Hygiene on the Road
You've seen the movies. On road trips you've done it yourself. You pull over at the Shell station, find that the bathroom is not filthy, just ill appointed, a galvanized steel toilet and sink, cracked tiles, a scratched steel mirror, rusty pipes, a small pool of water somewhere near the middle of the room. You lock the door behind you, do a half strip, wash under your armpits with frigid water, shave, brush, someone knocks, hurry up in there, you finish, gas up and leave. That's a shower at the Lincoln Hotel, the Volkswagen Motorlodge. That's Zen and the Art of Homeless Living. Everyone knows it. Jewel describes her life in a van, prior to recording stardom, in just this way. If that's the way you want to bathe, be my guest, but day in, day out, you're going to get pretty stinky and pretty tired of it.
It's important to know some "roughing it" techniques. Below I will teach you to make an adult version of baby wipes in a bottle, for a scrub down in the car, and offer you a great alternative to a dry shave, but first, let's talk about available facilities, and last, let's talk about a real shower.
Restrooms
Of the three types of restroom baths available, for those days when a shower is out of the question, gas stations are the worst. Gas stations are just slightly more sanitary, on average, than a portapotty, and frequently the water doesn't work. Gas stations are for those moments of desperation, when your creativity has failed you. This is equally true for public park and bus station restrooms. I'd rather spray down with a garden hose, or with the wand at a do it yourself car wash stall. That's not terribly fun either, but if you have a bathing suit, you can make it work. That is for the bold, for you are bathing in full view. If that's your style, you might also consider the showers that are often on public beaches or at public swimming pools. They're cold, but free.
Fast food joints are somewhat better than gas stations for a quick wash. Many allow you to lock the door and scrub up privately. Many require quarters for entry, though, or are for customers only, and maybe it's me, but I don't like having to run a gauntlet of minimum wage hall monitors to get to the lavatory. Laundromat restrooms rank higher, but nearly always require quarters to enter.
That leaves supermarket restrooms. I always favor these. They are always free, and the employees will tell you where to find them without any resistance at all. Unfortunately, they often aren't very private. No locks. Happily, they are not heavily trafficked. When you simply need to use the restroom, this is the best type of business to approach. Other interesting places to find a restroom are the lobby of a hotel and any floor above the fourth in an office building. Why above the fourth? Because many office buildings lock restrooms on the lower levels, and don't bother to higher up. Just go in dressed decently and pretend you've gone to the wrong floor if you are confronted by a security desk when the elevator doors open.
Creativity at the Dashboard
Sometimes you'll have neither time nor the inclination to search out a restroom or a shower room. Take heart. You can stay clean another day with one or two preparations while you sit at the wheel of your car.
Don't like a dry shave? Nobody does. Buy yourself some generic sex lube. It's only a couple of bucks at Walmart or Target or, really, any drugstore. A little dab and a disposable razor and you can get a nice shave. Rub a thimbleful of water over your face and wipe off to finish. It may sound funny, and of course your razor is ruined unless you rinse it out right away, but this works very well. It's one of my favorite tricks.
A dab of sex gel will help you comb out your hair in the morning, too, and it disappears completely into the hair, as if it were never there.
For washing up, make my homemade, adult version of baby wipes in a bottle. First, find some hand and body lotion that has a scent you'd like to wear, buy some baby oil, and get some relatively scent free shower gel or shampoo. Pour a couple of teaspoons of each into a small water bottle, say half a liter. Maybe skimp a little on the baby oil and be a little generous with the shampoo. Fill the bottle halfway with warm water, cap it and shake to mix. Now take a napkin from your favorite fast food place, saturate it with the mixture, and give yourself a good wipe down. It takes the smell off, trust me. Add a bit of witch hazel to the mix if you like an astringent quality.
You can brush your teeth with two mouthfuls of water, one to rinse your mouth with, and one to rinse the brush with. It isn't that hard.
Shampoo? 16 ounces of water can get the job done on short to medium hair. Put a bowl on the ground to catch the water you use to get the hair wet and use it again to rinse with. Conservation takes on new meaning when you don't have endless running water at your fingertips. You can do things in creative ways.
I don't like to do this too many days in a row. I've always been a real fan of hot showers.
