Since toilet paper seems high on the list of what not to run out of…I just thought I’d mention an alternative other than catalogs or leaves. :-)
Cloth. My former hippie mother used cloth diapers and cloth wipes…dispose of solid waste and drop the soiled cloth into a bucket of soapy water. Wash daily (I would add bleach, but I think she used vinegar) and dry in the sunshine. Heat and sunshine have amazing disinfectant powers.
So, if anyone really ran into a problem, you could make do with the doo…
As if it doesn’t seem bad enough that your house has become a toilet paper warehouse, here is something to keep in mind. During quarantine everybody will be at home all the time. That means that your regular usuage may double or even triple. Great news, right?
Another alternative to using lots of TP: cheese. Eat lots and lots of cheese. <g>
This might be a good backup if necessary. Walmart is now selling muslin by the bolt. It’s fairly cheap but I don’t recall the price right now. Perhaps getting a bolt of this might be a good prep. It could be used for this purpose or for many other, more plesant, uses.
Another thought, the nice stuff we use at home is expensive and bulky. While I have a lot, it probably won’t last long with us using it all the time as Hillbilly Bill says and to also blow noses.
I am considering going to a janitorial supply co in my local yellow pages and buy what huge office buildings use. It is probably cheaper and also less bulky.
I found a great deal on TP at this site: http://tinyurl.com/f9mqs
I bought the coreless TP for long term preps. We have to store our TP in totes because mice just love stacked paper products. The coreless takes up much less space and costs less.
And do stay away from the very bulky “double-“ and “triple-layer” types of TP. If worse comes to worse, and plumbing doesn’t work, an “outhouse” type of system is much more likely to cause the “single-layer” paper to dissolve over time, much like most septic systems require “single-layer only” TP.
Most janitorial supply companies will have huge stocks of Scott tissue, which is usually the single-layer type…
Or stick with the triple layer, soft but learn the skill of triple folding.
Everybody’s planning for the most outrageous evenutalities, yet you all think you’re going to have a toilet! If you have a septic field, yes, but if you are on city sewers there will be no electricity to run the lift stations and the sewage will have no place to go.
“I bought the coreless TP for long term preps.”
It was an Alzhemier’s moment. I read “cordless TP”, and my poor mind just could not compute.
Maybelline – at 16:29
Whether I am using the regular toilet, or my emergency 5 gallon bucket model, I would still like to have toilet paper…
I guess you’re right Bill! Or we could do what millions in the middle east do and keep a bucket next to the toilet, then clean using our left hands.
flourbug – at 16:31 --- I read “cordless TP”, and my poor mind just could not compute.
My mom was born in a little tiny town way up in North Dakota back in the 30′s. She had 11 brothers and sisters, all living in a 2 room house that still stands today. When they would run out of TP, which up there was a luxury item anyway, they resorted to newspapers, magazines and the odd corn cob.
Many years ago, my folks and my mom’s sister would trade gag gifts each Christmas. One year, my aunt presented my parents with one of the most outrageous things my very young eyes had ever seen: a corn-cob with an electric cord attached to one end. To this day, I don’t know if it ever worked!!! :-)
I used to hear jokes about useing the sears catalog in the outhouse. In these times we would have to update it to useing newspapers i guess. Don’t worry you would not be the first to leave such deposits on the paper it’s printed on. In this case.
BroncoBill – at 16:44 One year, my aunt presented my parents with one of the most outrageous things my very young eyes had ever seen: a corn-cob with an electric cord attached to one end. To this day, I don’t know if it ever worked!!! :-)
There’s a prep I haven’t thought about before. hehe! Now tell me, does everyone get their own, or do we share?
Regarding the use of muslin…while a good material for lots of uses, some of it can be quite rough. Make sure that what ever you choose for “tp backup” is soft! Maybe even just old t-shirts?
In the event that you don’t have conventional plumbing, cloth might be preferable over paper—provided you have water for cleaning.
