It has happened to the best of us. You step into the shower, fiddling with the temp controls, only to find there is no hot water. You can curse and you can cry, but even the speediest of repairs may take a day or two (to wait for parts and/or labor.) What’s a girl or guy to do?

While you can go natural for the moment, I prefer at least one quick shower per day. And while my husband is brave enough to take an artic downpour, I just can’t bring myself to do it. I must wash in something at least lukewarm. Past days when I couldn’t shower in the traditional method have included:

Sponge baths – OK, so they aren’t exactly baths. Standing in a shower or tub with just a gallon or so of nicely heated water in a clean ice cream bucket or mixing bowl should suffice. I usually just boil a pot quickly on the stove top and add some cool to temper it. A good loofah or washcloth with your favorite shower gel should get you pretty clean. Head to toes, it takes about 2 minutes and very little water or prep time.

Microwave magic – Maybe you just realized you have no hot water – 5 minutes before you are headed out the door to work. If your procrastination has left you needing to freshen up with no time to fiddle with stovetops, try the old wet washcloth in the microwave trick. Grab your fluffiest cloth (a microfiber rag works really well), saturate it with water and set it in a microwave safe bowl. Zap it for one minute and head for the bathroom. Same head to toe cleaning routine, minus the messy pots and pans.

Skip the hair – Most of us can go a day without washing our hair. (Most of us.) For ladies with a complicated morning hair ritual, consider investing in a powder product. Hair powders are great ways to get an extra day in before washing, and they are being offered by many great hair lines including Bumble and Bumble, Lulu Organics, and Shampowder.

Your body isn’t the only thing that needs a good washing, and when we rely on hot water to clean everything from our clothing to our dishes, losing your hot water can be nerve-wracking!

Boil, Boil, Boil – I usually keep a few pots of water going during days with no hot water. They are easy to dump into my sink for my dirty dishes, and I just refill them as soon as I empty them. I also find that the Seventh Generation and Mrs. Meyers dish soaps are super effective when there is little hot water to be had. (The Mrs. Meyers Rhubarb scented soap helps me get over the creepies from having to use cold rinse water.)

You have it covered – Laundry is usually always OK to wash in cold water. In fact, many detergents have been specially formulated to wash well in cold. (Just save your stinky whites and bleach treatments for a day when you can use your hot cycle.)

Use the power of steam – Many cleaning tools and appliances have their own heating elements, and won’t be affected by the lack of hot water in your home. I use my Steamboy T1 religiously on my hardwood floors, and because it heats up regular tap water, my mopping routine won’t suffer from a water heater strike.

It may not happen often, but when it does, it can send a house full of people into turmoil. By having a plan in place for those days without hot water, you can live life in a relatively normal manner. And if all else fails, you can camp out at the gym and use their shower and laundry!