Locker Rooms
Showers. Beautiful hot showers are available at the locker room nearest you. You can find a locker room on campus, if you're a student, or if you pretend to be a student. Colleges often don't check student id to get into the shower room. No one seems to take advantage of this fact, which always sort of surprises me, because there are certainly a lot of homeless students, but the locker room on campus does not seem to have entered homeless culture. That's good for you. It's good for me. If a lot of people start using them, colleges may decide to restrict access.
The most reliable shower, though, is a membership at a gym. Watch out for contracts. You don't need to be signing one. You don't know where you will be in two years, and no one needs Bally's trashing his credit. Clubs, including the YMCA (which tends to be more expensive than the competition) will charge an initiation fee of a couple of hundred bucks, and then you pay monthly dues of 20 to 40 dollars, depending on the level of access you want. You want unrestricted access to the shower room and plenty of convenient locations. Other features matter only if you like to work out.
If you can't pay the initiation fee and you want to spoil yourself with a shower, get 10 or 12 bucks together and buy a day pass. It only gets you in for the day, but the water is nice and hot and there is plenty of it. If you feel like putting up with a sales pitch, it is often possible to get into the facility for nothing for the day. That trick only works once at most gyms.
If you're in it for the long term, a gym membership is the only way to go. I had one with 24 hour fitness for the five years I was out of doors, and I calculate that it cost me under 50 cents a shower. Well worth it for the good shave, bright lights, and hot water, and on top of it I learned yoga and stayed in shape. It was also a nice, warm place to go when it was cold or stormy out and I just needed to get out of the weather.
posted by Mobile Homemaker @ 1:14 AM
42 Comments:
Hey, you changed your profile description! I rather liked the old one, with the wife and the kid and the happy now. I came via Noorster a few days ago, I am hooked. I oscilate between being amused and touched. I think it's mostly touched bcs it rather sounds like you will be doing many people a service by writing this blog/obe-day-book and THAT's a heartbreak. (Could you make it so that more posts open per page? For those of us with unfathomable server problems it'd make it easier to read you - rather than have to open each one individually we'd just scroll down. Also, the unsuspecting stumbling upon you might stay longer as well). I'll go link you NOW. Best of luck to you, congrats on the new living arrangements!
I rather like the new profile description. It reads like an anthem.
You can still read my profile description on my profile page, Lioness. I felt the statement about rights was more important, because when people have their rights abused they often forget they have them.
I'm very happy that you are enjoying and finding humor in my writing. I have just one more thing that I hope to accomplish, and that is that you will start to feel that homelessness is not necessarily tragic, and does not occasion pity. If I can show you that lifestyles which are not traditional, in a mainstream sort of way, can be the source of happiness for the people living them, then my work is done.
I deleted two duplicate posts from friend Noorster. I only tend to censor redundancy.
Michael
If i may be so bold, i'd like to suggest a better formula for the cleaning wipes.
Substitute baby shampoo for the regular shampoo. The residue is less potentially irritating. You can get store-brand baby shampoo (or baby wash-- the stuff that is tear-free) for cheap cheap cheap compared to "adult" shampoos and soaps.
I'd recommend a ratio of 3 parts baby oil (again, store brands are cheaper) to one part baby shampoo. Add in .25 parts or less of rubbing alcohol for a mild antibacterial effect. Of course, these ratios can be adjusted to suit your particular preferences.
We use this to great effect as actual baby wipes. Cleans like crazy and hasn't caused a rash or other irritation in almost two years of use!
I lived in a truck for years. Showered at colleges and universities a lot, and public swimming pools which were cheap to free at the time. Much of the time I was in the cascades above Eugene, on BLM land and just boiled a 5 gallon bucket of water and dipped it over my head, a quart at a time. 5 gallons of hot water is plenty.
I neglected to mention, the best place to take a shower is most definitely at the homes of friends,
Now I have a house and three bathrooms. (I got tired of the cops hassling me and worked 20 years. ) I would allow people to use it for the next 10 years if by doing so, I could be accumulate points towards similar access to showers, laundrym, etc. in future decades when I really need it. There MUST be some type of big, virtual collaboration or coop. It's a wonder to me, that none exist. We are all forced to use money, operate a bed/breakfast with al the regulations and pay taxes and pay for wars and destruction, which is a real drag.