In respect of full disclosure…the idea of cloth over tp is coming from the woman who couldn’t close the hall closet yesterday because of all the rolls of Cottonelle stuffed in! I know cloth will work, but don’t plan on using it :-)
KristiK - Just wondering - how many people are you and how long are you prepping for?
In a pinch whilst camping years ago, we used a five gallon bucket lined with garbage bag. We also had a “replacement seat” that was placed loosely on the rim of the bucket, when “in use”. You just had to be a little careful getting up or down on it. That addition made the experience almost bearable. The bucket lid still closes very tightly over the bag,when not in use but, WOW, what a surprise when you opened it….
flourbug – at 16:52 --- Now tell me, does everyone get their own, or do we share?
Well, there were 5 of us, and I don’t know if my folks ever planned on using it, but there was only one electric corn-cob!! :-)
BroncoBill – at 17:42 — Well, there were 5 of us, and I don’t know if my folks ever planned on using it, but there was only one electric corn-cob!! :-)
In a situation like that I might start praying the electric went out before we ran out of TP. ;-)
flourbug – at 17:46
;-) Isn’t that what the generator’s for?
A painter i knew once told me of a technique he used on sites without toliets in place yet. he would use a five gallon bucket with a few shovel loads of soil placed in the bottom of the bucket. He would use it as if it were a normal comode than flip the bucket over burrying the evidence. Know this site is about toliet paper, but this information may be handy as well.
Maybelline-
We are four and I am prepping for…well, 6 months is the goal. There have been a few surprises (such as how quickly we raced through OTC meds last week), but generally everything looks good. I am also planning on being able to take care of a few extra children in the neighborhood. I hope it won’t come to that, but I know I can’t refuse them if it does….(Actually, if any far flung relatives showed up, I’d likely give them provisions as well. They just won’t get in the house.)
Sadly, the situation with the tp is not unusual in our household. I am fanatical about using high quality tp and paper towels, so when our brands go on a good sale, I stock up. I only buy it on a really good sale, and generally don’t buy less than 4 packages of 12 double rolls in any one shopping trip. It sounds crazy, but it saves money that can be better put to use elsewhere. If I can have the soft stuff for the price of the scratchy stuff, I’d be crazy not to!
The easiest part of prepping for me has been the food..I have always tried to keep several weeks worth of food in the house. I just ramped that up a little bit to build a bigger store. We store what we eat and eat what we store….prepping for loss of power, medical conditions, infection control, etc…has been a little bit more difficult. Thanks to fluwiki, I feel like I could quarantine today, if necessary. There are still things on my list, but I am comfortable with my current preps. (But, that won’t stop me from buying Cottonelle if it is less than $4 a 12-pack, next week…)
why eat alot of cheese?…is it constipating?
anonymous – at 17:58 --- Yes. Saves on TP!!
If you should have to resort to useing a natural source like leaves please know what your useing. Had a science teacher in elementary school that used poison ivy as emergncy tissue while hikeing. Didn’t instill much confidence in his scientific knowledge and i don’t think he was very happy about it either.
Scott tissue rolls last MUCH longer than any other brand. Much more yardage per roll, so for people trying to save space, my vote would be Scott tissue. We buy the ones that are individually wrapped - you can get a case of them at Sams
Well, if this thing lasts longer than we planned for, and we run out of TP, we could always do what the Romans did…buckets of vinegar was placed next to their “convience” and they washed with sponges. Not the sponges that we use to wash dishes, the natural sponges from the ocean. I use them in my paintings and I was looking at them recently in the hardware store and I bought some. Now I can always use them in the future for my paintings…but, if the going gets REALLY rough, I’d rather have a sponge than use my hand or muslin or God forbid, a corn cob!!!
I have stocked up on hand towels made of paper. Small amount of space, only drawback, unflushable, so must be disposed of otherways.
