Can you still flush?
- City water and sewer working? Toilets work normally, even without power.
- On a well? No power, no water. You can still flush by pouring a bucket of water (about 1–2 gallons) quickly into the bowl. Use non-drinking water: rain, melted snow, bathwater, pool water.
- Sewer backed up, or officials say don't flush (after earthquakes, floods, or sewer plant failures)? Stop using the toilet. Flushing can push sewage back into your home or a neighbor's. Switch to a bucket toilet.
- Septic system without power? Gravity septic systems keep working. Systems with pumps or alarms may need you to cut back on water use until power returns.
The two-bucket toilet
The best simple system, recommended by emergency managers in the Pacific Northwest. Separating pee from poop keeps the poop bucket far drier, so it smells much less and holds much more.
You'll need: two 5-gallon buckets with lids, a toilet seat that snaps onto a bucket (or a pool noodle slit lengthwise), heavy-duty garbage bags (contractor bags), and dry cover material: sawdust, wood pellets, shredded paper, peat moss, or clumping cat litter.
- Pee bucket: no bag needed. Pee is usually sterile when it leaves a healthy body. Dilute it about 1 part pee to 10 parts water and pour it on lawn or shrubs away from food crops and water sources. Or pour it down a working drain.
- Poop bucket: line with two bags. After each use, cover with a scoop of dry material. Keep the lid on.
- When it's about half full, tie the bags closed, and store them in a covered, labeled bin (a lidded garbage can) away from the house until collection resumes or officials say how to dispose of them.
- Toilet paper can go in the poop bucket.
A household that can't flush for a week needs a lot of bags — keep a roll of 20–30 contractor bags and a big bag of cover material with your kit.
Washing up without running water
- Handwashing station: a water jug with a spigot over a bucket, soap, and paper towels. Wash for 20 seconds after the toilet, before cooking and eating.
- Hand sanitizer (60%+ alcohol) works when hands aren't visibly dirty.
- Sponge baths: a basin of warm water and a washcloth go a long way. Baby wipes are great too.
- Dishes: use paper plates and cups during long outages to save water, or wash with three tubs — soapy water, rinse water, and a sanitizing rinse (1 tablespoon unscented bleach per gallon of water, 1 minute soak, air-dry).
- Teeth: brush with treated or bottled water.
Trash
Trash pickup may stop. Use tightly lidded cans, keep food waste and diapers double-bagged, and store bins away from the house to discourage rodents, raccoons — and in rural areas, bears.
Cleaning and disinfecting
For surfaces after a flood or sewage backup, CDC recommends 1 cup of unscented bleach in 5 gallons of water. Wear gloves and eye protection, ventilate well, and never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners — it makes toxic gas.
Supplies checklist
Sources: CDC — Hygiene in Emergencies · Seattle Emergency Management — Twin bucket toilet · FEMA — Are You Ready? (sanitation)