Hygiene without running water: washing, toilets and waste in an emergency
How to wash with two liters of water, how to set up an emergency toilet when the water stops in an apartment building and how to handle waste to avoid disease.
In short
- Hand washing is still the most important protection against disease, even with very little water.
- If the water is off, don't flush the toilet: use a bucket lined with heavy bags and an absorbent material.
- Keep waste in thick, closed bags, away from your home and from water sources.
- Washing water can be non-potable; water for cooking and brushing teeth must be drinkable.
When the water stops, hygiene problems arrive fast: the toilet doesn’t work, dishes pile up, hands aren’t washed as often. In disasters, diseases caused by poor hygiene (diarrhea, infections) are among the most common health problems. The good news: with a few cheap items prepared in advance and a few simple rules, the risk drops a lot.
Hand washing
Wash your hands before eating or preparing food, after the toilet, after changing a diaper and after touching waste.
With very little water: fill a plastic bottle, make a few small holes in the cap and use it as a mini shower. Wet your hands, close the bottle, lather for 20 seconds, then rinse. For a family, each wash uses just a few deciliters.
Without water: hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol, if hands aren’t visibly dirty.
Body hygiene
- Sponge bath: a basin with 1 to 2 liters of warm water, a sponge or small towel, soap. Wash in sections, top to bottom.
- Large wet wipes for the body, as a no-water option.
- Dry shampoo for hair.
- Brushing teeth with drinking water: a cup is enough.
Dishes
- Use disposable plates, cups and cutlery in the first days.
- If you wash up, use two basins: one with water and detergent, the second with rinse water and a few drops of unscented bleach.
- Wipe food scraps off with paper first to save water.
The emergency toilet
If the water isn’t running, don’t flush with water from your drinking supply. You have two options:
If the sewer is working: pour a bucket of non-drinking water (from the bathtub, rainwater) quickly into the toilet bowl.
If you don’t know whether the sewer is working (after an earthquake or flood), use an emergency toilet:
- Empty the water from the toilet bowl.
- Put two heavy garbage bags, one inside the other, into the bowl or into a bucket with a lid.
- After each use, add an absorbent material: sawdust, cat litter, lime, dry soil or shredded paper.
- Tie the bag tightly when it’s a quarter to half full (heavier bags tear) and put it in a lidded container outside, away from water and your home.
- Wash your hands after every use.
Waste
- Thick bags, tightly closed, kept in a lidded container.
- Away from the home, wells and water sources.
- Don’t burn waste, especially plastic.
- Separate food scraps and seal them well so they don’t attract animals and insects.
Checklist
- Soap and hand sanitizer for several weeks
- Large wet wipes and dry shampoo
- Toilet paper, sanitary products, diapers
- Heavy garbage bags (at least 20)
- A bucket with a lid for an emergency toilet
- Absorbent material: cat litter or sawdust
- Unscented bleach for disinfecting
- Disposable plates and cutlery
- A basin and a sponge
Frequently asked questions
Can I use bathtub water to flush the toilet?
Yes. If you know the water will be cut, fill the bathtub. Poured quickly from a bucket into the bowl, it flushes the toilet. Only do this if you know the sewer system is working; after earthquakes or floods, it may be damaged.
What can replace water for hand washing?
Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is a good alternative when hands aren't visibly dirty. When they are, you need soap and water, even a very small amount.
Sources and further reading
Preper is for general education and does not replace instructions from your local authorities or advice from a doctor. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.