Jodie Weston
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Editor’s Note: This article has been revised and updated for 2018.
Every prepper worth their salt stores water and lots of it. Not only that, they store one, two, three or more ways to purify water. That is all well and good because you never know when a disaster or other disruptive event may occur and those water resources will be called upon for drinking, cleaning, hygiene, and sanitation purposes.
Recently, my number came up and I was the one without water during the short term, personal water apocalypse. Now really, that may be a bit dramatic because I was simply without running water. This was caused by a break in the line from the water main at the street to my home. All told, I was without running water for 12 days.
To be honest, I was quite relaxed about the ordeal. After all, I had cases of bottled water for drinking, a 55-gallon water barrel holding purified water, a source of raw, unfiltered water from a gravity pump right outside my house, and of course, my LifeStraw Family, SolarBag, and pool shock for water purification.
Still, being without running water brought up issues I had not considered. Albeit water-ready, the reality of not being able to turn on the tap and have fresh, and especially hot, water was a new experience.
Today I share tips for coping without running water so that you can be better prepared if something similar happens to you.
16 Tips [UPDATE: Now 31 Tips] for Coping Without Water
1. Fill the bathtub
With advance notice of a water shutoff, fill the bathtub and as many spare jugs and buckets as you can round up. In addition, fill the Berkey, if you have one and all of your sinks.
2. Double up on hand sanitation.
Fill a spray bottle with liquid castile soap, water, and a copious amount of tea tree or other anti-bacterial essential oil. To wash your hands, spray with a generous amount of your soap/tea tree mixture then rinse with water from a filled sink or a container of water set next to the sink. Follow-up with commercial hand sanitizer. See DIY Liquid Castile Soap.
3. Know the location of your preps!
In my case, I had two camp showers that could have been used for taking hot showers after heating water on the stove. Could I find them? Nope.
4. No matter how many buckets you have, you need more.
In addition, make sure the buckets you have are manageable, weight-wise when filled with water. Remember, water weighs 8.35 pounds per gallon. My buckets were re-purposed 2-pound buckets obtained for free from a local café and were small enough for me to handle comfortably when filled. Water filled 5-gallon bucket would have been a problem.
5. When using the toilet, flush liquids daily but solids upon each use.
I had two toilets in use so it was easy to abide by this formula. I did not, however, flush TP (see below).
6. Dispose of toilet paper into a wastebasket and not into the toilet.
This will prevent your toilet from backing up because it is crammed with paper! Been there, done that. Do, however, be mindful of the smell and dispose of the contents of your wastebasket daily. Baking soda helps control odors if you can not dispose of soiled TP often enough.
7. When it comes time to flush, fill the tank with water and use the handle on the toilet to flush.
This uses less water than dumping water into the bowl.
8. Stock up on disposable plates, cups, and eating utensils.
Cleaning up after meals will be a challenge and will use a lot of water. Save the water you have for cooking utensils and use disposables for everything else.
9. Clean with cloths and rags not sponges.
Without proper cleaning, sponges will become very unsanitary quickly. Gross even. Use microfiber cloths or cleaning rags made from discarded tee shirts or towels. They can be washed using a Mobile Washer, tossed in the garbage, or laundered when things return to normal.
10. Learn to take “sponge baths” using a washcloth and soap.
Your spray bottle of castile soap will come in handy for this. Better yet, lay in a supply of No-Rinse Bath Wipes (my favorite), homemade wipes (something I still need to learn to do), or baby wipes.
11. Have at least one way to filter and purify water gathered from the outdoors.
See How to Use Pool Shock to Purify Water.
12. Learn to hook a hose up to your water heater so that you can use its water in an emergency.
It is a good idea to turn off the electrical breaker or turn off the pilot light first.
13. Plumbers may not always be available so learn minor plumbing repairs yourself.
When the water came back on, one of our toilets failed, probably due to the backflow of gunk. Repairs were easy with a backup tank repair kit.
14. Get to know which neighbors have what home repair and handyman skills.
Let them know about your own skill-set so that there is reciprocity and you can help each other out when something goes wrong and needs fixing. Everyone knows how to do something, right?
