How To Prepare For A Coronavirus Pandemic

March 17, 2020

| By Mr.BOBB

2022 Update:

This article was based on information we were being told in early 2020.

Since then more data has come out about how best to protect yourself against viruses, which in our humble opinion means essentially preparing your body to be healthy, since it appears attempting to avoid infection of widespread aerosolized respiratory infections appears to futile.

But for posterity we are leaving this here.

And for the record - I never want to hear the term "hunker down" again.

Now that the COVID-19 Coronavirus is hitting our shores, and people are starting to hunker down at home, it's a good time to go through a list of items you should get your hands on as soon as you can.

We'll prioritize this list in order from most important to least and in categories.

First: make sure you read the CDC's page to stay updated on whats happening with Coronavirus (COVID-19).

BTW If you buy anything from the links we provide on this page we might get a small percentage of the sale. For more info click here.

Cleaning / Disinfecting

Cleaning items which may have come in contact with the virus might avoid contamination in your home.

Clorox Bleach (or any chlorinated bleach) can be used to create a powerful disinfecting sprays. Clorox also makes disinfecting wipes which are also useful and convenient.

Clorox bleach, wipes

To disinfect, first pre-clean the hard, nonporous surface.
Apply the bleach solution by spraying directly on the surface or onto a cloth or sponge and wipe.
If using a wet wipe, apply directly to surface.
Focus on high-touch surfaces such as refrigerator handles, kitchen and bathroom counters, toilet seats and toilet handles.
Allow the solution to contact the surface for 5 minutes, then rinse with clean water and let the surface air dry.
The bleach and water solution needs to be made fresh each day you use it.

Solution recipe:

For the following products use ⅓ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water:

Clorox Disinfecting Bleach (Concentrated)

Clorox Performance Bleach (Concentrated)

Clorox Germicidal Bleach (Concentrated)

For the following products use ½ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water:

Clorox Disinfecting Bleach

Clorox Regular Bleach

Clorox Performance Bleach with CLOROMAX

Clorox Germicidal Bleach

Alternatives:

There is some evidence that UV exposure will kill the virus on inanimate objects; leave suspect items in direct sunlight for a few minutes if you do not have access to disinfecting products, but this is should be your last option. If you are already infected this will do nothing for you.

Anti-bacterial products will not be effective, since COVID-19 is a virus, not a bacteria.

Hand Sanitizer

COVID has wiped out supplies of hand sanitizers throughout the country.

But don't let that stop you! Read this article on how to make your own hand sanitizer.

Soap

Washing your hands and avoiding face touching (mouth, nose, eyes, ears) is the best way to avoid infection.

Any soap will do as long as you wash very thoroughly: wash between fingers, under nails, on backs of hands and wrists. Don't be lazy about it!

Defense Soap, different types

We've been using the Defense brand of soap products for the last year. They work fantastically and are powerful cleansers that don't ruin your skin with harsh chemicals, instead they use essential oils to do the heavy lifting.

Defense soap was initially designed to be used by wrestlers and martial arts practitioners, who come in regular contact with biological contaminants.

We love their products and cannot recommend them enough. Give them a try if you can.

Personal Protective Equipment

See our full list of recommended items here: Prepare for Pandemics.

But getting your hands on N95 masks, gloves, and goggles is getting difficult, if not impossible.

For an alternative, I would look to the Mira Safety line of masks and filters.

If you already have a mask which accepts 40mm NATO filters, check out their ParticleMax P3 Virus Filter - 6 Pack. They have a 20-year shelf life, small, and light-weight. They can be pre-deployed on masks (since there is no activated charcoal.)

ParticleMax P3 Virus Filter

If you want to learn more about masks and how to use them, see our article: The Ultimate Gas Mask Guide.

Water

Water is really not an issue in the US, although for many different reasons people don't like to drink from the tap, it is safe nearly everywhere to do so.

But if you have concerns, or want to add one more layer of protection between your drinking water and your body then there is no better solution than a Berkey water purifier.

Berkey water filters remove bacteria, viruses, and chemicals from water while leaving in the beneficial minerals (we recommend adding trace mineral drops to tap water to get an extra boost of beneficials.)

Berkey Filter on a counter top

Our recommendation is to get the Big Berkey or larger sized model if you have a family of 2 or more, otherwise you are constantly filling it up from the tap.

Food

Thankfully food supplies around the world seem to be holding on, but there are enormous lines of people waiting hours in places like Italy to get into the supermarkets.

Planning ahead is a great way to go, and getting foods that can stay in the pantry for years is probably your best bet.

Get canned goods from the grocery store. You can get fish, chicken, vegetables, soups, butter, milk, etc. They can last you 3 years or longer.

Also stock up on rice and couscous. Flour can keep in the fridge for several months.

Food pantry with canned foods