Hill Billy Invention with no Running Water

by Debi
(Missouri)

We live in a double car garage which my husband made into a house. However, during this bad winter, the pipes under the sink froze and broke, so I went out into the field to turn the water meter off. So no running water.

But, I grew up with no running water. First thing a person should always do when you do have running water, or a source of water, get gallon jugs and fill them up, soda bottles, any plastic bottles with caps on them. Fill as many as you can and save them in the pantry, in a cool, dry place.

Next, to take a shower, you don't get one everyday cause then your using up your water supply too soon - every other day shower. I warmed the water up in a big stainless steel pot on my wood stove, then moved the pot to the shower. Took a plastic cup from the local convenience store and hunkered down, and the trick is to get yourself wet but make sure the water goes right back into the pot, so you don't waste any.

After your "shower" you now have soapy warm water to wash your dishes on one side of the sink (but don't use all the water in the pot) add a little water from another jug to the other side of the sink for rinse water. Just a little will do, people will be surprised at how little water it actually takes to wash and rinse your dishes!!

Now you have to waste this water, you can't use it to wash clothes with. The remaining water in the pot take your dirty laundry and wash with that water, scrubbing out stains in clothes with your hands or a scrub board if you can find one. Wring them well, then add the remaining clean water from the second jug and rinse the clothes, wringing well and hang out to dry or if cold outside hang them up in the bathroom or by the wood stove.

Whatever water is left in the pot, go ahead and mop your floors, counters, etc. By the time your done, there should be no water left in the pot to use, since its dirty now, go ahead and flush your toilet by pouring the water down until the toilet flushes. Use as little toilet paper as possible cause it can clog your toilet up flushing with this method.

Take the empty jugs with you in your truck or car and you can get water from a neighbor and pay them a couple dollars if needed. We didn't have to. My husband had a stroke so can't use his left side, the same shower method worked for him, except he stood up in the shower and I washed him. It was a little cold for him but did the job nicely and we never smelled badly, my house was never not clean and our clothes were always clean.

Laundromats are good to use if you end up with a lot of clothes at once to wash but using this method, you end up with about two days of clothes; you can wear your jeans two days in a row and just change your shirt and socks, underwear.

Shaving is optional, if I wanted to shave my legs, I could, just required more time in the shower and then you end up getting hair on your laundry so not a good idea. An electric razor is better.

Thankfully, after living like this for a few months, we got our plumbing fixed. Cooking, well i cook on the wood stove or grill out. microwave. the more water you can conserve the better off you will be.

A teaspoon of bleach in each jug of water will keep any bacteria from forming , that is a very important step. So, that's my story. I like running water, but know I can live without it, once a week I check my water supply and add to it, just in case. It's a wise and prudent thing to do for you, and your family and also any pets you may have. My dog didn't go without water either.

Also we have a pond in the back field and if needed we can use that water after boiling it and adding bleach. Then I take some old pantyhose and strain the water to make sure it's clean and pure. Self reliance is important because a person never knows what could occur in their life and then your stuck. so preparing ahead is a good habit to get into.

Thank you for listening to our story and I hope this helps someone else.