15. Keep basic tools on hand, including shovels, axes, saws, hatchets, and other manly-man items.
Just because you are a woman does not mean you should not have basic tools!
16. Maintain a good sense of humor.
Treat the experience and a learning experience as well as a grand adventure in self-reliance.
17. Minimize the dishes
Assign everyone a plate, bowl, cup, and silverware and maybe a coffee cup. That means only that many dishes can be dirty at any given time. This is a trick my husband and I learned when living in a camper with no indoor running water for 18 months and then living in the shell of our house for awhile after that before we had actual indoor plumbing. Sure disposables are great for short term use but using them every day for over a year didn’t seem practical at all so we did not do it. Plus they do cost money and you have to burn them or haul them off in the garbage.
18. Remember to mark water clearly
You don’t want to mix up treated and untreated water so have some way of labeling containers. Duct tape is sturdy but can be hard to apply if something is too wet or sweaty. Just have some way to tell so you can avoid getting everyone sick by drinking unsanitary water.
19. Keep a list of what would have made it easier
There is nothing like a crisis to make it clear that you don’t have what you need on hand to deal with a situation. Rather than forgetting the experience, you need to write down what you discover that you didn’t have on hand.
20. Plan for the kids and elderly
Doing without water is one thing if you are just one or two people for a day or two, however when it comes to kids and the elderly you need to take some other steps. Disposable diapers, wipes, and making sure that you have some extra clothing on hand can be helpful.
21. Plan meals that require less prep and water
If you can get to the grocery store, stock up on items that will get everyone by until you can get your water on. If you already have preps that you can use then good for you but at the same time, the water being out briefly is not necessarily a reason to get into those nice freezes dried meals you have gathered up. Just use your own judgment on the severity of the situation.
22. Utilize your freezer
When it comes down to cooking fast, having some meals in your freezer that you can throw together quickly can be a big help when the water is out or acting up. There has been a lot written on how you can buy basic ingredients and chop up and prep several weeks worth of dinners and store them in your freezer. Just throw them in a Crock Pot, Roasting Pan, Or Stir Fry them and you can have a meal in minutes that is much healthier and less expensive than pre-made
frozen foods.
23. If you don’t have a few large stock pots then you should get a few rights away.
Large stock pots are great for boiling water so you can clean things and do dishes if needed. While you are going to want to limit having to do this as much as you can, if an outage goes on for a few days or if it happens when you just happened to have not done the dishes the night before then you might feel the need for some quick hot water.
24. Sweep and Vacuum More
Without water, the sanitation of your home can definitely suffer. Sweeping or vacuuming more often can help control some of the dirt and debris that you may encounter. If you have pets the problem can become worse quite quickly. The less dirt and debris on your floor the less dust in the air and settling on other things in your home.
25. Reuse your clothing
Don’t change everything you wear each day. Jeans can often be worn for 2-3 days if you are not doing work that gets them very dirty. If you have items that are easy to hand wash and dry out quickly then you may want to wear those until you get your water working reliably once more.
26. Have a small drum washer for washing what is absolutely needed
While it may be cumbersome for some to spin the handle for the few minutes it takes to do a pair of jeans or a few shirts, it is better than nothing at all. If you are living remotely this is an excellent back up to have. Laundromats are not as common as they once were and very expensive and time consuming to use since you have to be right there the whole time. In that case, you would be better off giving your kids a bonus on their allowance for stepping up and helping out with the wash! Related: For further reading, you can review the best off-grid dishwashing options here.
27. Consider bathing in the great outdoors
If you have a pond or stream on your property that is not too dirty then you might consider using a mild soap and bathing in it if is the right time of year. Running water is going to be cleaner than ponds generally speaking. It also might be a good time to load up and go to your favorite swimming hole.
28. Shower at the gym
While it may not be ideal, if you have a gym membership or a community health club then you may have shower privileges that you can use. In my area during a water outage that affected a lot of people in town, the fitness centers welcomed those affected to come and clean up there.