Mom says everybody is supposed to get their own corn cob (non electric) BUT WATCH OUT for sneaky big brothers who think its funny to use yours…
LOL!
Sams sells packages of the large commercial rolls of TP for around $20. I doubt that it’s very soft or perforated for easy ripping, but it’s still 6000 ft of emergency gluteal pleasure(6 x 1000 ft rolls).
Buy industrial tp, and wrap it with one layer of Charmin. 2 sheets would do.
Can you tell I used to live in Europe?
It’s been discussed on other threads, but none on this thread have mentioned moistened baby wipes rather than TP? Initially, it seems as though they’d be preferable to TP, but I could be missing something….
Eeyore – at 01:17 --- Initially, it seems as though they’d be preferable to TP, but I could be missing something…
Cost? I don’t have children, so I’m no expert, but it would seem to me that, as comfortable as baby wipes would be, the cost to stock up on 6 months to a year’s worth of baby wipes would be somewhat prohibitive…maybe stock up with a few boxes of them as a “luxury prep”?
A 5 gallon bucket??? Have you ever tried to sit on a bucket???
Assuming a no water situation, why not just put the garbage bag in the toilet(w/ kitty litter), and take it out when it’s full??
Much easier logistically, and a tried and true method in earthquake country, where the pipes would bust in a quake.
Ceredwin – at 01:55 --- Have you ever tried to sit on a bucket???
You could adapt a regular toilet seat to fit right onto a 5-gallon bucket by simply setting it on top of the bucket’s rim. Use it, pour some lime or even dirt onto the “deposits” and the next person could use it. It’s outside, or in a basement, and there’s usually a handle on the bucket to make carrying it easier than handling a plastic bag through the house…
I’d prefer the bag in the toilet (trash compacter bags are tuff) and the bucket next to the toilet to put the bag in when it’s full to carry through the house.
some thoughts:
Tissues are much easier to store than TP - takes up far less space
Wow, that’s a lot of TP talk. I guess I will add my two cents worth. When we stock up for TP, we go to Walmart usually. I think we buy 24 packs for very little money. We live in a remote Alaska bush community so we have to have enough to last all winter (6 months) or we have to buy locally which you don’t want to do. I just checked the outhouse. Yes, outhouse!! We have over 70 rolls left for just my wife and myself. I can get out in a few weeks and will again start my stocking up on supplies for next winter. Not a fun thing to do in one or two trips to town.
A porta potti is also something that could add some convience during a cold night. They also make a lid that will fit a 5 gallon bucket. We have a system that is a bucket within a bucket that has a seat on top. Hard to beat an outhouse for something that always works. Google, campmor or cabela’s and you should be able to find a lot of things to help in this department.
Hard to go wrong buying a lot of TP. Sooner or later you can use it or sell it.
Eeyore, baby wipes are non-flushable and not very biodegradeable, but Cottonelle (and I think 1 or 2 other companies) do make wet wipes specifically designed for toilet use, flushable, biodegradeable and safe for chemical toilets. They can decrease the amount of toilet paper used by a significant amount (not used INSTEAD of toilet paper, merely as an adjunct). You can find them at stores in the toilet paper aisle.
When I was 17 I lived in Borneo for a year. This was in a remote village, and I lived with a local family—it was an exchange program. At the time, people there were pretty isolated from the outside world and they did not use toilet paper. The custom was to wipe with the left hand, and to wash the area afterward with water (and soap, if it was available). Since I could not take a year’s worth of TP with me I did what the locals did.
You can get used to anything. After a year of this, TP seemed so dry and scratchy, and it didn’t “clean” the area nearly as well as washing.
In this culture, no one used the left hand for anything else. You couldn’t hand things to people or touch anything with it—for a good reason!
Now, I’d rather use TP, but if there’s nothing available, you do what you gotta do!
