Emergency toilets when the water stops: the bag method

First: can you still flush?

It depends on whether the sewers are working, not just the taps.

• Water off, sewers working (a burst main, planned work): you can flush with stored water. Bournemouth Water's advice is to fill a bucket from your water butt or stored water and pour it into the bowl. Be Ready says rainwater from a water butt is fine for flushing but not for drinking. Don't flush wipes.
• Sewers not working (a long or national power cut, flooding, or if you're told so): don't flush. The UK Chief Medical Officers' broadcast scripts for a national power outage say not to flush the toilet in any way, because the sewage system wouldn't be working. Finland's environment institute says even a short power cut stops most sewage pumping stations, and to wait for power to come back before flushing.

If you're not sure, check your water company's website or local radio. Be Ready's checklist also suggests keeping hand sanitiser, wet wipes and bathroom products in your kit.

The bag method, step by step

This combines the UK Chief Medical Officers' scripts with Sweden's and the Czech Republic's official advice.

1. Line the toilet bowl (seat up) with a strong bin bag, or line a bucket with a lid. Sweden's brochure suggests either. A second bag on top makes changing it easier.
2. Wee separately if you can. Sweden says you can still wee in the toilet even if you can't flush, and that keeping wee and poo apart cuts the smell. If the sewers are working, wee in the unflushed toilet; if not, use a separate lidded bucket or bottle.
3. Cover each use. Sweden suggests compost litter or sawdust. The Czech government suggests toilet paper, newspaper or cat litter. This soaks up liquid and cuts the smell.
4. Put used toilet paper in the bag or a lidded bin, not down the toilet.
5. Tie the bag when it's a quarter to half full, so it isn't too heavy to lift without splitting. (This is general practice, not from an official source.)
6. Double-bag it. The Czech advice is to seal it and put it inside two more bags.
7. Put it in your outside bin with normal household waste. The Chief Medical Officers' scripts say outside, if you have one. In a long outage, follow your council's instructions; Sweden says the council will tell people where to take waste.
8. Wash your hands (see below).

What to keep at home

From Sweden's brochure, Be Ready's checklist and the Chief Medical Officers' advice:

• strong bin bags (plenty);
• a bucket with a lid;
• sawdust, cat litter or old newspaper;
• toilet paper, wet wipes and hand sanitiser;
• nappies and period products if you use them;
• soap and a washing-up bowl;
• disposable gloves if you want them (general advice).

Handwashing when water is short

The Chief Medical Officers' scripts give a simple method:

• Fill one washing-up bowl with water and soap or household disinfectant. The whole household uses it for handwashing, for the whole outage, even if the water stops looking clean.
• If anyone has diarrhoea, they use a separate bowl.
• Soap and water work better than hand sanitiser. Use sanitiser only if it's all you have.
• Wash after using the toilet, after handling the bags, and before preparing or eating food.

The NHS says to wash for around 20 seconds, and to use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser if soap and water aren't available.

Keep your stored drinking water for drinking, handwashing and food. The Chief Medical Officers say not to use it for showers or baths.

Flats and shared buildings

We found no UK official advice written for flats. Two common-sense points:

• In a block, sewage pipes are shared. If the sewers aren't working, flushing on an upper floor can cause problems lower down, so follow building management or official advice.
• Bags need a safe place to wait for the bin. A lidded bucket or box on a balcony works if your outside bin is far away.

Ready-made toilet bags

Bags with absorbent gel that fit a toilet or bucket are sold for camping and emergencies. They're convenient, but ordinary strong bin bags plus sawdust or cat litter do the same job, and that's what the official advice we read describes. We haven't tested any toilet-bag brand, so we don't list one.

Related guides

• No water supply: what to do, and what you're entitled to
• Emergency water at home: how much to store and how
• Boil water notice: what it means and what to do
• Power cut kit: what to keep in one box, and how long power cuts last

Free tools

• No water in my area: your water company's live page
• Emergency supplies calculator

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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