Todd
www.refusenik.org
another thought....Truck stops!!! Usually for $3-$7 you can get a shower without much trouble and no further committment...
The YMCA has another advantage. If you like to travel, you can use your Y card all over the entire country. I've used mine up and down the west coast and the east coast. Most places will let you in free, but some charge $3.00. In addition to the showers, most have saunas. I like to swim so I make use of the facility other than showering. After that, some vitamins and a cup of coffee, I'm ready to start my day.
My first choice for restrooms on the road is usually hospitals. Nobody keeps toilets cleaner.
I just tried to find out the cost of a full membership at the YMCA, but they wouldn't give me any information over the phone. The guy who answered said I'd have to come down there to find out. What's up with that?
Simple answer: the guy you spoke to was not empowered to sell memberships.
Hi,
I didn't see one type of public restroom which I find the best one in fact: college/university ones. These can be located right in the middle of the city, easily accessible, and during most times they are empty - you have all the time and privacy you need.
These places are also a great place for finding free coffee/tea (if you know the right places), on some occassions there could even be free food (certain college occasions with guests). It can be a clean, warm relaxing place to be. You might even find a good place to sleep - hell, college students sleep everywhere, too.
Hotels and motels often have free breakfast until 10 am. Always be dressed clean and neatly and you will not be challenged. If challenged have a room number available and state your husband/boyfriend/father is checking out shortly. Or, you are there to pick up a colleague for work. Use big words, act like you "belong". I have made a study of free food, free bathrooms, and free shelter in my area, just in case! Offices are easy to access and clean up in during the week, not so good on weekends. Grocery stores have free food out all the time. If you quietyly read and act inconspicuous you can stay in a library all day long.
Hey hey,
I hate to sound like a broken record, but this is an awesome site. A lot of my family is moving to Alberta, Canada lately, and I may remain in Ontario to stick it through university, so ... who knows? This could be a great summer experiment for myself. Anyways, what sort of thoughts do you have on keeping dishes clean? ie -- a Wok, the hotplate, utensils, and plates?
Thanks,
Aaron
I was a Msg. in the army for 22 years, and there you spend a great amount of your time "under the stars".
I discovered a little trick..., 2 parts water, 1 part rubbing alcohol, 1 part witch hazel. If you would like add a little lotion or after shave of choice.
Put a wassh cloth into a ziplock bag and fill the bag with 50% of your solution.
This wash cloth will keep you fwwling clean and fresh for some time.
This website is a gift from Above. I've been reading it with great interest so far, because I am getting closer every day to chucking it all and leaving this life behind.
I have been robbed of modern conveyances before, namely when I have fallen behind on outrageously high utility bills and had water, power and/or gas shut off for months at a time (it would take me that long to save up some $800 to pay for the overdue bill, plus re-connection fees, plus service charge, etc etc). On many occasions I have had to live like a caveman in my own home, surviving in the same manner described here.
I'm so grateful for the tips I've already picked up, for I know now that living cheaply/free is much easier than one suspects if one is prepared to make the appropriate sacrifices. As far as showering goes, I agree that nothing beats a hot shower. I tried bird-bathing in public bathroom sinks, or in my own frigid water, but I have also been fortunate enough to be employed by a university where I have full, free access to the fitness center facilities.
The only real worry I had was going in there day after day, making it more and more obvious that I was just there to shower, not to work out (some days I would, but I'm not exactly a health nut). One method I used to temporarily ease this concern was to contact a local gym and ask about one of their "free trial memberships," which usually lasts one week, though you might be able to fanagle a 30-day one if you're charming enough, I suppose.
Depending on the size of the city, you could rotate through about ten health clubs, spas, etc, and not have any hot water/hygiene issues for months on end. I would also recommend looking into mega-churches. If you go in as a typical visitor on Sunday morning, and the church is big enough, they may have a gym/locker room, and the crowd will be sizeable enough that you can drift in and out for months without being noticed. Believe me, I spent the first 30 years of my life going to Christian churches; you can be an anonymous face in the crowd swallowed up in a place like that.
I have more tips to share, but I suppose I'll post them elsewhere. Thank you all very much for what you have posted thus far. I really would like to turn this into a lifestyle that is just as livable as any other.
