21.10 Dishes and laundry with little water

Dishes: the three-basin method (CDC)

1. Reduce first. Scrape off leftovers with a spatula or paper before washing. Use disposable plates and cups and a single container per person, marked with their name.
2. Basin 1, wash: soapy water.
3. Basin 2, rinse: clean water (safe or boiled if your water system has an advisory).
4. Basin 3, sanitize: 1 teaspoon of unscented liquid bleach per gallon (3.8 L) of warm water. Submerge the rinsed dishes for at least 1 minute.
5. Air-dry on a clean surface. Do not use a towel.
6. Reuse: the wash and rinse water can later be used to flush the toilet (if the sewer works).

Clothing

• Prioritize: underwear, socks, and anything that touched a sick person. The rest can wait.
• Bucket laundry: a clean 5-gallon bucket with a lid, a new plunger (used only for this) with a hole in the lid, water, and a little detergent. Soak, agitate with the plunger for a few minutes, wring out, and rinse in another bucket. Dry in the sun: the sun dries quickly and helps disinfect.
• Clothes exposed to floodwater: wash them in hot water with detergent, separate from the rest. If you cannot wash them well, throw them away.

• Clothes from someone with diarrhea or vomiting: wearing gloves, remove solid waste, bag them, and wash them separately. Wash your hands when you finish.