In This Post:
– Make a portable handwashing station
– DIY handwashing station on a budget
The Centre for Control Disease and Prevention (CDC) has stressed on the importance of washing hands to prevent COVID-19 from spreading since the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China. Check out the following video on how to wash hands properly that can help you stay protected from the novel coronavirus. .
There is a shortage of hand sanitiser in the market and you can’t wash hands anywhere and everywhere. This is why having portable handwashing stations, especially in densely populated areas, is the need of the hour. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also asked for donations to set up handwashing stations in a number of countries in Africa, especially those home to densely populated villages, in order to curb the spread of coronavirus. If you want to do your bit to fight against coronavirus in Pakistan, then check out this detailed step-by-step guide for making a DIY portable handwashing station.
Guide to Make a DIY Portable Handwashing Station
There are not a lot of things involved in making a portable handwashing station. Quite simple to make and execute, it serves a greater purpose – setting up hygiene standards in areas where there is lack of it. With the growing emphasis on the importance of washing hands, this DIY portable handwashing station can help save lives and curtail the spread of viruses.
Things you need for a DIY handwashing station
You would need the following things to create a portable handwashing station.
- Big container for water
- Sink/empty tub
- Liquid soap
- Rods to act as lever
- Drain pipe
- Tissue
- Dustbin
How the DIY Handwashing Station Works
As you can see in the video shared above, the DIY portable handwashing station involves a no-touch system. Two levers are attached each to the liquid handwash soap and to the tap sticking out from a large container, which stores water.
Once you push the pedal, the lever turns on the tap. You can wet your hands, then press the second pedal, which is attached to the liquid handwash. Build up lather and then wash your hands by turning on the tap. Tissue rolls and a dustbin placed on the side are also important elements in constructing a portable handwashing station.
In quarantine centres, on the roads and streets and in public areas, the installation of portable handwashing stations can help reduce the impact of coronavirus in Pakistan, by slowing the spread.
How to Make a DIY Portable Handwashing Station on a Budget
If you are planning to construct a DIY portable handwashing station from waste, then check out these indigenous ways.
Recycle big water cans
Get hold of a large clean water can. Keep it horizontally on a table. Attach a faucet to it so that you can access water. Place a tissue holder on top of it. Use bungee cords and wrap it around the can to keep the tissue holder in place. Keep an empty drum where the grey water can be collected.
If you are keeping the water can vertically, then use a hand pump. It would be the same as we do it when using a hand pump to get drinking water from a can. The tissue roll would be fixed on the top using cords. It is also important to place a covered dustbin on the side where you can dispose of the used tissue paper.
Make a handwashing station recycling plastic containers
Another way of creating your own handwashing station with a ‘no-touch’ system is to make use of two large plastic buckets or water cans. Let us take a look at the things you would need to construct a handwashing station.
- Two large buckets
- Use a fluid siphon to create a pump system. You can get a siphon from any local stores.
- A foam mat that should be thick enough to create pressure
- Two L-shaped rods
- Plastic tubes/ PVC tubes to connect to the siphon
- You would also need tapes, glue, packing tape, zip ties and a drill machine
Let’s begin.
To prepare the clean water bucket, drill a hole near its rim where you will place the tube for water to be transported upwards with the help of a fluid siphon. Keep the lid of the clean water bucket covered.
Once you have drilled the hole, then let the plastic tube pass through it. So that once the bucket is filled with clean water and the tube is connected to a pump, it can transport water up the tube and provide a steady flow of water. Now, to create the pump use foam mats and keep the fluid siphon in between the foam mats. Tie it together using zip ties.
For the wash basin, take any empty tub or plastic bowl, drill three to four holes in the centre and also on both sides of the tub. This would be for drainage.
Now, place the bowl above the grey water bucket. Make sure the spots on the lid of the grey water is lined exactly with the holes of the wash basin. Once you have placed the wash basin and the bucket lid, then secure the holes you drilled on the right and left-hand side together with zip ties.
Take out the L-shaped rods and secure one section of the PVC pipe with duct tapes. The other end of the PVC pipe, which is the water intake pipe should be connected with the bucket at the bottom. The PVC pipe can go through the drilled hole in the clean water bucket.
So, when you press the pump, the water from the clean bucket at the bottom transports water to the other PVC pipe attached with the L-shaped rod. (This acts as a tap). Place a liquid handwash on the side and wash your hands for 20 seconds.
Keep a check on the grey water bucket. Whenever it fills up, drain out the water.
Repurpose plastic bottles
If you are looking for another type of creative handwashing station, which requires little to no money, then take a look at this idea. You would need a metal holder for this one. Drill two holes in the lid, fill the bottle with water, screw its cap and place it upright on the metal holder.
Whenever anyone needs to wash hands, all they have to do is reverse the position of the bottle. You will get a steady stream of water. Wet your hands first and then apply liquid handwash or soap for 20 seconds. (Place the bottle in an upright position when you are building the lather). Rinse well and air dry your hands.
So, these were some of the most innovative ways of creating a portable handwashing station to fight off coronavirus. If you know of any other ideas, then write to us at blog@zameen.com. Check out how the government of Pakistan is also taking steps to control the spread of coronavirus. Subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter appearing on the right-hand side of the page. Stay tuned to Zameen Blog, the best real estate blog in Pakistan.
