy this last 2 weeks looking after sick toddlers, then a sick husband and finally the bug caught up to me in the end. Always does. After a week or 2 looking after everyone else I’m usually so run down I’m easy pickings, but it got me thinking as I was ill and struggling to get my everyday jobs done.
We only moved into this house (and this country) about 4 months back so we are still unpacking and getting the house ship shape and it’s a lovely house to keep clean usually but the last few weeks were hell managing sick children and then a sick me. Even though I was sick I was still trying to keep up with the basics in the house: tidying, cleaning, laundry, meals and general sorting out (toddlers are messy on an hourly basis lol). My husband would tell me I was being silly to exhaust myself doing all that stuff and I should leave it a week or 2 til I was better and then do it, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t because I’m a prepper.
Over the years I’ve watched/listened/read so many documentaries, you tube podcasts, radio shows, books articles, emails and all of the info has seeped into my brain and fermented there til I have a firm belief that keeping a clean house and up to date with the basics is an integral part of prepping. As important as storing food, water, medicines, clothes etc. etc. ad infinitum ad nauseam. Important enough for me to take the hit of being sick a few more days and being more tired than if I did the duvet on the sofa approach.
Why you might ask? (I’m being nice to myself and assuming if you made it this far through my ruminations you might wonder lol)
Well……that goes to the basics of prepping. So much can be achieved by having a clean house that materially contributes to the prepping.
If you keep the bins empty and the recycling done and the kitchen clean you cut down on the chance of attracting pests and vermin (thus adding another layer of protection to you food preps). If the SHTF and everything goes down on one level or another by having your laundry and washing up done and up to date you aren’t behind the curve trying to get things done at the last minute in the chaos (you can then give that extra last minute attention and consideration to the things that could secure your life and home knowing you are ready to go in the house).
Because you are constantly cleaning and tidying you are subconsciously checking over all your preps and making sure nothing is ravaging them without you knowing (think pests, vermin, insects, damp, mould etc.). The constant cleaning means that you are protecting your immediate health (mould and mildew in modern houses seems to be at epidemic proportions at the moment). This then knocks onto the fact that if SHTF did hit and it was a grid down event there is a chance that there might end up being a lot of your group sheltering in place in very cramped quarters, especially if it was during a winter and heating resources were at a premium. Having a clean and healthy environment at that point sets you up well to prevent communicable diseases spreading in closed quarters.
By having a place for everything and everything in its place if there was a time your main plan (in my case to bug in) failed you can switch to plan b (bug out for me) in very little time as everything is easy to find, collect and pack. No frantically searching for those essential items you need in a crisis.
So this is why I cleaned even when I was sick – because I try to have the house ready for the ball to drop at any time.
But as I was there battling through it got me wondering why in all those hours I’ve spent researching prepping and SHTF why this subject isn’t given much consideration. There are material advantages to keeping up to date with those boring house jobs and quite frankly keeping a house clean and up to date is a skill. One that needs practising as much as other prepping skills. I have been accused of having serious OCD cleaning by friends and relatives who don’t know why I do it the way I do it. Maybe they are right. Maybe like many preppers this element of prepping has slipped from a necessary thing into an obsession, but if so it’s one I’ll accept and not make an effort to change.
It’s not pretty and not really interesting but it’s necessary and it’s an underrated skill set and one I would urge any serious prepper to consider carefully.
(Side note: I would seriously urge you to clean with natural products for your health and pocket. I might do a post on this subject soon but watching an earlier post I did on household toxins with Dr Edward Group is a good start on why you should detox your house)