29. Keep toilet cleaner or vinegar on hand for odors
If you are using your toilet during the outage than the result of you trying to reduce the amount you flush can lead to a smellier and dirtier toilet than you are used to. A spray bottle of vinegar or biodegradable toilet cleaner can help keep things fresher and a lot more pleasant for everyone in the family. Just remember that eventually your water is going to be back on and you don’t want to use anything that will kill off the good bacteria in your septic tank.
30. Have a lot of extra socks and underwear
While you may have some favorite socks, during a water outage, having just good ole’ cheap white athletic socks that come in 6-12 packs is going to help out with stretching out how long it is before you feel you have to do laundry. Having a weeks worth of extra socks and underwear is not a bad plan for any emergency.
31. Sports Drink Dispensers Help A Lot
For the occasional or long term outage, the Rubbermaid 3 gallon water coolers with a pocket are a blessing to have. These coolers are easy to clean and you can label them if needed with just a Sharpie marker. There are many different brands out there but Rubbermaid seems to be the way to go because that is what you see a lot of landscaping crews and other heavy duty workers using for their water when out on a job.
The Final Word
Regardless of how much you drill for disruptive events, having something happen for real will open your eyes to considerations that were unplanned. With camping, backpacking, and boating, you know in advance you will not have running water and can plan accordingly.
No running water at the drop of a hat is another story completely.
If you are looking for the best water filtration systems for your needs, you can take the product matching quiz below:
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Bargain Bin: Below you will find links to some the items related to today’s article.
No Rinse Cleansing & Deodorizing Bathing Wipes: One wipe is more than enough for a complete “bath”. These are a good backup when traditional showers are not available such as the week or weeks following a disaster. Also good for the sick room as well as camping, boating, hiking and such. Here is my review.
Fluidmaster 400CR Toilet Fill Valve and Flapper Repair Kit: This is one of those items you don’t think of stockpiling but believe me, we now have a couple in reserve for emergency purposes.
Ultimate 55 Gallon Water Barrel Combo
: This was the best deal I could find today on 55-gallon water barrels. Everyone should have at least one. Remember, if storing in your garage, place the filled barrel on a wooden platform and not directly on the concrete.
LifeStraw Family Water Purifier: The Lifestraw Family contains no chemicals, no batteries, and no moving parts to wear out. It features a high flow rate and is the perfect solution to your portable water purification needs – whether bugging in or bugging out. As of this writing, shipping is free.
Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, (Pack of 36): No list of DIY cleaning supplies would be complete without these wonderful microfiber cloths. They will last you for years and will allow you to replace paper towels forever. Truly. I color code using blue for glass and windows and the other colors for everything else. I love these.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps Pure-Castile Soap: If you do not want to make your own liquid castile soap, get Dr. Bronner’s. There are many different “flavors”, including tea tree.
Soft ‘n Style 8 oz. Spray Bottles: I happen to like these smaller bottles and you can not beat the price for a set of 3. Likewise for these Pump Dispensers.
DryTec Calcium Hypochlorite, 1-Pound: This is 68% Calcium Hypochlorite. I purchased Ultima Pool Shock which is 73% Calcium Hypochlorite. For more information, read How to Use Pool Shock to Purify Water.
Tea Tree (Melaleuca): I used half a bottle and then some during my water apocalypse. For the budget minded, consider using the NOW products brand in your cleaning and sanitation supplies. For healing purposes, though, you will want to go with essential oils from Spark Naturals. Just remember to use the code BACKDOORSURVIVAL at checkout to get 10% off your order.
Help support Backdoor Survival. Purchases earn a small commission and for that I thank you!
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Are You Interested in Essential Oils?
Which are the best oils for your survival kit? This article describes my top picks.
41 Responses to “30+ Tips for Coping Without Running Water”
I use a couple of 5 gallon Igloo drink jugs to hold hot water after heating it up on my wood stove. One 2.5 gallon drink jug goes in the bathroom for clean up and I use those cheap 1/2 gallon pitchers from the dollar store to move water for washing dishes.
My water main was out for 5 days and it was effort of moving the water that was the hardest for me as I’m disabled. I want to buy a couple of those small dolleys they use to move furniture. I will use it to wheel the 5 gallon jugs of water around the house.
