This post gives me a "duh" moment. It's so simple, like the jitterbug, it plumb evaded me!

Thanks for sharing, I'll get this together when I get home!

I can use some of my potable water that I store in a 55 gal plastic drum for wash/rinse water.

Bo,
I'm surprised such a dignified P.P.o.W. as yourself hadn't thought of this before.

I live 2 blocks from a river and all of my planned bugout locations are near or in water (The sailboat is in the water after April 01) so wash water shouldn't be a problem.

I'm adding Dr. Bonner's liquid soap to my kit in both Peppermint and Citrus flavors and a couple of bars of Citrus. Dr. Bonner's soap is often used for camping and is organic and biodegradable. The soap has been touted by the doctor and his fans as good for bathing, washing dishes, cleaning clothes, scrubbing dentures, deodorizing diapers, cleaning vegetables and brushing teeth. It can be used as a shampoo, pet cleanser, after-shave, mouthwash, deodorant, mosquito repellent or for birth control – there’s a recipe on the label for that.
For a close up of the label and more uses click HERE

This is one of those things that I added to my camping setup a long while ago. It's smaller than your kit, and I don't carry special soap, but when we went camping this year with the kids, it was great to be able to wake up to fresh, clean bandannas and towels and the like.

Amen.

The perfumes and things are the whole reason I carry glycerin soap. I've spent way too much time having my body break out in nasty rashes due to alergic reactions. Figuring out the cause of the rashes was an alergy drove me crazy. Reactions came at unpredictable times. I usually try to carry my own shampoo for the same reason.

IIRC, there is at least one poster here who has used baking soda as a deodorant.

My BOB and other kits have glycerin soap and baby shampoo because if I am in a emergency situation, a rash is an annoyance I do not need.

Canoe and Scaf, I am proud to admit my membership in the walk all over me school of clothing agitation as well.

I don't know how many tarps, hotel bathtubs, cement patios, and the like that I have stood proudly upon, with my clothing trampled beneath me.

I am also a firm believer in minimal suds, I think we over bubble our clothing, a good stomping and a quick squeeze and I'm on my way.

That didn't sound right.

Lots of good advice and preps in previous posts, to which I would add, remember that illness or injury, or lack of time may prevent doing the laundry by hand.
Therefore also consider keeping at home a stock of old underwear, sheets, outer clothes etc.
In normal times launder and store old, just about useable, cloths and linens. Then when any emergency occurs, these articles can be used and tossed out, its no waste if they were due to be tossed out anyway.

Hand laundry for a large family would be a bit of a challenge, if power failures are the main problem then consider either larger stocks of cloths and linens in order to postponne laundry day until power returns, or a generator able to work a washing machine. (presuming that you have enough water)