Here is the actual workstation I use to bring you fresh weeklyish five gallon ideas. 
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Tag Archives: Household
Rainwater Collection
The pacific northwest monsoon season is arriving in my neighborhood. I use the term “neighborhood” loosely, as I’m spending a few weeks living on a sailboat.
Life on the water finds even more uses for buckets than life on shore. On rainy days, just a few catch enough water to meet all my drinking and cooking needs. The water is delicious and clear, unlike our municipal source which has a faint yellow sediment tint this time of year.
The only filter I need is an old t-shirt tied over-top one of the buckets. Its main function is to filter out sand, which is ubiquitous on the boat. In my system, the two open buckets are poured manually into the filter bucket when I need water.
The rains here are aggressive enough that I don’t need a panel to collect enough water, but if I used a clean tarp to increase my collection surface I would have enough water to start a water bottling company! What would you pay for a bottle of fresh, pure, five gallon bucket water?
Moving Boxes
In a few days I’m moving from my current apartment into a much smaller space. I’m adopting the minimalist strategy of only owning a couple of suitcases of stuff, which I think will give me an even greater degree of freedom and mobility.
It shouldn’t surprise you that I’m using buckets as a major part of my moving strategy. I’ve got a bucket for pants, a bucket for shirts, and some smaller buckets for socks, underwear and toiletries. Office supplies have their own bucket, as well as electronics and cords. Each food item I’m taking with me gets a bucket appropriately sized to the quantity I usually buy – the largest bucket is for coarse wheat flour which I use to make bread almost every day.
I’ve so far pared all my possessions down to 2 large suitcases and 1 small one, not counting food which I’m not putting a hard limit on. I should be able to move everything I own in one trip with my bicycle trailer (pictured on the About the Author page.)
Fruit Bowl
The plastic bucket look may not be the aesthetic you want for in your kitchen – but if you’ve got as many buckets lying around as I do, it shouldn’t look out of place at all.
I use these pails for any fruits or vegetables that can be stored at room temperature – such as apples, potatoes, onions, garlic, peaches and bananas. I actually use similar buckets with lids in the fridge as makeshift tupperware for produce needing refrigeration.
Like in the CSA box, a bit of water at the bottom can extend the life of such fruits as apples, oranges and lemons.
I’ve commited a bit of five gallon bucket treason by using such small buckets, but this is just more proof that there’s no limit of uses for plastic pails!
Toilet Stool
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time thinking about our bowel movements – but how you position yourself while you eliminate makes a big difference in your health. Better yet, you can regularly achieve the elusive one-wiper! Proper pooping is done in a “squat” position, which isn’t possible on an unmodified modern toilet. You will need a “poop box” or “poop stool.” The most succinct and entertaining explanation I’ve seen on this subject is the following video by Underground Wellness.
I personally (of course) use a five gallon bucket as a poop stool. Standard five gallon buckets are a little tall, so I use a shorter, wider model. (The exact unit pictured here in my bathroom is the Sterilite five gallon tote.) Not only does it help our bowel eliminations go smoother, but it stores our toilet paper and other bathroom accessories as well!
As part of my proper pooping evangelism, I post this simple “correct position for opening your bowels” infographic prominently in front of the toilet. I’ve had about half a dozen people use my bathroom, see this sign, laugh out loud, try it anyway, then adopt the method in their own bathroom.
At the bottom of this article, I’ve placed a download link so you can print out your own copy of this important chart!
Update: A colon-conscious entrepreneur has invented the Squatty Potty” – a more aesthetically pleasing version of the poop stool. Their website has links to a number of testimonials and medical research on proper pooping.
Update 2: I’ve been sent a free Squatty Potty as a gift from the company for mentioning them on this website. I’ve found that it has two main advantages over my bucket stool:
- It stows away right under the toilet, taking up less floor space.
- It’s strong enough to put your weight on, which helps you achieve a better squat.
You can read more about their stool on their website.
Free download: Get the elimination diagram that I use in my bathroom to change the bathroom habits of my guests. This one printout could improve the lifespan of your entire family!