Alan Bumm
State Parks have coin operated showers. Some have "hike/bike" campsites for $2. But in Central California (Pismo Beach/Oceano, etc.) they've recently been done away with from drinking parties/abuse of the campsites.
Another way possible to get a free shower is at a hospital. More often then not you can walk into a hospital and go to any floor and walk around without any hassle. And more often then not there are always rooms that are vacant and out of view from the nurses station. And you know what's in most every hospital room, you guessed it, a shower. I wouldn't suggest doing this very often, just when you are in a quick fix. The nurses will eventually recognize you and become suspicious. Also however, there are entrances to hospitals where no one sits or frequents with single ocupancy bathrooms that you can lock the door and do your business. Just a thought. email me with any comments or suggestions. Jeremy_in_gc@hotmail.com
one thing you can do if you really need to wash your hair. walmart, and probably walgreens as well, sells no rinse shampoo. its got a light scent, and doesn't need water. its only like, 3 dollars a bottle, too. it works great.
You can buy a portable shower from any sporting goods store also. Some of the even come with curtains. All you need is a secluded place and about a galloon of water. You can even leave the showers out in the sun to warm the water before usage.
What about campground showers? No one will check to make sure you are really camping there, will they?
Lemon juice is the best deodorant ever. You absolutely will not smell. I can't believe people wast money on deodorant. Just a splash of lemon juice under each pit. The best.
Hi I drive truck cross country with my hubby. When we fuel at truckstops we get 1 shower put on our loyality card per 50gal. We never use them all. The best way to approach us is to knock on our truck door, and ask if we have any etra showers, if we don't, you can asks either, if we can asks over the CB/or if you can use the CB, to see if anyone else has any. The showers are hot and they come with soap and towel. Another possiblity for a shower is a trucking company terminal, if they have over the road operations than they probably have showers inside(most likely in the restrooms) and to avoid confronting anyone use would need to grab some papertowels to dry off. This would work best at larger terminals. Most have a drivers lounge inside(not unusuall to see drivers sleeping on the couch or chair just watching TV, many also have free wifi. If confronted, just say you want to put in an application and thought it would be best to clean up first.
A solar shower. It's basically a heavy lined plastic bag with a black backing to absorb sun heat during the day. They often even have a pouch for storing liquid soap. It's good for warm weather, but not too good if it's cold to take a shower outside. If you're in a truck or a van you can take a bucket bath.... When I was in india living on a rural homestead/ashram we took bucket baths. You heat up a pot of water, then pour it into a 5 gallon bucket. Add cold water until you get the quantity/temperature right. Take a plastic measuring cup/small pitcher to scoop the water and dunk on your body. Lather the soap and rinse.... it's the most water efficient shower possible. You can waterproof your van with a sheet of plastic on the floor (a pond liner is the most durable). Angle the vehicle towards the door so the water drains out.
I'm thinking about becoming homeless, moving to a new city. My plan is to rent a storage space to live in, get a gym membership, and find a job as a dishwasher, while also eating at soup kitchens. I'll buy some buckets with lids to use the bathroom in, if I can't get to the gym in time. I have to wait to get my tax refunds first.
if you just want to clean your hair,try corn starch. sprinkle it over your head,rub it all thru your hair,voila,cleaner than it was.
You cna't live in a storage space.
Public pools are great. I always have a swim suit.
Some people are suggesting paying like $10 for a shower - far better investment is $14 for a night at the youth hostel.
At most YHI youth hostels you'll get
* a comfy bed (if your roomies aren't jerks and talk all night)
* a pleasant evening environment with stimulating, interesting, mostly non-stressed people (which is great for your mental health)
* a night watching TV if you're a media addict and missing it
* a kitchen you can cook in. If you do a little planning you can go there with groceries and get a lot of stuff done you can't do in the car.
* sometimes hostels are great places to pick up useful info about living on the cheap.
I just got back from months as a volunteer in India, and of the 71 of us at this big school, nobody took hot showers - once you adapt, it feels normal to use a bucket of cold water.
The way you take a bucket shower is get a bucket of water (like a pickle bucket) and a cup (plastic measuring cup works great). SIT on
a stool or another pickle bucket and pour water over one part of your body. Soap up, more water to rinse, and if it's cold dry that part before going on.
hair you do standing up, pretty much like normal.
The big secret is to not drench yourself like with a normal western style shower.
