10 Forgotten Skills That Still Matter (Especially in the City)

What if the power went out tonight—and didn’t come back on for three days?
No fridge, no phone, no hot water. Just you, your apartment, and whatever you actually know how to do without a screen or a service call.

That’s where forgotten skills come in.

These aren’t off-grid fantasies or doomsday prep. They’re the quiet, useful things people used to do every day—like boiling water to purify it, stitching up a tear, or washing clothes by hand. Skills that once made city life possible, long before we relied on convenience for everything.

As a certified permaculture designer and small-space prepper, I’ve brought many of these back into my own routines—especially after winter storms and boil-water advisories made me rethink what “ready” actually looks like in an apartment.

If you’ve been craving more resilience but don’t want to go full bunker-mode, these 10 forgotten skills are a great place to start. They’re low-tech, practical, and surprisingly empowering—especially when you make space for them one weekend at a time.

1. Sewing and Stitching Basics (Hand‑Sewing Clothes & Gear Repair)

Fixing a tear or replacing a button might sound old-fashioned, but sewing is one of those forgotten skills that quietly builds real self-reliance.

I picked it up after a coat seam gave out during a power outage—and realized I couldn’t wait for a tailor or afford to replace it. With a basic needle and thread, I patched it well enough to keep using it through the season.

You don’t need fancy tools or a sewing machine. A few hand-sewing techniques—like backstitching, hemming, or closing a hole—go a long way, especially when stores are closed or you’re working with what you already have.

I keep a small repair kit in my home readiness bin with thread, needles, and a patch or two. It’s one of those low-effort setups that pays off again and again.

2. Hand-Washing Clothes and Line-Drying

Before washing machines were standard, most people knew how to do laundry by hand. It’s one of those forgotten skills that sounds old-fashioned—but it’s incredibly useful during power outages, water restrictions, or when trying to reduce your energy use.

I first had to try this when my laundry was stuck mid-cycle during a blackout. It turns out you don’t need much to get the job done—just a little know-how and a few basic supplies.

What you’ll need:

• A bucket, sink, or bathtub
• Gentle soap (liquid castile or fragrance-free dish soap)
• A scrub brush or clean cloth (optional)
• A towel for pressing out water
• A drying rack, clothesline, or shower rod

Soaps I recommend:

• Liquid castile soap – gentle, biodegradable, and works for delicates
• Laundry strips – pre-measured and dissolve in water (space-saving too)
• Fragrance-free dish soap – works in a pinch, just use sparingly

Quick steps:

1. Fill your tub or bucket with warm water and soap.
2. Soak clothes, agitate by hand, and scrub any spots.
3. Rinse with clean water.
4. Press out water using a towel (no wringing).
5. Hang to dry using clips or a rack.

This doesn’t have to replace your routine—but knowing how to wash a few essentials without power or a laundromat is a huge win for any small-space prepper.

3. Growing Food from Scraps or Cuttings

Regrowing food from kitchen scraps might sound like a science fair project—but it’s one of those forgotten skills that’s surprisingly easy, low-waste, and rewarding, especially in small spaces.

Even without a balcony or garden bed, you can regrow fresh greens right on your windowsill. This isn’t about full self-sufficiency—it’s about stretching what you already have and learning how plants work.

Easy foods to regrow:

• Green onions – place white roots in a jar with water and they’ll regrow in days
• Garlic – sprouting cloves can go straight into soil or a deep container
• Lettuce or bok choy – regrow the base in a shallow dish of water, then transfer to soil
• Basil or mint – grow from cuttings in water until roots form, then pot

Tips to make it work in a small space:

• Use jars, mugs, or recycled containers with drainage holes
• Keep plants near a sunny window or under a small grow light
• Change water every 2–3 days if growing hydroponically
• Add to your regular meal prep rhythm—trim, save, replant

This kind of growing teaches patience, observation, and rhythm—core permaculture principles that anyone can practice, even in a rental kitchen.