My father in law grew up in Indonesia too and to this day he uses the method you describe above. Next to the toilet stands a wine bottle (with water!), and you know … etc.etc….
Backpacker- A good reminder of how recent our invention of toilet paper and toilets are. In fact, they still aren’t available in much of the world. Once you leave a tourist hotel, in Indonesia, India, etc. the public facilities are a drain pipe that the women (in Saris) squat over. In rural China and Africa, diapers aren’t used, the toddlers are pantless and you just deal with what falls.
Portable toilets were 19.99 at Bass Pro Shop. You attache the bag.
“As if it doesn’t seem bad enough that your house has become a toilet paper warehouse, here is something to keep in mind. During quarantine everybody will be at home all the time. That means that your regular usuage may double or even triple. Great news, right?”
Hillbilly Bill…..very good point….I think I will have the septic tank pumped soon!
What you could do is remove the roll so it’s easiler to smosh (sp?) the paper down leaving more room.
If one doesn’t have problems with mice right now, is it still necessary to put the TP and other paper products in plastic tubs (that are in the basement and in the garage) to protect supplies from mice?
I just had a horrible flash…if the toilets stop working would they overflow first— meaning are we going to be swamped with sewage? Is there anyway to “shut off the toilets”? Periodically our city works on the sewage lines and we get a brief overflow in the basement drain—I cannot wrap my head around the thought of all our toilets backing up and no water to clean up the mess….yikes!!!!!!
In the PBS series, Pioneer House, they showed one family’s outhouse, with a small square of fabric hanging on a nail, one for each member of the family. Maybe have 2 sets, so one could be drying in the sun.
Lottasoxandshoes-is there a valve you can close? Or have a plumber install a collar of some sort so you can put in a length of pipe to be tall enough to lessen the chance? or to cap it if necessary? I don’t know if it would be water-tight if you just screwed it on, though.
Back in WWII, US Army soldiers in the field were given only about 25 sheets of toilet paper. To make it last, they would tear off one sheet, fold it in quarters, and tear off the corner. They would then slip their finger through the hole, wipe with their finger, and then slide the paper up over their finger, thus cleaning it. The little piece they tore off? They would use that to clean under their fingernails…
Talk about rationing….
lottasoxandshoes – at 11:06 - there is now a sewer thread that may help answer your questions.
I’m really glad that 3 out of the 5 in our house are males!
Kate – at 10:53 If one doesn’t have problems with mice right now, is it still necessary to put the TP and other paper products in plastic tubs (that are in the basement and in the garage) to protect supplies from mice?
I’m not sure, Kate. I just know that in our area (wildlife refuge, canals and farm land) if we don’t keep things like stored paper products in plastic tubs, then the mice eventually get into it. We use poisons, traps and yard cats to keep the mice under control, but even one stray rodent can cause alot of damage. I also worry that the mouse population may skyrocket in the case of a pandemic. Adding more traps and poison in our preps is probably a good idea.
Jane-not sure about valve for sewage line know there is a water shut-off valve to stop water from running if you take toilet off:o)
CC-thanks for sewage thread I will check it out.
Re: outhouses. I know for some it is easier to dig a big hole, because it is a one-time really hard work deal. But, if you can’t do that kind of back-breaking work, as I can’t, try this. Dig a trench about 18 inches deep and a shovel’s width wide. put a children’s potty over the trench for little kids, and a canvas chair or stool with a hole cut in for grown-ups. When you’re finished doing your doo, move the chair back to an empty part of the trench for the next person, and using the ever-present shovel, put the dirt over your mess, and back into the trench. After only a couple of weeks, and surely within a month, everything covered will be turned to soil. I dug mine in a circle, with a downhill slope towards the center, so that moisture would leech out in case of rain. It was about 60 feet long, for 4–5 people for a month. paper or leaves degraded just fine. During inclement weather, or for sick people, everybody had his own “honey pot” which was carried to the trench. Healthy able-bodied folk used an umbrella and the buddy system, but a tarp can easily be made into a portable shelter small enough to cover one person at a time, sort of tipi-fashion. For cloth needs, we have used wash cloths that you buy in a bundle, and an old-fashioned diaper pail with a bleach mixture. After rinsing the cloth, put it in the pail. It’s easy to wash a pail at a time per day by hand, or, if possible in the washing machine. Remember, a bucked and a short-handled small plunger maked a nice small hand-operated washing machine.