Oh, and if you're wondering, you can get free water a lot of places. I'll stop when I see somebody watering their lawn and politely ask. But be careful where you get water you're going to drink.
I was homeless for eight months in a town that is jammed with tourists for the better part of the year. Lots of tourists means lots of hotels of course. Hotels have much to offer...breakfast in the morning with a complimentary newspaper, coffee and iced tea throughout the day, swimming pools. In the bathrooms of upscale places you can often find hand towels and tampons, and in a pinch I would even occasionally go to the front desk and claim to have forgotten a toothbrush or a comb or some other little necessity. The key of course is hygiene. Your clothes, your hair and your body must be clean. You might get away with unfashionable, but you wont get away with unkempt. I think that attitude is very important as well. If you behave as though you belong it's unlikely that anyone will question you. Mix it up a bit too. Don't use the same hotel more than a couple of days in a row. Just let go of the fear. Walk in like you belong, wander around and see what is on offer.
Me and my husband have been thinking about giving up the house, our cars, pontoon boat and utility bills with the mortgage for an adventure accross country in a winabego(mobile home). We are sick of all the bills and the society living. We are a young couple and did what society wants people to do. Get married, buy a house, work good jobs to support the community. We bought our recreation vehicles(that we can only use when we are not working 40 to 60 hrs a week. We are sick of it. It has not made us happy. I think most americans are not happy to be paying a mortgage and working that much they just do it cuz they think that is the only way to survive. So forget the comforts of home. Get rid of everything that is not really needed. Save some money and just live on the cheap with someone you love that you actually will get to spend time with now. Just think of all the things you could be seeing around the county that most people only dream they can travel to see(when they get enough vacation days saved up). Most people around us in our middle class society say that we are crazy, but there are a few that seem to be quite jeolous of our atitude towards life and living for adventure. Everyone says they will travel when they retire, but I have had 3 phone calls this week with news of someone I know dieing before they were 50 yrs old. No ones future is garenteed and I say if you want to do something GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO IT!!!!!! To everyone with the same outlook on life as us, Mabey we will meet you on the road!
that is a GREAT idea and exactly what i want to do. im paying nearly 2K a month just to barely survive and im always broke. i dont have credit cards, loans or anything... and im not happy!
It is getting to the point in many peoples lives,that they work,commute 50-70 hours a week all included such as commute,etc.Being homeless has its downs, I got hurt badly at work and I've ended up homeless on and off for ,four times going on five.I am applying for SSD,SSI and it is a ridiculous wait when you consider every one of your paychecks has SSI/SSD and Medcare taken right out of your check before you see it!!So,if you get hurt and dont have any family your options of survival,besides Jail,are getting very creative of not looking homeless and not having money to fit in with main stream,SO Social Security Disabilty can and will take up to three years or more!!! The Government wastes no time taking the money out of peoples pay checks before you see your net pay!The BEST thing that has helped me is to meet decent people who have had a bad spell in their life.Sincerly, former Phyc.Tech-Robert-now in Key West Florida.
I would use swimming pools for showers :) Where I live there are really cheap ones for like $2 to get in!
Also.. It would be nice to go somewhere that there are warm private wasterfalls you could use for free to have a shower in :)
Hey I am a nurse and I want to go homeless for the experience of freedom. Any women out there to talk to m e to share the best places, worst places?
There are some places with showers that you can get into for free.
For example, my indoor sports club. You pay to play indoor soccer/cricket etc, but the area itself is not restricted. It's very easy to just walk into the showers there.
Also, local pools if you have a little bit of money to spare. It probably costs about 3 or 4 dollars to get into the pool here. Depending on how many times you need to shower this can be cheaper than buying a membership.
The school campus suggestion is a great one too.
Yeah I used a 24hr Fitness myself because although they're a bit spendy ($179 "initiation fee") for $29 a month I got 24hr access to a shower and a workout and of course the all important hot-tub. And if you pay a bit more you can use your membership at any other 24hr fitness site. Not a bad deal as they're in all the major cities and usually in a lot of smaller ones near major cities. Other options include: most small cities have their own community center often with a gym and there are no fees to join just the daily/weekly/monthly dues. Also try an independent gym as they can be great deals too.