4. Low-Resource Water Purification

Clean water is easy to take for granted—until a boil-water advisory or power outage interrupts your supply. Learning how to make water safe with limited tools is one of those forgotten skills that’s incredibly useful in small-space prepping.

You don’t need fancy filters or large storage tanks. Just a few simple methods can give you safer water when city systems aren’t working.

Simple methods to know:

• Boiling – Bring water to a full, rolling boil for at least 1 minute (3 minutes if you’re above 2,000 metres). This is the safest method when available.
• Solar disinfection (SODIS) – Place clear bottles of water in direct sunlight for 6+ hours. Works best in hot, sunny climates with minimal cloud cover.
• DIY filters – In a pinch, pour water through a clean cloth or coffee filter to remove visible debris. This doesn’t disinfect but helps prep water for boiling or treatment.

What about bleach?
In a true emergency, unscented household bleach can be used to disinfect water—but only if it contains 5–6% sodium hypochlorite (check the label). Add 2 drops per litre of clear water, stir, and let it sit for 30 minutes. If the water is cloudy, use 4 drops per litre. You should be able to smell a faint chlorine scent when it’s ready.

This isn’t my first choice—but I keep a small labelled dropper in my emergency kit, just in case boiling or solar methods aren’t available.

Tools I keep on hand:

• A stainless steel kettle
• Clear bottles for solar disinfection
• Coffee filters or a cloth for basic straining
• A printed reference sheet with safe bleach instructions
• A gravity-fed filter for longer-term outages

When clean water isn’t guaranteed, having a few low-tech options ready gives you flexibility—and peace of mind.

5. Creating an Emergency Shelter Indoors

Most people think of shelter-building as a wilderness skill—but it matters in the city too. When the heat goes out or your home loses power, knowing how to insulate a single room can make a real difference in comfort and safety.

This is one of those forgotten skills our grandparents used all the time—draft-proofing, layering, and choosing the warmest space to stay put.

How to create a warm “micro-shelter” inside your home:

• Pick the smallest room with a door — bathrooms or closets work best
• Block drafts with towels, cardboard, or blankets along windows and under doors
• Hang heavy blankets or shower curtains to create a tented sleeping area
• Layer rugs, foam pads, or yoga mats under sleeping bags for insulation
• Wear hats and layers indoors — heat escapes fastest from your head and feet

If you have an indoor-safe heat source, great. If not, sleeping in an insulated tent or blanket fort traps your body heat surprisingly well.

This isn’t about building a bug-out cabin. It’s about knowing how to create warmth, privacy, and comfort with what you already have—skills that still matter during cold snaps, rolling blackouts, or emergency shelter-in-place orders.

6. Basic Mechanical Repairs (Small Home Fixes)

Calling a repair tech isn’t always an option during emergencies—or even on weekends. That’s why knowing how to fix small things yourself is one of those forgotten skills that’s incredibly underrated in urban settings.

Most people never learned to use a wrench, replace a fuse, or tighten a leaky faucet. But once you start, it’s not intimidating—it’s empowering.

Useful repairs to know:

• Resetting a tripped breaker or replacing a fuse
• Stopping a running toilet or tightening a loose handle
• Jump-starting a car or knowing how to use a battery booster
• Reattaching a cabinet door, shelf bracket, or doorknob
• Unclogging a sink using a plunger or a drain snake

I keep a small toolkit with the essentials: screwdriver, pliers, hex keys, utility knife, duct tape, and a headlamp. It takes up less space than a toaster but solves a dozen problems before they become expensive or dangerous.

I’m not talking about fixing your whole electrical panel—but knowing how to tighten a hinge or unclog a drain saves time, money, and stress. Especially when it’s late, the power’s out, or you just want to handle it without waiting around for someone else.

7. Reading Weather Without an App

Before phones told us when to grab an umbrella, people paid attention to the sky. Reading the weather without a screen is a forgotten skill that still matters—especially if you’re trying to time your errands around a storm or make decisions during a power outage.