I like Ceredwin’s idea of kitty litter in a bag in the regular toilet. I would add using clumping kitty litter and scoop it out after every use. Clumping kitty litter works great for my cats and we use a lot less of it than the old regular kind. It is also great for odor control. Put that 5 gallon bucket next to the toilet for the clumps. There are boxes of litter deodorizer in the pet section at the store. Also, baking soda works well. I think I’ll use all the bills that will be coming in for toilet paper, provided we still get mail. Also, maybe a tax form or two.
Reader – at 06:31
It would be a lot cheaper, and less mess, to use that 5 gallon bucket with a snap-on toilet seat. The chemical toilet packets are inexpensive and work really well both for controlling odors and killing bacteria. This is my backup plan and I have already tried it out and it works fine. Have you tried your plan yet?
Google for “humanure” - i think there was something in our “gadgets” page (see, if I can type a link from memory it’s because I’m a fw junkie - ugh!).
Also, I’ve always wondered why dogs and all other animals don’t use tp. Maybe it depends on what each eats. Maybe there’s a special position that works better - maybe not for everyone.
We shouldn’t be mentioning this subjects, you know.
I just started reading this thread and find it quite funny. I figured out how much TP I use in a week, multiplied it by my number of prep months, and then DOUBLED IT. I just had the septic emptied and have a new drainfield so I am probably good for another 6 months or more. And I have a large swimming pool I can haul buckets from for flushing. When the pool is empty, there is a canal in the back yard.
No bags, buckets, or holes for me :)
TP isn’t just for wiping your butt, you may also need to blow your nose with it. And if you’ve got BF, you’re going to be using A LOT of tissue, whether it comes on a roll or in a flowery box. I plan on using small washclothes for waste matter, but if there’s an illness in the house you should surely be using something disposable and not have whomever is hopefully healthy washing snotrags. So, I’ve got a stack of small washclothes (the kind you use to wash a baby are great) for one end, but for anything that comes out of my head I’ve got a side stash of paper towels (which are stronger and better for blowing your nose into). Yes, it’s kind of gross but if you think about it a strong paper towel will contain infected secretions much better than thin tissue.
I have friends who use the 5-gallon bucket system, covering the products with peanut skins (they run a nut butter factory) and then humanuring the final result. Works well for large groups (or even smaller ones!). They do use tp but could adapt without it. They generally urinate in the garden (certain plants love that nitrogen). http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html
not-lugon @08:26 - “I’ve always wondered why dogs and all other animals don’t use tp.”
no opposable thumbs?
how is everyone estimating number of rolls to purchase (say for a 3 mo. stockpile). I’d figured on a roll per day (fam of 4).
The best way to save on TP is to produce less waste. In my animals I notice that they poop less when fed a high quality diet. I think we will be forced to eat less and will produce less waste as a result. In fact, I added constipation meds to my prep kit-that can be a very uncomfortable situation and is “bound” (excuse the pun)to occur with a diet heavy in grains and low in fluid.
Scaredy Cat – at 11:39 - Opposable thumbs my…..eye! It’s the tail. We just can’t get that tail up high enough ;-)
cabingirl -
I just took the number we used in a single week (Sunday to Saturday) and multiplied it by 13 weeks (3 months). I then figured that besides water, TP is second on the list of “things I don’t want to run out of and will always use”, so I added about 20% to my number. TP is one of the easiest things to stock up on, especially if you have a whole-sale club card. I bought Charmin double rolls since that is what I use anyway and bought the biggest packs I could find. Getting “triple” rolls or bigger would probably save a marginal amount of space and are too big for my holder.
