The first hour
- Set up a sick room. If you can, use a separate bathroom for the sick person.
- Pick one healthy caregiver if possible.
- Open a window or run a fan or air purifier to improve airflow.
- Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds, often.
The first day
- Keep the sick person drinking fluids. Track temperature and symptoms on paper.
- Clean high-touch spots daily: doorknobs, faucets, remotes, phones.
- Use separate dishes and towels, or wash them in hot water.
- Masks help when someone sick must be around others.
- Call a doctor or telehealth line early, especially for older adults, babies, pregnant people, or those with health problems.
The first week and beyond
- Get emergency help right away for: trouble breathing, chest pain or pressure that won't go away, new confusion, can't stay awake, pale or bluish lips or skin.
- Follow public health guidance on how long to stay home.
- Use your pantry so you don't need trips out. Ask friends or delivery services to drop things at the door.
- Keep routines for kids who are well: school work, outdoor time, calls with friends.
Get ready now: checklist
Your checks save on this phone.
Common mistakes
- Waiting too long to call a doctor when warning signs show up.
- Giving kids adult medicine doses.
- Panic buying large amounts. Build slowly instead.
- Everyone caring for the sick person, so everyone gets sick.
Keeping kids calm
- Explain germs simply: 'We wash hands to wash away the germs.'
- Sing a 20-second song while washing.
- Video calls help kids who are sick or isolated feel connected.
- Check dose charts by weight for kids' medicines.
Gear that helps
- Digital thermometer: my pick, Vicks SpeedRead Digital Thermometer
- Pulse oximeter: my pick, Zacurate Pro 500DL Fingertip Pulse Oximeter
- Electrolyte packets: my pick, DripDrop ORS Electrolyte Powder Packets, Variety Pack, 32 ct
- Disposable masks
- Nitrile gloves: my pick, Medline FitGuard Touch Nitrile Exam Gloves, 100 ct
- Disinfectant wipes
- Small trash can with lid
- HEPA air purifier
- Humidifier
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Sources
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Prepper tricks for this
Sanitation (6)
Two-bucket toilet: pee and poop separate
Cost: About $25-40 total.
Why it works: Keeping pee and poop apart cuts the smell way down. Poop stays drier and is easier to handle.
How to do it
- Get two 5-gallon buckets with lids. Label one PEE and one POOP.
- Line the poop bucket with a heavy trash bag (0.9 mil or thicker).
- For a seat, use a snap-on bucket toilet seat (about $15-25), or slit a pool noodle and press it on the rim.
- Pee goes in the pee bucket. Dilute it with water and pour it on dirt or lawn, away from vegetable gardens and wells.
- After each poop, cover it with a scoop of dry material (see the next tip). Toilet paper goes in this bucket too.
- When the poop bucket is half full, tie the bag, double-bag it, and store it away from food, water, pets and pests.
Safety: Never add bleach or cleaners to the pee bucket. Bleach and the ammonia in urine can make harmful fumes. Wash hands after every use.
Source: City of Wilsonville (Oregon): The Two-Bucket Toilet Solution
Cheap cover material: pine pellet bedding and sawdust
Cost: A 40-pound bag of pine pellet bedding is about $7-10 at farm stores.
Why it works: Dry carbon material soaks up moisture, cuts odor, and keeps flies away.
How to do it
- Keep a bag of cover material and a scoop next to the bucket.
- Pine pellet horse or animal bedding is cheap and great: it absorbs and controls smell.
- Other options: sawdust, wood shavings, peat moss, coconut coir, shredded paper, or clay kitty litter.
- Add a cup or two after each use, enough to cover.
Safety: Clay kitty litter works but is heavy. Store cover material dry.
Bucket-flush the toilet when the water is off
Cost: Free.
Why it works: A toilet flush is just a fast dump of water into the bowl; you can do that by hand.
How to do it
- Only do this if the sewer is still working. If you're told the sewer is down, use the two-bucket toilet instead.
- Pour 1-2 gallons of water (pool, rain or tub water is fine) quickly into the toilet bowl.
- The rush of water pushes waste through on its own.
- Don't flush every pee. 'If it's yellow, let it mellow' saves water.
Safety: If the city says sewers are damaged, flushing can back sewage up into homes.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Trash discipline
Cost: Free.
Why it works: Rotting food and waste draw flies, rats and smells, and they spread germs.
How to do it
- Trash pickup may stop for weeks. Make less trash: rinse and flatten cans and boxes.
- Seal food scraps in bags and keep them in a lidded can outside, away from the door.
- Keep the toilet bags separate from regular trash.
Safety: Never burn plastic trash; the smoke is toxic.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Plunger-in-a-bucket washing machine
Cost: About $10-25.
Why it works: Plunging pushes water through the fabric like a washing machine does.
How to do it
- Get a 5-gallon bucket and a NEW sink plunger (or a 'mobile washer' plunger, about $20).
- Drill a hole in the bucket lid big enough for the plunger handle.
- Add clothes, water and a small squirt of detergent. Plunge up and down for 2-3 minutes.
- Dump the water, refill with clean water, and plunge again to rinse.
- Wring clothes out by twisting and hang them to dry.
Safety: Wet clothes are heavy; wring in small batches to protect your back.
Source: Oregon State University Extension: Survival Basics - Sanitation and Waste Management
Jug hand-washing station (tippy tap)
Cost: Free.
Why it works: Hand washing is one of the best ways to stop stomach bugs, which spread fast when water is off.
How to do it
- Clean out a laundry detergent jug that has a spout, or use a water jug with a spigot.
- Set it on a ledge or table with a bucket underneath.
