Emergency toilet and hygiene: how to stay clean without running water
If the water is off or the authorities tell you not to flush, line the toilet bowl with two strong bin bags, add cat litter or sawdust after each use, tie the bag and store it in a lidded bin outside. Keep bin bags, an absorbent, toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitiser and disposable gloves in your kit, and always clean your hands before eating.
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When you can’t use the toilet normally
A water cut, a frozen or burst main, an earthquake or a flood can all stop toilets working. There are two different situations:
- No water, but the sewers work. You can flush by pouring a bucket of water (about 5–8 litres, 1.3–2.1 US gal) briskly into the bowl. Use grey water from washing up or washing, not your drinking water.
- Sewers damaged or overloaded. After floods and earthquakes authorities often ask people not to flush, because broken pipes can back up into homes and contaminate water. Then you need an emergency toilet.
In tall buildings, a power cut can also stop the pumps that lift water to upper floors. See our emergency kit for apartments.
Method 1: bag the toilet you already have
This is the method the Washington State Department of Health describes, and it works in any flat:
- Turn off the water valve behind the toilet and flush or bail out the water in the bowl.
- Lift the seat and line the bowl with two strong bin bags, one inside the other; lower the seat to hold them.
- Put a handful of cat litter, sawdust, peat or shredded paper in the inner bag.
- After each use, add more absorbent. Put toilet paper in too.
- When the inner bag is about half full, tie it, lift it out and put it in a lidded bin, outside or on a balcony if you have one.
- Wash or sanitise your hands every time.
Ready-made toilet waste bags with gelling powder do the same job with less mess and are worth keeping in the kit.
Method 2: the twin-bucket toilet
Developed after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake and now promoted by emergency managers in several countries, it separates urine from faeces. That matters: most of the smell comes from mixing them, and urine carries little health risk.
- Two buckets of about 20 litres (5 US gal) with tight lids, labelled “pee” and “poo”.
- A toilet seat that fits a bucket (or a portable camping toilet).
- Bin bags to line the “poo” bucket, and dry carbon material (sawdust, shredded paper, dry leaves) to cover each use.
- Keep the lids on between uses and store the buckets away from food and water.
Hand hygiene with little water
The World Health Organization notes that poor sanitation and hygiene spread diarrhoeal disease, and outbreaks are a real risk after disasters. Hands carry it from the toilet to food. With little water:
- Make a “tippy tap”: a bottle with a small hole in the cap, hung up, gives a thin stream for washing hands with soap using a fraction of a litre.
- Use alcohol hand gel after the toilet and before food, but wash visibly dirty hands with soap and water first.
- Use disposable gloves to empty bags or buckets.
- Keep one family towel per person, or use paper towels.
Keeping clean without a shower
- A strip wash from a bowl uses only a few litres (around 1 US gal). Wash face, armpits and groin daily.
- Large wet wipes and no-rinse shampoo cover three days easily.
- Brush teeth with a cup of water.
- Put used nappies, sanitary products and pet waste in a separate bag in the bin, not in the toilet buckets.
- Clean surfaces that people touch, especially the toilet seat and door handles, with a diluted disinfectant.
Your 72-hour sanitation kit
| Product | Best for | Key spec | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toilet waste bags with gelling powder | Using your normal toilet | Sealable bags, absorbent included | Check price on Amazon |
| Portable camping toilet | When no toilet is usable | Lid and seat | Check price on Amazon |
| Hygiene kit (wipes, gel, soap) | Hands and body | Saves water | Check price on Amazon |
| Disposable gloves | Emptying bags and buckets | Nitrile, a box | Check price on Amazon |
| Spray bottle | Washing hands and surfaces with little water | Refillable | Check price on Amazon |
We don’t list prices because they change often. Use the button to see the current price on Amazon.
Also store: heavy-duty bin bags, a bag of cat litter or sawdust, toilet paper, sanitary products, nappies if needed, and a lidded bin. All of it fits in a single crate. Plan the water too: see how much water to store for 72 hours.
Questions people ask
How do I make an emergency toilet?
Turn off the toilet’s water supply and empty the bowl. Line it with two strong plastic bags, add a handful of cat litter, sawdust or shredded paper, use it, cover with more absorbent and tie the inner bag when full. Store used bags in a lidded bin outside or on a balcony.
Can I flush the toilet with a bucket of water during a water cut?
If the sewers are working, yes: pouring a bucket of water into the bowl flushes it. Use grey water from washing. But if authorities say not to flush, for example after floods or earthquakes, use bags instead.
What is a twin-bucket toilet?
A system developed in Christchurch, New Zealand, after the 2011 earthquake: one bucket for urine and one for faeces with a toilet seat, a lid and dry material such as sawdust. Keeping them separate reduces smell and makes waste easier to store.
How can I wash with very little water?
Use wet wipes or a flannel and a bowl, wash hands with a small cup of water and soap, and use hand sanitiser between washes. Washing in a bowl uses only a few litres.
Where do I put human waste after a disaster?
Store double-bagged waste in a lidded bin away from food, water, children and pets, and wait for instructions from your local authority on collection or disposal.
Keep reading
- How much water to store for 72 hours
- Emergency kit for apartments and small flats
- Home first aid kit checklist
- How to prepare for a flood: before, during, after