Great idea about the Igloo drink jugs, I also keep some coolers for those reasons.
If I had a place to give a thumbs up, I would. Some of the “elderly” have had mother nature to do the burring for us.
To conserve bath/wash water – Get a pair of hair clippers & burr your head & body. It takes much less water to bathe a hairless body.
Be warned that the regrowth of hair under the arms & in the private areas can cause chafing & irritation. You might want to just thin out the hair in those places.
For those must have hair on their head, might I suggest a wig.
This conservation idea came about as a result of many years camping with a limited water supply.
I think I will skip the burr. It would cause more problems than it would solve. Wear a wig? Yep, I am going to shave my head and wear a wig for water being off for three weeks. I cannot afford a wig. I am quite sure this was a tongue-in-cheek response to see how many people would shave.
The intent was not to get responses but to share a little water conservation knowledge that my wife & I discovered during our 30+ years of camping experiences. The burr caused no problems, except for the irritation of the initial regrowth.
Not all ideas/suggestions are for everyone. Use what you can/want. Ignore the rest.
lol… excuse me. Next time, tell people whether they should respond or not.
Yes, I thought that was all pretty silly. He should go get waxed!
I am on day 16 of no water due to a water line to the street needing to be replaced. I have dozens of vinegar jugs, but cannot refill them due to my back, shoulders, and knees. My neighbor will fill them for me and put them on my back porch if I put them on the steps to his front porch. A friend used the hose to fill the vinegar jugs and I bought potable water.
I drove 50 miles to Huntsville for a shower, hair wash, and one load of laundry after day 8. I had something else to do there, so the trip was not wasted. No one here offered me a shower or place to wash my hair. However, churches often have showers, so I could have asked one of the churches since I was the only one without water.
I discovered I could put hose water in the crock pot and heat it there to wash the crockpot. Then, I heated the water, put the crock in the sink and it served as a nice “pan” that kept the water warm while I washed dishes in the crock pot. I did have disposable everything on hand, but the “no water” caught me with sinks of dirty dishes. I had been out of town and very ill when all this happened, so I had more dirty dishes than usual.
For a bath, I microwaved two cups of water in a glass peanut butter jar. I took my whole bath out of that, right in the jar.
Since I cannot, dare not, walk with boiling water either from the microwave or the stove, the crock pot was closer and easier and much safer for me to heat there and carry it to the sink since the crockpot is right beside the sink.
Get rid of the gel toothpaste! It was so difficult to brush with little water because I had opened a get. The past is much easier to clean off fingers or mouth or toothbrush! I accidentally had a bit on a finger and could not just lick if off. I had to go back to the sink and use water to remove it. Yes, I know you have licked a bit of toothpaste off a finger.
Being disabled and elderly is a whole new ball game when there is no water. I could barely carry one gallon of water and certainly not two vinegar jugs of water.
That should be “right from the jar.” I cannot get into a peanut butter jar.
That is brilliant to use the crockpot for warming the water. Hope you get your water back on soon
I went without water for seven weeks before getting the supply line from the road replaced. A gofundme campaign was necessary. THEN, the faucets were all ruined from the galvanized pipes shedding shards. Then, the plumber did not turn off the hot water heater, ruined it and swears it is just fine because I get a little warm water from it. I discovered a leak under the kitchen sink AND the washer is leaking. I don’t think the washing machine is the fault of the plumber.
Dozens of people knew I had no water. Not one of them offered a shower. They would hastily find someone else with whom to talk or start telling me their woes…not really a minor problem.
I had to sleep on the floor for seven weeks and then slept on a daybed someone gave me…on the springs for another two week until someone bought me a new mattress. Having no bed was a real trial along with no water.
Thanks for the update and insight. Whenever our power goes out (which is often) we have no running water, so I feel for you. I’ve actually learned to shower with 2 water bottles (regular size drinking bottles) which have been warmed in the sun.
You are very right on the bucket sizes. We have a huge 5 gallon one, but I can only lift it if it’s half full, so 2 smaller buckets would be much better.