Sure you get a weird look or two going to the checkout with 120 rolls of TP in your cart but isn’t that better than having to use leaves? :)
nopower-thanks-think I’ll add a tad more—just in case (sounds like a really good barter item along with tin-foil) Costco sells in 30 roll packs . Last time huddy and I were there, filled 2 carts (mostly paper stuff) and actually had a guy at check-out ask if we were prepping. I’m worried about May 9 movie, there will be temp. shortage on paper products, freezers, etc….Someone on some thread mentioned there is not enough food, materials if everyone stocked up (3 mos) at one time. With enough people prepping gradually, this will leave more for the last minute shopper (hopefully).
In the middle ages they just dumped in a plastic baggie, plopped it in the catapult and then it was gone.
While we like the soft “Charmin” type, I did purchase a case of commercial use TP at Sam’s for last resort use….a little less expensive than regular kind, also.
Glad the wiki is up and running, again.
cabingirl – at 11:39
Don’t forget that when you are sheltering in place, everybody will be home all the time so you won’t be using TP at work or school. Make sure to start with an accurate usage estimate.
sorry that was me…
Hillbilly Bill - I was at BJ’s the other day and didn’t have time to compare prices, but I noticed that they carry the industrial size TP - I think 6 to a box - they’re about 8 or 9″ in diameter. They surely won’t fit on the home dispenser, so I was thinking I’d use a pants hanger and find a place in the BR to hang it. Thoughts?
I have been thinking the same thing. I have a good stockpile of our regular brand, but it sure would be nice to have some of those big industrial sized rolls as backup. Plus, they would be good to give away to family and friends when they run out. I don’t know about your house, but a roll doesn’t last long at ours!
Hubby and kids and i went to a 3 day music festival with our ‘79 VW van. We had been before and didn’t want to have to use the portable potties provided, so my husband took a big sturdy pal with a good working heavy duty lid and made a wooden seat cover to fit. In the bottem we put wood ashes and saw dust. Saw dust to absorb, and wood ashes to neutralize. then when done we just threw more saw dust over . Same deal as a outhouse. And it worked well at the festival, van turned outhouse! sounds maybe a bit odd but when dealing with 100 000 people and 3 days of portable toiletsin the summer it was a better option for sure. My two cents. But personally if it came right down to it, We would just build an actual outhouse, we would have lots of time on our hands.
DJOD - We sure will have lots of time on our hands. Everything we do will take longer, but there won’t be any hurry, we won’t be going anywhere.
“This is my backup plan and I have already tried it out and it works fine. Have you tried your plan yet?” HillBilly Bill – at 08:21, Our pipes froze once and we used plastic bags in the toilet. It worked but was VERY messy and smelly, the bags leaked. I think the cat litter would improve it to a point of toleration. Took 3 days to get a plumber to come out, as the whole area had the same problem. I am dreading no toilets for any length of time, I love my modern facilities. I also have my bedpan from a hospital stay. It’s for my sick room, but if no one is sick, it could be used as a back up. Also, back in the “old” days, my grandmother told me of the “commode”. It was a wooden box, I think, with a removable can on the inside and a toilet seat on it that they would use in the middle of the night to keep from walking out to the outhouse in the dark. That’s all I know basically about it because they moved into a house with indoor plumbing when she was a teenager. The story I remember is that my great grandfather would march everyone out to the outhouse before bedtime to go because he hated dumping out the commode in the mornings.
I got a portable toilet = about 20 dollars. Put a trash bag around it and keep it outside. We used to have an outhouse at my grandfather’s house. We didn’t die from it. Will work well. And we will all live.
I was curious and looked up how many sheets the average human uses.
