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Guide 06 · The forgotten prep

A toilet without water

Almost everyone stores water and food. Almost nobody thinks about what happens when the toilet won't flush. Experts call it one of the most common prepping mistakes, and it's the one that turns a home into a health problem fastest.

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Why it matters so much

After an earthquake, a flood or a long water outage, your toilet can stop working for two reasons: there's no water to flush, or the pipes and sewers are damaged. Using it anyway in the second case can send sewage back into your home. Diseases caused by poor hygiene are one of the main health threats after a disaster, far more than hunger.

Quick rule

If there's water but you suspect the sewer is damaged, for example after an earthquake or flood, don't flush until authorities confirm it's safe. If only the water is out, you can flush by pouring a bucket of non-drinking water, like bathtub or pool water, quickly into the bowl.

The two-bucket toilet

It's the method many emergency agencies recommend. Keeping urine and solids apart greatly reduces volume, odor and risk.

What you need

  • Two 5-gallon buckets with lids, ideally different colors or clearly marked.
  • Heavy-duty trash bags, ideally contractor bags.
  • An absorbent: cat litter, sawdust or shredded newspaper.
  • Toilet paper, disposable gloves and soap or sanitizer.
  • Optional: a toilet seat that fits the bucket.

How to set it up

  1. Urine bucket: liquids only. Dilute with non-drinking water and pour it on the ground away from wells and vegetable gardens, or down a drain if the sewer works.
  2. Solids bucket: line it with two bags, one inside the other, and an inch of absorbent at the bottom. Cover with another layer after each use. Toilet paper goes in here.
  3. Keep the lid closed at all times.
  4. When the bag is half full, tie it off, put it in another bag and store it in a lidded container away from the house, water, children and pets.

Don't mix bleach with urine or feces

The mixture releases irritating gases. Use diluted bleach only to clean surfaces, never inside the buckets.

What to do with the waste

Don't just throw the bags in the regular trash or bury them near water sources. During an emergency, authorities usually explain where and how to dispose of them. Until then, keep them sealed and away from the house.

Hygiene without running water

  • Handwashing is still the most important thing. With soap and water if possible; sanitizer is a good complement, not a replacement.
  • A container with a spigot, which you can improvise from a water jug, lets you wash hands using very little water.
  • Wet wipes for personal hygiene and bags for diapers and pads.
  • Disposable plates, cups and utensils so you don't waste water on dishes.

An expert rule of thumb: for every month of water and food you store, store a month of hygiene supplies too.

Trash

If garbage collection stops, trash piles up fast. Separate food scraps, seal bags well and keep them in lidded bins, in the shade and away from windows. Cutting down on packaging before the emergency helps a lot.

Your sanitation kit

  • 2 lidded buckets and a seat.
  • A roll of heavy-duty bags.
  • A bag of cat litter or sawdust.
  • Two weeks of toilet paper.
  • Disposable gloves, soap and sanitizer.
  • Wipes, menstrual products and diapers if needed.

It all fits inside the buckets themselves and costs little. Add it to your checklist.