I forgot. To get those smaller buckets…check your local grocer which has a bakery. The fillings and other food items come in 3 gal buckets. Most 5 gallon lids will fit these. I get them just for asking free. I have several of these with 1 day’s worth of food in various locations in case of emergencies. I have also found they work for my household (since it’s all female) when it comes to repetitive lifting and carrying. I like the 2 gallons buckets, but why buy when I can get the 3 gallons for free. 🙂 AND they have carry straps too.
LOL My free 2 pound buckets started life as buckets of frosting and fruit salad.
Don’t forget to fill your washing machine, if you have one. The water can be dipped out for clean up or flushing.
With just getting your water back, I do hope you’re ready for the chilling weather today. As I read through your list, I kept thinking about the dish bags we made in Girl Scouts. I bought the nylon netting from a fabric store; then at a meeting, we cut the fabric to the size needed for each girl to have a bag. The size depended on the eating utensils she brought. It’s a complete setting. Each girl at least learned the basic sewing stitch to put 2 pieces of cloth together. When done, the girl had a place for putting her dish, cup and eating utensils. Then each girl was responsible for washing her own dishes (done in cold soapy water). Then we had a BIG pot of boiling hot water with vinegar (for sanitizing). Now my bags have one of those clippies like rock climber use so the bag gets hung on a rope to dry. The dish water gets recycled into the toilet had your event happened here. The hot water would be allowed to cool and saved for washing the next meal’s dishes. Now, I go basic, so water and vinegar are all I need for sanitizing and cleansing, but like the dishes, this method can be modified. I now use correlle ware from the thrift store because it stands up to the useage of camping. 🙂
And #15—be sure you have tools which YOU can use, they aren’t any good if hubby isn’t around and his are too heavy for you to use properly. Though you probably didn’t need one this time. My trucker brother put me on to these hammers. They make the lighter strike a woman gives them much more impact. AND due to their color, they are easy to spot even in low light. 😉 Stay warm everyone.
//www.harborfreight.com/4-lb-neon-orange-dead-blow-hammer-41800.html
Great idea with the dish bags. Thanks
Question — in this situation couldn’t you have just gone and showered at a friend’s house?
That was a possibility but since our closest friends live 12 miles away (24 miles round trip), I felt that soldiering it out as though this was a real survival situation was a better choice of action. I am glad I did because it gave me an opportunity to test myself and my ability to cope. Except for not washing my hair during those 12 days (which I still plan to do using baking soda as a dry shampoo), I really had no problem at all dealing with the lack of running water.
I still have not located my sun/camp showers and plan to order some new ones from Amazon later today.
Thank you for all the hints and tips you give! I store water in cleaned out Kitty Litter jugs. They are marked with a code on the bottom that indicates they are food safe. They last a long while and hold 2.5 gallons. The built in handles make them easy to carry. Don’t leave them in the sun, though, for any length of time, as the sunlight makes the plastic brittle and it will break off at the water line, leaving you with nothing but the top of the jug and handle in your hand, and wet feet! We had to water our chickens, goats and livestock dogs with these jugs from the house during freak cold snaps in December and January. That doesn’t happen very often here in Alabama! I also have some large cooking pots and pressure canners that I fill up with water if I know there is a storm coming that may result in power outages or water shortage.
I appreciate the note about your camp showers. I have one at our cabin, but we really need one or two at the house! Never thought of that!!!
Thanks!
One thing to keep in mind is how you may be imposing on people. Whenever our power is out we have no water. In all honesty this is when you find out who your friends are – some people offer their shower but when you ask they aren’t available.
Today I had to take a take a shower in my neighbor’s hose because we have a water problem in my house and had to turn off the water. I take pride in my resourcefulness!
Gaye, I have been a prepper for many years now and everyone has their worries of being without things. Every time I turn on my faucet and I see water flow, I do a little “thank you” to the powers that keep my water flowing. I think this would be the hardest thing to cope with.
More power to you girl for coming out on top.
I LOVE THE SIMPLE IDEAS YOU GIVE AND HOW EASY THEY ARE TO PUT TO USE.