Toilet paper is one modern comfort that gets taken for granted.
Our ancestors used alternatives like corn cobs and the Sears Roebuck Catalog. I can’t even imagine that after a lifetime of wiping with fluffy TP!
What would you use if there were no more toilet paper? Even if you stockpile toilet paper for disaster preparedness, you should still know about toilet paper alternatives.
Why You Need a Toilet Paper Alternative
It only takes a small blizzard or flood warning for the supermarket shelves to get wiped clean. If a large scale disaster were to strike, it could be weeks or months before supermarkets got a new shipment – which means no way to buy toilet paper.
To prepare for emergencies, a lot of people stockpile Toilet paper. I think that’s a great idea. However, as someone who lives in a small apartment, there’s only so much toilet paper that I can stockpile. Even if I could stockpile large amounts of TP, the toilet paper would eventually run out in a long-term disaster.
Another issue is that you can’t bring lots of toilet paper on the go. For example, if you had to bug out, you’d quickly go through the roll or two of TP that you brought along.
So, while I’m not ready to give up the luxury of toilet paper, I am making a point of knowing about these toilet paper alternatives and having them ready.
*Don’t forget that you’ll also need an emergency toilet. Read about composting toilets and how to make a latrine.
Toilet Paper Alternatives in Nature
In nature, there are many great alternatives. If you are in the wilderness or can get outside to gather natural materials, you should be fine on the TP front.
Rocks
You want to choose smooth rocks for this, as jagged rocks can do some damage. You’ll need to use multiple rocks to clean yourself. Ideally, the rocks are fairly large, as small rocks can result in poo getting on your hands.
Moss
Moss is great as a toilet paper alternative because it is soft and absorbent. The downside is that moss often leaves some mossy residue. There could also be small bugs hiding in the moss.
Sticks
Sticks are pretty terrible for wiping with, but they may be the only thing available if you are high in the mountains or it is winter and there’s no foliage. Choose a thick stick without any knots. If you have time to prepare, you can shave the bark off several thick sticks (another reason to bring a survival knife). When shaved smooth, the sticks work well.
Green Leaves:
Leaves are the obvious choice for wiping in the woods. However, leaves are not the slightest bit absorbent. If you aren’t careful, you can end up with feces all over your hands. Use large leaves, one or two at a time, until clean. Or, take a big handful of leaves that you bunch up.
If you get lucky and find it nearby, you can use mullein for wiping. It grows as a weed but has many medicinal uses (especially as a natural cough remedy). Because it is fluffy and soft, it can be used as toilet paper or as a band-aid for minor cuts.
Streams
Referred to as “aqua wiping” by hikers, this method involves dipping your butt in water after going to the bathroom.
You should NEVER wipe yourself this way in normal times. You could end up contaminating a body of water and spread disease.
However, in dire circumstances, it is an effective solution. The only issue is that you will (literally) freeze your butt off in cold weather and risk getting your clothes wet too.
Other Alternatives
If you can’t go outdoors to gather leaves, sticks, or other “natural toilet paper”, these are probably your best options.
Wysi Wipes
Because the wipes are made from pulp, you can’t flush them down the toilet. The wipes are biodegradable, though, so they are fine for composting toilets, latrines and being buried. In addition to being a great toilet paper alternative for emergency preparedness, Wysi wipes work for cleaning the home, as mini towels and more.
The small Wysi box contains 500 compressed wipes, saving a lot of space. You can check them out on Amazon or read about them here: Toilet paper tablets.
Lota (DIY Bidet)
If you travel to Southeast Asia or visit a Muslim home, you may notice a small watering can next to the bathroom. This can is called a lota and is used for cleaning after going to the bathroom.
To cleanse with a lota, you grip the lota in your right hand. From behind, you pour water over yourself while gently rubbing your left hand (which is why eating with your left hand is bad manners in Muslim countries). Afterward, you thoroughly clean your hands.
What?! They touch poo with their bare hand?!
For us Westerners, this practice can seem very unsanitary. However, to people who use the lota method, toilet paper looks pretty unsanitary. Unless you vigorously scrub with TP, you will inevitably leave some waste on your anus (smelly underpants, anyone?).
Since you wash your hands after using a lota, there is nothing to fear. Plus, if you use enough water or have a bidet (which more affluent households use), you don’t even need to rub with your hand.
The only real downside of the lota method is that it requires water. If using a two-bucket toilet, you’ll need to do it over the pee bucket – which means hopping from the poo to the pee bucket. The lota method wouldn’t work well with a compost toilet because the urine diverter might not catch the water from the lota.
After finishing the lota rinse, you can use a couple sheets of toilet paper to dry yourself. Or, have a cloth nearby for drying with.
Choosing a Lota
A lota just needs to pour a small stream of water. There are plenty of options:
- Small watering cans with stream-type spouts (not dispersal spouts)
- Empty water bottles
- Perennial washing devices (often given to women after childbirth)
- Travel bidet squirt bottles like this one on Amazon
- Douches
While a water bottle will work fine, I’d recommend buying a travel bidet. It delivers a higher water pressure, so you might be able to skip the rubbing with your hand part.
Family Cloths
Family cloths work great for pee, but I’m not sure how well this system would work for poo. In regular times, the cloths can be washed in a machine at high temperatures to sanitize. As someone who cloth diapered both her kids, I don’t find this gross at all.
However, in an emergency, your washing machine probably isn’t going to be working. That means washing poo cloths by hand. You won’t be able to sanitize them unless you use tons of chemicals or boil the water (which could mean wasting tons of fuel).
