Build a Tippy-Tap Handwashing Station
A foot-operated handwashing station from a jug and sticks — uses very little water.
Question 1
The goal
Wash hands properly without running water to prevent disease.
Question 2
Materials
- 1 gallon (4 L) jug with handle
- Two forked sticks and one crossbar
- String or rope
- Soap and a nail or skewer
- Gravel
Question 3
Substitutes
- Water cooler jug with spigot
- Bucket with tap
- Bottle with holes in cap
Where to find it
| Material | Household | Wilderness | Urban / scavenged |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jug | Milk/laundry jug (rinsed) | Water bottle | Recycling bin |
Question 4
Step by step
- 1
Push two forked sticks into the ground about 2 ft (60 cm) apart and lay a crossbar across them.
- 2
Heat a nail and poke a small hole in the jug about 2 in (5 cm) below the cap on the side opposite the handle.
- 3
Tie a string to the jug handle and hang it from the crossbar.
- 4
Tie another string from the jug's neck down to a stick on the ground as a foot pedal.
- 5
Hang soap from the crossbar on a string (poke a hole through the bar of soap).
- 6
Put gravel under the station to soak up water and prevent mud and mosquitoes.
- 7
Fill the jug. Step on the pedal — the jug tips and a thin stream comes out.
- 8
Wash: wet hands, soap for 20 seconds (backs, between fingers, under nails), rinse, air dry.
- 9
Wash after toilet use, before eating or cooking, and after caring for sick people.
Saved steps go to My Survival Notebook.
Question 5
The science
Soap molecules break down the oily outer layer of many germs and lift dirt and microbes so water can rinse them away. Handwashing can cut diarrheal illness by about a third.
Question 6
Dangers & limits
- Use clean water; don't use floodwater.
- Hand sanitizer doesn't remove visible dirt or some germs.
- Keep the station away from latrines draining toward water.
Question 7
How you know it worked
Station dispenses water with a foot tap and everyone uses it.