Simple things to watch for:

• Clouds: Tall, puffy clouds (cumulonimbus) often mean storms are coming
• Wind direction: Sudden shifts can signal a change in weather
• Smell and sound: Rain often brings a stronger earthy smell and makes everything quieter
• Sky colour at sunrise/sunset: “Red sky at night, sailor’s delight” holds up more often than you’d think

I’ve learned to glance outside and check wind patterns or cloud movement before trusting a forecast—especially during BC’s spring storms, when things change fast.

It’s not about becoming a weather expert. It’s about paying attention to patterns and knowing when to grab your gear or stay put.

8. Observing Seasonal Patterns and Adapting Routines

Before weather apps and central heating, people paid attention to seasonal shifts—and adjusted how they lived. Knowing how to observe the changing light, temperature, and plant behaviour is a forgotten skill that quietly builds resilience, especially in small homes where energy use and routines matter.

This is one of the first things I learned through permaculture: pay attention before you act.

What I watch for:

• Light patterns – When rooms get darker earlier, I shift my evening routines or move my workspace
• Temperature shifts – I plan insulation tasks or garden transitions based on what I feel, not just dates
• Natural cues – Leaf drop, insect activity, and sunset timing tell me more than a calendar ever has

Instead of trying to keep everything the same year-round, I’ve built rhythms that follow the seasons—rotating supplies, updating my emergency kits, even changing how I cook or store water.

You don’t need a homestead to do this. You just need to slow down and notice what’s already happening around you.

9. Cooking Shelf-Stable Meals Without a Fridge

Before refrigeration was standard, people knew how to cook using only what they had in the pantry. It’s a forgotten skill that becomes incredibly useful during a power outage—or when you’re trying to reduce food waste and rely less on daily grocery runs.

This isn’t about eating beans cold from a can. It’s about knowing how to make real, comforting meals from shelf-stable ingredients.

My go-to pantry meal combos:

• Lentils + canned tomatoes + spices = hearty soup
• Instant oats + nut butter + dried fruit = no-cook breakfast or snack
• Canned chickpeas + tahini + lemon juice = easy hummus
• Rice + curry paste + shelf-stable coconut milk = quick one-pot dinner

Tips to make it work:

• Choose items that don’t need refrigeration once opened (or use the whole can at once)
• Stock meals that only need water or can be eaten cold in a pinch
• Keep a printed list of your top 3–5 no-fridge meals taped inside a cupboard

I rotate these foods every few months so nothing goes to waste—and when the power’s out, I don’t have to think about what’s for dinner.

10. Using Manual Tools Without Power

Most people rely on plug-in everything—from can openers to coffee grinders. But knowing how to use manual tools is one of those forgotten skills that makes a big difference when the power’s out—or when you’re just trying to simplify your setup.

I’ve learned to keep a small set of manual tools that don’t rely on batteries or electricity. They take up almost no space, and they work no matter what’s going on with the grid.

Tools I rely on:

• Manual can opener – an obvious one, but easy to forget
• Hand-crank flashlight or radio – no batteries needed
• French press or pour-over cone – makes hot drinks with just hot water
• Manual egg beater or whisk – great when baking or cooking off-grid
• Clothesline + clothespins – works anywhere, no dryer required

These tools aren’t just backups. They’re often easier to use, more sustainable, and don’t break when the Wi-Fi’s down.

FAQs

Want to Keep Track of the Skills You’re Learning?

If you’re starting to practise these forgotten skills, it helps to have one place to record what you’ve tried, what worked, and what you still want to learn. That’s where a simple skills binder comes in.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about building confidence, one skill at a time—without losing track of the progress you’ve made.

🗂️ Check out my post on how to build a Homesteading Skills Binder
You’ll learn how to set one up, what sections to include, and how to make it useful for real-life practice—not just Pinterest ideas.