Household Readiness
Prepare · Skill 08 of 08

Build Toward 7 Days

Longer disruptions are less common but they do happen, and official guidance increasingly suggests going beyond three days where you can. The method doesn't change: extend what already works, and add the handful of things that only start to matter after day three.

9 minVerified guidanceOffline
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Seven days isn't a new project. It's the same six areas, extended, plus the things three days lets you ignore.

What You'll Learn
  • Extend water, food, light and power from three days to seven
  • Add the areas that only bite after day three — hygiene, waste, warmth, morale
  • Build the extension into your normal shopping instead of one big spend
  • Keep the whole thing rotating so it stays current
What You'll Need
  • Your existing three-day base
    Standard
    Everything from the previous lesson.
    Low cost
    Already done.
    Already have
    Nothing new to record.
  • More of the same containers
    Standard
    Food-grade water containers, sealed and dated.
    Low cost
    Commercially bottled water bought a few at a time.
    Already have
    Space you already have — under beds, wardrobe bases.
  • Basic hygiene and waste supplies
    Standard
    Heavy-duty bin bags, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, soap, bleach for cleaning.
    Low cost
    Supermarket own brand.
    Already have
    Most of it is already under your sink.
Safety

Nothing that burns fuel — generator, camping stove, barbecue, patio heater — may ever be used indoors, in a garage, in a tent or in any enclosed space, even with a door or window open. Carbon monoxide is invisible, has no smell, and can kill within minutes; fit working carbon monoxide alarms and treat headache, dizziness, nausea or confusion in several people as an emergency, getting everyone into fresh air and calling emergency services. Store fuel outdoors in approved containers, away from living space and pilot lights. Never heat a room with a cooker or oven. Only stored or properly treated water is drinking water — never floodwater, and never water that may be chemically contaminated, however clear it looks.

Verified guidance · Ready.gov (FEMA) — Build A Kit

Step By Step
  1. 01Double the water firstWater is the hardest thing to improvise and the first thing to run short. Switch your Water Plan target to seven days and let the app recalculate — it already knows your household size and what you've stored.
  2. 02Extend food along the lines you already eatYou're not adding new foods. You're adding depth to the same ones, still through your normal shop, still rotating oldest to front.
  3. 03Plan cooking without a kitchenOver a week, cold food gets grim. If you use a camping stove or barbecue, they are outdoor-only, no exceptions — the same goes for any fuel-burning appliance. Keep fuel outdoors in an approved container, away from the house and any pilot light.
  4. 04Add hygiene and wasteThis is the area people forget and regret. Heavy-duty bin bags, wipes, hand sanitiser, soap, toilet paper, feminine hygiene supplies, nappies, and a plan for waste if the toilet can't be flushed. A week of this matters more than a week of extra torches.
  5. 05Add warmth or coolingExtra blankets and warm layers for a cold week; shade, fluid and a plan to reach a cooler building for a hot one. Never use a cooker, oven or barbecue to heat a room.
  6. 06Add the human thingsCards, books, paper and pens, something for children to do. Over seven days, boredom and worry become real problems, particularly for children.
  7. 07Extend medication and pet suppliesAsk your pharmacy about maintaining a small buffer on repeat prescriptions. Extend pet food and litter to match. Keep everything in original labelled packaging.
  8. 08Set the rotation rhythmTwice a year: test the lights, recharge the power banks, check dates, replace stored water per the Water path's rotation guidance, and re-read your household plan card.
  9. 09Retake the readiness checkAnswer the six questions again so Prepare reflects where you actually are now, and pick your next single action.

Verified guidance · Ready.gov (FEMA) — Build A Kit

What To Look For
  • A water store that matches the seven-day target in your Water Plan, not an estimate
  • Hygiene and waste supplies actually present, not assumed
  • A rotation date in your calendar rather than in your head
Common Mistakes
  • Treating seven days as a different project and starting from scratch
  • Extending food and light but not water, hygiene or waste
  • Buying fuel-burning equipment without an outdoor place to use it safely
  • Reaching seven days once and never checking it again
When To Get Help

Speak to your healthcare provider and equipment supplier about anything that needs refrigeration, power or professional care over a full week, and register with your utility's medical-needs programme. If a week without services would genuinely be unsafe for someone in your household, the plan should be relocating them early, not stockpiling harder.

Worth Knowing
  • Seven days of water is the biggest single storage decision — plan the space before you buy
  • Waste and hygiene is the most under-prepared area in most households
  • Being well stocked never overrides an official instruction to leave