For long-term emergencies, though, family cloths beat using pages out of the phone book (who has phone books anymore?). Make sure you build a good off-grid washing machine for cleaning them!
You can easily make your own family cloths from micro-fiber towels or any other soft material. Some people prefer to buy them. There are plenty of reusable baby wipes, like these, on Amazon, which work great.
Scrunched Up Paper
Any paper will work well as an alternative to TP. Even the cardboard TP roll will work for cleaning your butt.
The obvious issue is that rough paper isn’t feel great on your butt, and you might not be able to get yourself completely clean. Plus, you could quickly run out of paper – especially if you need it as a fire starter.
I would hate to tear up my favorite books for toilet paper, especially when they might be my only form of entertainment (and distraction from an emergency at hand).
Instead of relying on paper alone, you’re probably better off combining it with other methods. Use a bit of paper to wipe your butt. Then use a lota to rinse. Finish wiping and drying with a cloth, which promptly goes in a basket for cleaning.
Do you stockpile toilet paper? What’s your backup solution if the TP runs out? Let us know in the comments!
I’m thinking a 1 or2 gallon pump sprayer place the nozzle in a bucket of vinegar or other suitable cleaner when not in use. One coffee filter should dry you off nicely.
Has anyone thought about cutting up squares of old tshirts, material, old sheets, old towels, whatever. Us poor people always have old shirts etc. And most of us at one time or another have had to resort to these items because lack of money until pay day.
I already use these. But for pee only. I’ve got two baskets in the bathroom. One is for the clean rags and the other is for dirty rags. Now my family (three girls) goes through TP at an amazingly slower rate. Admittedly, it would be annoying to do this if I didn’t have a clothes dryer. Hanging all those little rags to dry on a line would be so annoying!
They also make bidet squirt bottles, with inverted nozzle and easily found on Amazon. The amount of water they use would probably be equivalent to what you use to wash your hands with, but at least you aren’t touching poop!!
Buy some packs of cocktail napkins. Unfold and you have 4 single layer wipes of paper or unfold and rip into two, two-layer wipes. Using them unfolded is a waste of material.
Coffee filters are a great TP alternative. You can get a pack of 150-175 at the dollar tree. They store well, work well and havemany other uses. From, napkins, makeshift plate, to cleaning rags.
I grew up in the hardy cascades. I never had toilet paper until I was 17. I always used…
The mattress, blankets or pillow.
When you were done using the s*** spit, you would have to go wipe your ass on the things you would sleep on. Then you carry it out to the stream and rinse it off. Hang it up to dry and be done. Because of this, however, it was in your best interest to go in the morning to avoid sleeping on mold and mildew. It sounds awful, but it’s free of charge and it works.
Doesn’t seem like the greatest idea to be honest. Last thing we want is increased likelihood of infections and disease due to close proximity to human waste. We would not recommend this method at all.
CORNCOBS! I ASKED A FEW OLD-TIMERS WHAT THEY USED BEFORE TOILET PAPER – THEY USED OLD CATALOGS (SEARS, MONTGOMERY WARD, ECT.). I ASKED WHAT THEY USED BEFORE CATALOGS – CORNCOBS!!!!!
Headed used both on the farm before indoor plumbing .
I purchased several packs of 13 X 13 microfiber towels. Cut them into four equal parts. Plan on vinegar water side rinse bucket. Already have wash tubs and plunger washer with a wringer on the side of the tubs. Have septic tank, swimming pool for water source to flush. Also a portable loo with liners and compressed tp tabs, to use to bathe first then, after using a couple times, as they show wear use as tp and dispose. Also a pop up outhouse shape shower room to place over the loo, or over the septic tank outside, or under the tree where I can hang my portable black shower bags so I can get solar heated shower. Hoping I never need to put any of it to use. Had the outhouse as a child. Never did like them. Took many baths in a wash tub too. Oh, and a well.
Guys… COFFEE FILTERS!! Just thr right size, inexpensive, easy to pack a lot of them.
Haha – excellent idea!
Yes but it changes the taste of the coffee.
This is going to sound weird……but a spoon or two. Oval shaped is best. No sharp edges and you have a long handle. What you’re doing is like the stick you scrape between the cheeks and flick or scrape off with dirt/leaves/other spoon. But you’d want them packed and labeled/marked. Not something you want to mix up
In the winter, there is another option. Make a snowball and wipe. Chilly, but it works. Can’t say that I have tried this personally, but it make sense
That’s one I would rather not try!
I did this once. lol Refreshing is the word.
For more than fife years now I use a squeezable plastic bottle which originally contained dishwashing liquid instead of a lota. It works great: you can aim very precisely (in summer this way there is no need for a cloth to dry) and need not very much water ( ca 200 ml per washing). As they come in different sizes you can have a rather large one at home and a small one for travelling.
An ideal solution and totally free.
When I was growing up,,,,,,,, there was always the Sears & Roebuck catalog…. Read a page then squish it up between fist and WELLLLLLLLLLLLLLL…………
I think we’ve all been there!
I grew up in the early 40s on a farm and one day I tried to wipe with Mullein leaves. Bad Idea, they have fairly stiff hairs on them and my ass was itchy for a while afterward. I say use your finger, wipe it with the Mullein leaves and or drag it in the dirt or sand and rinse at first opprtunity.
Wysi Wipes (compressed tablets) may be purchased on Amazon and take an incredibly small amount of water to activate a fairly large cloth. I keep them in a medicine bottle. TP stockpiled would be ideal but these should be part of the plan.
Hey Debbie – hadn’t seen those before, they look like an excellent product. I will get them added to the article. In the meantime they are available on Amazon here.