From this link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/946025/posts
“Consider this: The average American uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day and more than 20,805 sheets a year. That’s a lot of sheet.”
So that’s 1710 sheets per month.
Then I checked on brands. Scott has a 1000-sheet roll. If you buy a 12 pack, that should last about 7 months.
Edit: That is, however, only if you don’t use if for Kleenex.
That would be per person and make sure you count out the sheets and give each person their allotment for the day and after that they would be sheet out of luck.
You guys have really got something there! From now on, instead of anyone typing s**t when wishing to use an expletive deleted (love that term), we can use “sheet” in its place without offending anyone’s moral sensibilities.
Sheet! I feel good this morning.
Consider needing more if you’re sick & have diareaha (however that’s spelled)
Save the ones you blow your nose on for round two in the bathroom (as long as no one has the flu.)
I was primed to get a ‘portable loo’ bucket with toilet seat when I realized that I had a hospital-style potty chair in the attic (left by previous owners of this old house). I’ve added a supply toilet deodorizer (found with camping supplies at stores). The little blue packs are added to two liters of water in your emergency toilet and cost about $0.50 each.
The potty chair, less bucket, can also be used across a latrine ditch in the back yard for more comfortable seating. The chair would easily be moved down the ditch as it is necessary to cover used spots. Then, in inclement weather it would be brought inside and used with the deodorizer packs.
I’ve always wished I had city water and sewer until reading this thread. My septic tank has never looked so good!
Add to that a large pool and canal in the backyard and the only thing my bucket is for is hauling water to flush :)
Quicklime, or more commonly known lime from the garden shop, can be used to cover the waste. It will eliminate odor and keep flies from swarming.
I’m old enough to have grown up in the country without running water and indoor plumbing. Retrogressing, if necessary, will not be unknown territory.
Thankfully, I have a septic system here, too. As long as I have some sort of water, I can flush. Even pond water.
trekie @ 04.59
Dogs don’t have butt cheaks either which makes all the difference in the world.
“That would be per person and make sure you count out the sheets and give each person their allotment for the day and after that they would be sheet out of luck. “
True. I’m just prepping for myself.
“Consider needing more if you’re sick & have diareaha (however that’s spelled)”
Good point.
I just got back from the store, bought more canned meat, rice and beans, now I feel the need to back for TP! Sheet ;)
Reduce the TP use by getting large packs of baby wipes. I got a case of 500 for less than 10.00 (not brand name). Reusing tp after nose wipe not a good idea to keep these around in case of spreading disease. It has to be said - fecal/oral spread of BF or other disease is well known. So baby wipes for hand cleaning or hand gel will be required in our house after toilet use.
LOL — thought I’d check in as I can’t believe how much there is possible to say about TP, other than, hope you have more than you need…
Could always buy a couple of dozen small cotton cloth washcloths from Costco. They come in white that can be washed in bleach and hung out to dry on a clothes line. It is certainly not convenient or efficient, but at least you won’t run out in that they can be used over and over again.
I had read in a preparedness book that 73 rolls is what is needed for a family of 3 for 1 year. So I currently have 242 rolls- give or take a couple. All purchased whenever there was a great sale. Since I was little, and had to use my Aunt’s reeking outhouse with whatever paper, not the nice soft, clean, white I was used to, was handy, (I’m so glad that memory is a bit fuzzy- I was 4)- my greatest non-life-threatening fear about the fecal matter making contact with the rotary oscillator, has been to be without TP. As I’ve pretty much tripled the recommended amount-I think I can cross that off my prep list! But I still buy ir when it’s on sale so that we don’t get into the storage, and I even rotate it!
My families mountain getaway that the men use, no running water, no electric. They have an old bedside commode placed over a hole. They use lime to keep down smell and flies. Someone got tired of it being down the path in the open and built a crude enclosure around it. They have been using this system for years and it works.
