What would you do without toilet paper? We have been pondering what alternatives could we possibly consider if a disaster occurs and all supplies of toilet paper ran out. Being in an apartment, we do not have a lot of storage to be able to accumulate a large amount of any one item. Also, a large stockpile of toilet paper is not exactly portable in a bug-out situation, and in a shelter in place scenario, the TP supply is bound to run out. I did some research and found a few alternatives.
1. Wet wipes or baby wipes
These would work just like toilet paper, but again, a large stockpile would have to be accumulated.
2. Paper Substitutes
I saw a lot of references to using various types of paper. Newspaper may work, but the ink would turn everything black. I read other people prefer The Yellow Pages or store catalogs, since the pages are thinner and would not transfer ink to the skin. Just crumple up the sheet until it softens up, then wipe.
3. Cloth
Some of the “green” sites recommend using cloth, such as wash cloths, terry cloth or even cloth diapers for wiping. The method would be to wet the cloth, wipe, then launder the cloth. Supporters of this idea feel that most people would have nothing against rewashing cloth diapers, therefore personal washcloths should be okay. I would think it would be a good idea to throw the soiled wash clothes into a bucket of water with some bleach before washing.
4. Plant material
Some survivalist sites mention using mild or medicinal plants. Sage leaves were mentioned in some sites, others mention corn husks or banana leaves. The trick would be to know in advance which plants are safe; you would not want to use something like poison ivy by mistake!
5. Water
Many countries already use a spray water fountain called a “bidet” which is part of their bathroom facilities. Since this is being considered in an emergency scenario, we would need an alternative to that too. In many countries, use of the left hand in combination with pouring water with the right hand is the way to clean up. The idea would then be to clean vigorously using either a small can, like an empty coffee can or a spray bottle, then dry with a towel. To avoid disease, one would have to wash the hands well with water or antibacterial gel right after.
Now I am not saying the choices are great, but you gotta do what you gotta do to stay clean. An informal poll of family members did not result in a majority vote for any of the choices. The “gross” factor is definitely present, but would have to be overcome in an emergency. We will keep stockpiling toilet paper for now, and store them efficiently by flattening them for maximum use of space. Another idea would be to decrease the use of toilet paper by combining with the methods above, thereby extending the life of the stockpile. In the meantime, we keep our fingers crossed that any TP shortages are temporary, keeping in mind the alternatives above just in case.
The Apartment Prepper's Blog 
Out of all of those, I would think that using soft cloth would be the best balance between comfort, hygiene and portability. A small bucket with some bleach and soap for soaking before washing would be helpful. I like your idea for flattening tp rolls! Are you taking the cardboard cores out?
One thing that you can do to minimize storage space for TP is to pull out the cardboard roll center, smash the roll flat and then I stick it in a foodsaver bag, then suck all the air out…….works great and saves a lot of space.
Mark
Mark, I bet some of the smaller Space Bags would be great for tp storage.
Taking the cores out does save space. Fitting them into space bags is a great idea!
i think that if you do not have tp you shold use peper soaked in water.
I like the space bag idea.
If you used some sort of reusable cloth you’d want to put them in a bucket with water, detergent and a little bleach after using.
I’ve worked with adults with developmental disabilities that had grown up in state institutions where there wasn’t any toilet paper. They just didn’t wipe at all. They didn’t have a higher rate of illness or anything like that, but we did have to replace their underwear on a pretty regular basis!
I think urban survival is often overlooked. It seems like most people think that they are going to just end up in the wilderness in a disaster instead of the enviroment they live in. I am always interested in hearing other peoples thoughts and perspectives. That said, my question is this: As apartment dwellers what are you actually going to go IN in the event a disaster does occur? Especially if you lose water service? Do you stockpile enough water to flush?
If a disaster does occur, and we are in stuck in the apartment the toilet will like stop working if there is no water or sewer service. If there is no electricity or water, do not empty the water out of the toilet bowl. as this may allow methane gas to escape from the ground depending on what your town or city’s sewer system. Something else to be aware of, because we are in a crowded complex, if everyone continues to flush with limited water, the toilet can back up and overflow.
We do not have enough space to stock up enough water for flushing in an extended disaster. What we would in a crisis situation would be to use a 5 gallon bucket, line it with a trash bag, put a toilet seat on top of it and set it up in a garage or a closet. Empty it out periodically by sealing the bag and taking the bag outside for disposal. You can either burn or bury it depending on your situation. Note: this is not the ideal solution or eco-friendly but we are talking about a crisis situation. Hope this helps.
Great site. I however think that when shtf we are s out of luck; Unless we own the apartment. Squatters will get bullied by the cops. Basically if you’re poor (80% of us earn under $50,000/year) you’re getting punked to the streets and looked down on by reality t.v.-watching apathy zombies.
A bucket and sawdust seems to be the choice in America’s only affordable housing … our own vehicles!
Slightly wettened newspaper is great. On a construction site you have to think on the fly.
Nobody can eat gold/silver or even guarantee there will be a place availabke to sell it… I’d like to invest in things of real value: toilet paper, cigarettes, booze, spam, and more toilet paper! Chix will dig it 4 sure, ‘cept the spam.
For flushing water do a rain barrel kind of thing from the balcony. Or save graywater (rinse water) in jugs as you would drinking water… always guaranteed a flush that way.
I really want an incerating toilet. But if you have a large garden; 1 part urine to 4 parts water is good 4 fertilizer (phosphorus) i saw on youtube. Animals pee is the only way nitrogen gets introduced into nature (Gaia theory, Lovelock).
It will be interesting to see what will happen when the jobs go away and the rent does also; Base your prepping around what you OWN – usually a vehicle. Better to get a katadyn pocket water filter than to lug around 6 months of water! Travel light is the only rule; Lean and mean.
I wish i owned the apartment, that would make things a lot easier.
Thanks for adding some good ideas Madmax 808. I agree being in an apartment we would out of luck in a true grid down situation. Bugging out would be the way to go at that point. Hopefully be able to carry those essential items like toilet paper, good water filter and yes, Spam! I do like the Spam, may have to blog about it in the future. I am glad you stopped by!
I got a lot of god info from you folks but I am way ahaed of you, I moved out of the city into the woods near Willow Alaska and we live off a generator have a composting toilet and a large garden, moose walk through my yard daily and I have a small lake 100 feet from my front door, we have no running water and use lake water in the summer and get our daily use water from an artisian spring the runs all year for our winter use and we haul it about 4 miles, we kind of hord toilet paper but will resort to foliage if we have to.
it is a hard life but very rewarding, we bought the land with the cabin on it and have set it up to live off the grid total cost now is less than 40,000 but it is not for the weak person, myself I love it here and have lived in Alaska for over 30 years
On a jobsite i worked at once we were in an unfurnished townhouse and the bathroom had no toilet paper. All we had was a newspaper! So we ripped it down to small yet sturdy patches (1/4th of a whole sheet doubled up) and sprinkled it lightly with water to moisten it. It worked excellent – imagine a wet wipe with more “catch” lol. Toilet paper was worth more than gold during the Bosnian war – So stocking up on it has much more than utility value.
I usually use fast-food places for their napkins when i run out of toilet paper.