No this one is not glamorous, like food, water, ammo and meds. It is one that few urban dwellers have need of even now. The reason is that things are relatively sanitary and orderly, even in city slums. Organized trash pickup is pretty reliable.

That will certainly change when things head south.

Most folks are not aware of how quickly pests can multiply when conditions such as ample food is readily available. Garbage, rotting and spoiled food and yes, corpses of both human and animals lie in neglect.

Perhaps the most deadly of such pests which are prevalent today are mice, rats and their own parasites, fleas and mites.

Even relatively benign critters like squirrels, wild rabbits, raccoons and skunks not only abound in many cities but often can and do harbor the same fleas and mites as rats. Coyotes and feral dogs and cats are 'tame' and as such will be naturally attracted to humans as their food source. These critters are prime flea carriers, and even readily feed on rats, mice and other such potentially infected animals.

We all know that the lowly flea was the critter responsible for spreading the bubonic plague in the middle ages, which incidentally peaked during a time of dirth.

The rat itself through it's droppings which found it's way into human food due to unclean conditions was the culprit behind Pneumonic plague, which was 100% fatal.

Today there are effective antibiotic treatments, but there sure will not be when SHTF.

A prudent person will put away a tub or two of rat poison bait to protect his premises from such threats.

Burning of dead or dying animals and your own garbage is a good practice as well, for removal of other possible food sources is a prerequisite to encourage the varmints to eat the poison you put out.

Disposable gloves, a stash of common (dry) pool chemicals such as calcium and sodium hydrochloride which can be mixed with water to make a satisfactory disinfectant to kill germs and bacteria will be prudent materials to have.

In a SHTF episode, personal and area hygiene and general cleanliness will be essential to having a fighting chance at survival.

If cleanliness is neglected, the chances are great that you will not get the chance to eat all of your storage food, nor even harvest the produce of your garden. The rats and critters will, however.