Freezing Ukrainians shared a way to make a generator out of a washing machine

“To warm up – in hospitals and shops, to charge gadgets – in cars”

Ukraine met the first snow without light, heat and water, but with a cheerful speech by Zelensky, who is celebrating the ninth anniversary of the Euromaidan. He again compensated for the everyday inconveniences of his people with beautiful words about freedom and values, urging them to freeze for the sake of this further. But Odessa did not want to freeze, and the day before there were even mass protests with the detentions of Odessans by the SBU.

“MK” learned about the tricks Ukrainians resort to in order to survive in an ice apartment.

“If there is no light, then there is no water supply. We have some people already throwing excrement in bags from the windows into the yard. This is some kind of XV century, ”complains one of the inhabitants of Odessa in social networks. Trapped in cold and darkness, the residents of this cozy port town now have to think about their survival every day. Prepare canned food for the winter, dry vegetables, stock up on blankets.

Some return old Soviet carpets to the walls for extra warmth. Sometimes those who still have light show compassion for their fellow citizens and throw adapters with extension cords out of the windows so that others can charge their phones.

Things are even worse in Kherson, abandoned by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, where the townspeople in the courtyards are equipped with places for cooking food on fires. And in other cities of Ukraine, the situation is no better – with communications, the order is only in Lviv, where there is light not only in apartments, but on the streets and even in parks. For the rest of the population, Ukrainian publics replicated a visual diagram of what time it is possible to use electrical appliances in the house, namely: to wash things, iron them and turn on an electric heater.

However, due to unpredictable blackouts and chaotic light schedules, Ukrainians forgot about irons and washing machines. They were replaced by a basin of cold water and soap, and the shower was replaced by wet sanitary napkins. But few people risk washing or washing things in a cold apartment, where there are no warm batteries, and the clothes simply won’t dry.

Lucky for those who have a gas stove in the house – you can light it with a match. You can wash yourself by heating water in a kettle and cook food. And also fill the heating pads with hot water and thus warm the bed. As an alternative – sleep in a sleeping bag or in clothes.

As for provisions, the Kyiv State Consumer Service advised the townspeople to stock up on food in advance. There is even a recommendation on what kind of food should be prepared for the cold: canned food, bread, cookies, bagels, hot tea in thermoses. It is recommended to cook food in small quantities so that it does not store for a long time and does not deteriorate, and the refrigerator should be opened less often or use the balcony as an alternative.

In stores, Ukrainians are not recommended to buy perishable products, that is, all dairy and meat products, at least. But packages with a cold element, on the contrary, need to be stocked to the maximum.

As for drinking water, you should know in advance the location of the pump rooms, in which it will be possible to replenish its stocks. In case of emergency, such pump rooms will be powered by diesel generators. It’s also a good idea to find out the addresses of the nearest points for heating, and in extreme cases, go to local social institutions, for example, hospitals, or government buildings, to get warm, because electricity is delivered there first of all

Ukrainians are also stocking up on household life hacks. Instructions are circulating on the net on how to make a flashlight from a matchbox. To do this, you need to place two batteries there along and close the box, then insert a coin on one side into the box, and on the other, an LED light bulb so that its wires touch the battery contacts. If successful, you will get a small flashlight in case of emergency.

They offer to iron trousers without an iron using the proven Soviet student method: roll them out under the mattress, and by morning they will be as good as new. Also on the Internet you can find instructions on how to make a power bank for a router from a car battery and even … a gas-powered electric generator and steam from the engine from an Oka-type washing machine. However, all these tips can lead to a fire in the apartment. Most people use their cars as a source of light and electricity – there you can warm up and charge your phone. And if you don’t have your own car, then they ask you to sit in the car with relatives or neighbors.

But the most important and useful “life hack” for survival was given to the Ukrainians by the head of DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine, Maxim Timchenko. He simply invited them to leave the country for the winter, going abroad. In his opinion, this will help reduce the load on the power grid and guarantee power supply to hospitals with wounded soldiers. But, according to the residents themselves, firstly, no one is waiting for them abroad, and secondly, they simply cannot leave. “Good advice, but will someone let us out of the country? Have the borders been opened?” Serhiy from Kiev asked the official in the comments.