I am planning on 8 people, thats a lot of TP, but how much? Everyone here uses different brands with one-ply, 3-ply, etc. I did a test with my brand and my comfort usage. First, count the sheets used on a normal “go”. Doing this a number of times, I was surprised at how consistant I was in sheet usage. Now count the number of times you “go” per day. Add a little for special “events”. Now at least I have a number for one female, under normal usage, with my brand. Multiply times the number of people and prep days. While not perfect, at least it gave me a starting point to better calculate my prep needs.
Leslie: Good thinking on your part. I know some people have just measured their normal usage and then extrapolated that out to how long they plan to SIP. However, they did not factor in that in normal situations, TP was being used at school, work, etc. For a family of 4, I’m figuring a roll a day. That may be excessive, but I also may have more than 4 people here. With all the other things I will have to monitor, I don’t want to have to also be the TP cop.
This exercise also helped my anxiety during Sam’s Club runs. I have been prepping for awhile now and have TP stashed everywhere, but in the store I would feel almost compelled to toss another case into the cart, just in case, and it does’t go bad, and, and… Now, with the aid of a caculator, I can feel confident that I have met my basic prep needs and can add to my supplies as space dictates, rather than emotion.
Sigh…well, I’m fighting my better judgment, but I have a couple of thoughts on this subject. Number one, I’m a middle-aged female, so “vanity” is no longer a priority. Suck it up and use whatever gets the job done. As the only female in my household of fishermen, whenever we’re out on the boat, we don’t go in just because my little old bladder is bursting at the seams! Ohhh, no. I have found the best method is a 16 oz Dixie cup. Have everyone turn their heads (as though they’d really WANT to look), stick it right up next to the business area, and pee away. No muss, no dribbles, no fuss. Then, instead of TP, just make sure you have a little panti-liner on. Really not so bad. Number two, just had a colonoscopy. The prep for this procedure is similar to having bad flu with the “runs” and all. Went through exactly two rolls of toilet paper all by myself in less than 24 hours. So, if people in your household are sick, plan on quite a bit more TP than usual. Number three, invest in some plastic mattress pads. If anyone in your household really IS sick, they’ll never make it to the bathroom in time. At least you’re just going to be washing (or tossing) sheets, not the whole mattress. I’ll go back to lurking mode now.
I’ve bought a role of plastic sheeting just for that purpose….the thick stuff since I wasn’t sure a painter’s tarp tpye thing would be durable enough…..the plastic role would ultimately be cheaper than buying mattress covers
This thread is making me laugh more than the humor thread. Butt seriously, Trekkie, I’m interested in what diet would make the w(hole) matter neater to deal with. I think you may have something there. I would like to hear your suggestions. I would like not to worry about stocking TP so much. Even the old-fashioned 2-ply stuff is expensive when you add shipping.
I didn’t mean 2-ply, I mean the double folded sheets that are seperate and in a stack.
I remember researching years ago, that 1 roll of TP per person per week for a years supply….and I would probably double if concern with the flu.
I agree, and I’m sure stocking up on kleenex (perhaps even the kind that says it’s kills a lot more germs), would still be helpful than none.
LOL, I picked up another six rolls at the grocery last night.
I bought 18 more rolls this weekend and my wife just rolled her eyes when I came back from the store. I have about 100 rolls in “regular” storage, 36 rolls for backup, and 24 rolls hidden away. Maybe I should move on to something else…
HB,
Yup, time to move on to beef stroganoff or something….
I live alone except for a dog and a free-range indoor parrot. This toilet paper deal has gotten to the point that after I’ve purchased yet another set of twelve rolls, I leave the ‘block’ in the car until darkness falls, then I sneak out and bring it into the house. My neighbors already think that I’m a bit wacky but after the third ‘block’, I decided that I’d better start sneaking it in!!! Months ago I brought up the bf subject at a neighborhood meeting and everyone just shook their heads in disbelief. Hey, I tried! LOL! Thank goodness for you guys!!!
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