Setting up a mobile hand washing station

When out and about it is much more convenient to use appropriate hand sanitizer containing 60 % alcohol (which kills viruses and not just bacteria). However, if you are like me and your hands react to the sanitizer, you might like to use this alternative.

This may be a better option anyway

With the shortage of hand sanitizer continuing, and with the assurance that proper hand washing with soap is preferable in protecting ourselves from the Covid 19 virus, this is a way of not having to rely on hand sanitizer when we are out. However it does depend on having a vehicle to access every time we need to wash our hands.

What to use

After a lot of thought I chose to recycle two honey tubs, use a shallow plastic take-away container for the soap (homemade), and include a larger bucket for spare water. Ice-cream tubs could also be used, but any container will need to have a lid. I had originally intended to include a reusable hand towel, but then decided that a couple of washers would work just as well, and allow for not reusing the same towel on an individual trip to town. All of this is placed in a plastic crate, and water is added to the "dirty" and "clean" containers before we leave home (they only need to be half filled).

How to use

Before leaving our vehicle to shop, I set up the station on the back seat by removing the lids from the "dirty" and "clean" containers (suitably labelled with a permanent marker for ongoing use) and the soap container, and ensure that the washer is easy to reach. I leave all of this in the plastic crate.

After shopping I dip my hands in the "dirty" container to wet them, then lather with soap and do the proper 20 second hand washing routine, before rinsing them off in the "clean" tub. Then my hands can be dried with the washer.

The lids are then carefully replaced on the containers, ensuring that my hands do not touch any part of the "dirty" tub that could have been contaminated by my unwashed hands. As long as hands are dipped straight into the water, this should not be a problem.

For multiple uses

One trip to town just to get groceries will only require one wash. However if we need to go to multiple places I then carefully empty the "dirty" water and refill this container with water from the spare supply. I find that having the handle on the tub makes this task easier. Then it is just a matter of proceeding as above (but maybe choosing to use a new washer).

After returning home

Water from the "dirty" and "clean" tubs will need to be emptied and the containers washed and dried. The used washers are also laundered. I leave the spare tub of water as is, if none has been used, but top it up otherwise.

Remember: instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create. Roy T. Bennett