- Hang a bar of soap on a string (in a mesh bag or old stocking) next to it.
- Wet hands, turn off, lather for 20 seconds, then rinse.
Safety: Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol helps when there's no water, but it doesn't work well on visibly dirty hands.
Source: CDC: About Handwashing
First Aid and Health (8)
Skin glue for small cuts
Cost: Medical skin glue is about $8-12; hardware super glue is about $3.
Why it works: Glue holds the edges together and seals out dirt while the skin heals.
How to do it
- Use it only on small, clean, shallow cuts that have stopped bleeding (paper cuts, small knife slips).
- Wash the cut and your hands.
- Hold the edges together and paint a thin layer of glue ON TOP of the cut, a little past each end. Don't put glue inside it.
- Hold for about a minute. Add a second thin layer if needed.
Safety: Medical glues (like 2-octyl cyanoacrylate) are made for skin. Hardware super glue can irritate skin. Don't use on deep, jagged, bleeding or puncture wounds, bites, burns, or on eyes, lips or joints. Watch for redness, swelling or warmth (infection).
Honey on wounds: medical-grade only
Cost: About $10-20 for a tube or a few dressings.
Why it works: Honey is naturally antibacterial and keeps wounds moist, which helps healing.
How to do it
- For wounds and burns, buy medical-grade honey dressings or gel (sold as wound care, sterilized and FDA-cleared).
- Clean the wound, apply a thin layer, and cover with a clean dressing.
- Change daily, or as the package says.
Safety: Kitchen honey isn't sterile and can contain bacteria spores. Never give any honey to babies under 1 year. See a doctor for deep, dirty or infected wounds.
Source: FDA clearance of MediHoney wound gel (Medtech Insight)
Tape over hot spots to prevent blisters
Cost: Pennies; a roll of tape is about $5.
Why it works: Tape takes the rubbing instead of your skin.
How to do it
- The moment a spot on your foot feels hot or rubbed, stop.
- Dry the skin and put a smooth piece of tape (duct tape, paper tape or athletic tape) over it with no wrinkles.
- If a blister has already formed, cut a donut of moleskin to go around it, not on it.
- Wrap a few feet of duct tape around a water bottle or lighter so you always have some.
Safety: Don't pop blisters unless they're large and painful. If you must, use a clean needle and leave the skin flap on. Watch for signs of infection.
Source: Mayo Clinic: Blisters first aid
MYTH: Tampons are good for gunshot or serious wounds
Cost: A real tourniquet is about $25-35; trauma gauze about $10-40.
The truth: A tampon holds about as much material as two small gauze pads; a roll of gauze has yards of it for packing and pressure.
What to do instead
- The truth: tampons are made to soak up slow bleeding, not to stop heavy bleeding. There's no testing showing they work in trauma.
- For serious bleeding: call 911, press hard directly on the wound with both hands and don't let up.
- For an arm or leg, a tourniquet 2-3 inches above the wound stops life-threatening bleeding.
- Take a free Stop the Bleed class to learn wound packing with real gauze.
Safety: Buy tourniquets from reputable medical suppliers; cheap knockoffs can break.
Source: Crisis Medicine: Heavy flow is not massive hemorrhage - tampons don't belong in IFAKs
Sanitary pads as big bandages
Cost: About $5-8 for a pack of 30-40.
Why it works: They're cheap, absorbent, and individually wrapped so they stay clean.
How to do it
- Keep a pack of individually wrapped maxi pads in your first aid kit.
- For a large scrape or cut, place the pad over it and hold it in place with tape, a bandana or an elastic bandage.
- For heavy bleeding, press down hard on the pad with your hands.
Safety: They're clean but not sterile. They don't replace firm pressure, gauze or a tourniquet for serious bleeding.
Keep a backup supply of your daily meds
Cost: Usually just your normal copay.
Why it works: Pharmacies may be closed for days after a disaster. Some states allow emergency refills, but you shouldn't count on it.
How to do it
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting a 90-day supply, or refilling a few days early each month, to build up a small extra stash.
- Keep a 7-day 'grab' supply in a labeled bottle in your go-bag and rotate it so it doesn't expire.
- Write a list of your meds, doses, doctor and pharmacy on paper.
- Check your medication's storage instructions (for example, how long insulin is okay at room temperature).
Safety: Never stop or ration a prescription without talking to your doctor. Follow the rules for controlled medicines.
Source: Ready.gov: Build a Kit
Homemade oral rehydration drink
Cost: A few cents.
Why it works: The right mix of sugar and salt helps the body absorb water much faster than plain water, which is key with vomiting or diarrhea.
How to do it
- Measure 1 liter (about 4 1/4 cups) of clean, safe water.
- Add 6 LEVEL teaspoons of sugar and 1/2 LEVEL teaspoon of salt.
- Stir until dissolved. Sip it slowly and often.
- Make a fresh batch every day.
Safety: Measure carefully; too much salt is dangerous, especially for kids. Store-bought rehydration salts are best when available. Keep breastfeeding babies. Get medical help for babies, older adults, or anyone very sleepy, not peeing, or with bloody diarrhea.
Source: Rehydration Project: How to prepare oral rehydration solution
MYTH: Put butter on a burn
Cost: Free.
The truth: Cool water pulls heat out of the skin and stops the burn from going deeper.
What to do instead
- The truth: butter, oil and grease trap heat and can raise infection risk.
- Instead, run cool (not ice-cold) water over the burn for about 10-20 minutes.
- Cover loosely with a clean, dry cloth or nonstick dressing.
- Get medical help for large, deep, or face, hand or genital burns.
Safety: Don't use ice; it can damage skin.
Source: Mayo Clinic: Burns first aid