Hygiene with limited water
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Reserve safe water for drinking, food, medicines and essential hygiene. Wash hands with safe water and soap before food preparation and after toilet or waste handling. Keep clean and dirty tasks separate. Sanitiser with at least 60% alcohol helps when hands are not visibly dirty; it does not remove chemicals or replace washing dirty hands.
Save the essentials.
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Act on immediate danger. Seek qualified help when reachable and safe, but do not make your first protective step depend on a response. This page is general guidance, not a live alert.
Do now.
- 01
Set up a clean station
Put safe water, soap and a clean towel or air-drying arrangement near food and care tasks. Use a container that does not require everyone to dip dirty hands into the supply.
- 02
Prioritise key washing times
Wash after toilet and waste handling, before eating or preparing food and before wound or infant care. Do not use suspected chemically contaminated water on skin.
- 03
Use sanitiser appropriately
Use at least 60% alcohol sanitiser when soap and safe water are unavailable and hands are not visibly dirty. Keep it away from flames and children.
- 04
Separate waste and food
Store rubbish and toilet waste away from water, food and sleeping areas. Clean high-contact surfaces using product instructions without mixing chemicals.
- 05
Plan personal care
Include menstrual supplies, nappies, necessary skin care and clean clothing. Keep wounds clean and covered; worsening redness, pain or fever needs medical assessment.
PLAN AROUND WHAT YOU HAVE
If help is unavailable.
Use the smallest workable clean-water station and protect it from contamination. Reduce nonessential washing before cutting drinking water or essential handwashing.
People & practical needs.
Assign a trusted adult to each person who needs assistance. Keep medicines, essential contacts and a workable reunion plan with the group. Make decisions around the least mobile person, not the fastest; avoid splitting the family without a clear, safe way to reconnect.
Keep essentials within reach
Keep essential medicines, safe drinking water, a battery light, footwear, phone power and written contacts accessible. Carry only what you can manage; collecting supplies must not delay escape.
Next steps.
Replenish safe water when a verified source becomes available. Keep a routine that the household can sustain; a simple clean station is more useful than occasional improvised deep cleaning.
Watch for.
Surface disinfectant is not drinking-water treatment. Do not apply household bleach to skin or mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.
Sources & context.
Osprey Zero combines source-based protective guidance with practical household planning. References provide context, not a promise of assistance. Some standards are U.S.-based; local risks, laws and services differ.
Updated 2026-10-02. Editorially reviewed against linked references; not independently certified by a subject-matter expert. Verify changing conditions through sources safe for you to contact.