So what things would you want to have on hand during a pandemic?
- disposable gloves
- lots of detergent (as you will probably be doing a lot of laundry)
- bleach
- garbage bags
- toilet paper
- Kleenex
- paper towel
- liquid hand soap
- hand sanitizer
- medicines for fever
- fluids with electrolytes
- N95 grade face masks
For a more detailed list of items to have on hand click HERE.
You would also want to have at least a 2 week supply of food on hand as grocery store shelves could easily be emptied in a panic. For example...one item that is flying off store shelves these days is hand sanitizer. It is nearly impossible to find. When I heard this I went to a store outside my area and all I could find was 5 bottles of Germ X ...in the whole store. All trial size were gone, all bottles of every other brand were gone. I say this not to cause alarm, just to illustrate that when there is panic...shelves can be emptied in no time. Preparing before hand will give you peace of mind during a time of stress.
Make a list today of things you would want to have on hand if you were largely confined to your home, specifically keep in mind items you would need if your family members were sick.
No need to panic today...just prepare for tomorrow.
Update: I was on CNN this morning and read a great article regarding keeping your hands free of the influenza virus. Click HERE if you are interested in reading it.
2 comments:
Even though everyone is telling us not to panic, it's kind-of hard not to, especially if you have little kids at home. I agree...now is a great time to assess what you have in your storage...not just food storage, but emergency preparedness as well. Thanks for the insights and articles! One question...what is the shelf life for things like detergent, bleach, and soap? I know medicines expire, so it's hard to stock up on those. I guess as long as you have some in your cupboard, right?
Suzanne...YOU'RE BACK!!! YAHOO! Laundry detergent is good for about a year, bleach is probably close to the same, but the cooler the temp it is stored in...the longer it will last. I would try and rotate after a year though. Soap and hand sanitizer is good for about 2-3 years for optimal potentcy, but used after that it will still be somewhat effective. One of the most effective ways to remove germs from your hands is rubbing them back and forth, so using expired soap won't be much of a detriment. Hope this helps!
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