Sunday, November 20, 2011

Hot showers, clean clothes

As energy depletion takes hold, some things we have access to now such as cheap automobile travel will disappear. Other "luxuries" we take for granted such as warm showers, washing machines and modern soaps will be hard to get or not be available at all. However, these are no longer luxuries but necessities. These tools have proven their worth over time as they wash away disease, pests and parasites. Many people have found ways of "surviving" without a car. However, fewer people have given up the use of laundry services for extended periods. In fact, one person has made the case that the washing machine may even exceed the bicycle as the greatest invention of the Industrial Revolution. Fortunately, washing machines generally don't take too much energy to operate as long as hot water is available. Washer boards work too. Clothes lines take even less energy. One person demonstrating how little energy a washing machine takes has made his human powered!

When it comes to renewable heat and hot water systems for washing machines be they washboards or bicycles, they should have hot water. Hot water is usually well below food and drinking water on the list of "must have" items any amateur survivalist says you should have. However, heat and water are very important. The fact is, hypothermia can kill in hours and poor hygiene can decline to disease carrying levels within days. An off grid hot water system is something to consider when prioritizing how to react to various disaster scenarios.

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