Surviving a Pandemic- the Earth-friendly Way
Everywhere you look, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and soap are missing from shelves. Clorox wipes are nowhere to be found, and everything is cancelled!
The Coronavirus has been in the news for 2 months straight. Now that schools are closed and many people are working from home, the effects of this virus are being felt by everyone. If you are like me and want to be prepared (not panicked) in this time of dwindling resources and supplies, here are a few things to help you get through this time.
Take Care of Yourself
Dr. Jolene Brighten shared on her Instagram account:
- “Minimize stress, including stressing about the coronavirus.”
- “Get quality sleep. Rest when you need it. Don’t be ashamed to nap!”
- “Exercise. You don’t need to kick up the intensity but moving your body while you are well can benefit your health overall.”
- “Nourish your body. Eat nutrient dense foods. Now is a good time to avoid alcohol.”

Look to Reusable Options
If you’re having a hard time tracking down toilet paper, tissue, or paper towels, you’re not alone! For some reason panic leads to TP shortage. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But now is a great time to move away from single-use.
The challenge with single-use options is that you have to buy it again and again. Re-usable options are great because they are just that- re-usable!
When you’re tired of buying them again and again…
Unpaper Towels and Cloth Napkins
Here are a few Etsy shops with great options:
Cutest patterns: The Tailored Home
Most multi-functional: 20-24 Unpaper Towels
Most economical: Reilly’s Reusables
When people are hoarding and you run out of tissues…
Handkerchiefs
For on-the-go: TheLastTissue
Organic Flannel: My Eco World
Sampler Pack: Joy in the Home
Pretty Prints: Artichautcreations
When you’re desperate…
Reusable Toilet Paper
To keep on the roll with snaps: Green and Happy Shop
2-ply prints: Organic Craft Store
Cloths that do the job: Eco Collective
Make It Yourself
I have made so many of One Essential Community’s recipes, and they all have turned out so well.
So this week, when I couldn’t find any hand soap or sanitizers in the stores, I went here first and was not disappointed.
Hand Soap:
I follow the rest of the recipe, but for the essential oils I added 25 drops of Thieves oil blend. This blend has great germ-kicking power!
9 drops clove, 6 drops lemon, 4 drops cinnamon bark, 3 drops eucalyptus, 2 drops rosemary
Hand Sanitizer:
Save your old hand sanitizer to-go bottles to re-fill! Also if you can’t find any rubbing alcohol, just pick up some cheap vodka instead.
Disinfecting Spray:
You can still find these in stores, but I prefer to clean my house without all the chemicals!