Some gyms have a month to month arrangement. That's good. When I belonged to a gym, that's what I did since I couldn't afford the quarterly, bi-annually, or yearly fees. Not quite as economical, but it should work.
Also the local "Y" where I live is free to those who need to clean up. A good deal, and a rarity as I understand it.
Another thought is apartment building gym showers. I worked for many years as a newspaper delivery guy, and the "rec rooms" are often open until 10:00pm and open early like around 5:00am. In a complex with 300 units, who's to know? And they're free unless you have to have a pass-card. Many don't have this requirement, or the gate is busted and maintenance is sloppy.
Hey I just found your blog on the net, and I think there is some good info here. I definately will get something out of this. I am living in Kansas City MO and they have good programs for homeless. Shelters are a good place to be if you can afford to spend 1dollar a night. or clean the most horrid bathrooms imaginable and clean up after 200 stinky hobos (no offense I'm in same situation) then you get a free night.
I ran across this site because I am scared to death. I am going to be homeless in 2 weeks and there is nothing I can do about it. I left an abusive relationship and lost everything. I was relocated shelter to shelter but now I am here in FL, I can't find a job because of having been in 4 states in the past year. Everyone asks and if I say what happened their eyes turn glassly and then it's the "well we are still interviewing this week and will call on Monday" I never get a call. If I don't say and just put personal reasons, in the interview they want to know if it is jail, ect. In 2 months, I have applied everywhere - at least 60 jobs and never past an interview. I don't have a car to live in. I am really scared and would love some advice. I'm not a kid, i'm 45. mojorisinkitten@yahoo.com
My advice to you, Lyric, is learn to lie. Stop wearing your troubles out in the open. Stop telling people you want to hire you about abusive relationships and shelters. Think about it from their point of view. Would you hire someone who came to the interview talking about abusive relationships and homelessness?
Instead of homelessness, you've been traveling for the last year. You promised yourself you would see the world long ago, and you finally saved up some money and did it, but now you want to settle back down to the business of living in society. You are eager to be a solid, stable employee.
Good luck.
I'm a homeless teenager, so here is a tip from my experience. Another option for bathrooms are churches. You need to dress up a little depending on the church, but the bathrooms are clean and not very busy. The people are usually very friendly. Some churches have attached gyms with locker rooms that you can shower in. Also, at some churches there is free food - one place I went to once in Atlanta, Georgia had cookies and lemonade. It's a nice treat! As long as you don't look too suspicious or dirty, they will never know. A warning though: many churches do have security people. Stay away from the children's area of the church, especially if you are a man. Don't rifle through any desks, and don't go into restricted areas. Don't harm anything or anyone. If you blend in well enough,no one will notice you. If someone does, just say that you are visiting your atheistic sister for a few weeks and were looking for a place to worship for those weeks. That usually works. Good luck and don't get caught! ;)
Hi, I've not been "homeless" but...have traveled & lived out of my car for short periods. Here is one item I came up with that is a must (are Ya' ready?) - a cleaned/washed out spray doc or similar manual pump sprayer.
Heat water over Your campfire, pour it into the sprayer,pump it up,find a private place in the bushes (or where ever)and You've got a nice hot shower that can get into all those nasty crevices!
Baking soda is a wonderful multi-purpose hygiene item. Available at every grocery store, and at 50 cents for a very portable 1 lb. box you can't go wrong. A little goes a long way!
-Shampoo: A teaspoon or three in a cup of water works as "no 'poo" (and a solution of lemon juice/water in the same ratio is a conditioner). Wasn't great for my hair but lots of people love it.
-Deodorant: I dilute a teaspoon of soda with 2oz water in an old spray bottle and apply about 6 spritzes per underarm. (Let it dry before you dress!) Been using this every day for over 2 years and at worst I only ever smell kind of "basic" (from the soda), so I top it with a couple spritzes of a $1.50 body spray or dab a perfume sample under my arms. Never any b.o.
-Also try spraying the solution on your feet/in your shoes, or sprinkle soda in your shoes to neutralize odor.
-Toothpaste: Wet toothbrush bristles, dip in baking soda, brush as usual. It doesn't taste great, but it will leave your teeth feeling very clean.
-Bathing: For those of you trying the bucket showers, try adding a palmful of baking soda to the water. A paste of soda and water makes a nice gentle face scrub.
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