Emergency Toilet and Sanitation: What to Do When the Water Is Out

Quick answer: if the water is off but the sewer system still works, you can flush a toilet by pouring a bucket of stored or non-drinking water quickly into the bowl. If officials say sewer lines are damaged or backing up, stop flushing and switch to an emergency toilet: a sturdy bucket lined with heavy-duty trash bags, with sawdust, cat litter or a similar absorbent added after each use. Ready.gov lists moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation in a basic emergency kit. Keep hand sanitizer near the toilet, store used bags in a lidded container away from living areas, and follow your local utility’s guidance on disposal.

Most people think about drinking water first when they plan for an outage, and that is the right priority. Sanitation comes a very close second. A household that cannot flush a toilet or wash its hands for even two or three days runs into odor, mess and a real risk of spreading illness, especially in a small apartment where there is no backyard and no spare room.

Water service can stop for many reasons: a broken water main, a power failure at a pumping station, a boil-water or do-not-use order, a freeze, an earthquake or flooding that damages treatment plants. In tall buildings, a power outage alone can stop the pumps that push water to upper floors. This guide covers what to do in each case and what to keep on hand. It builds on our emergency water guide, which explains how much drinking water to store and how to treat it.

Sources: Ready.gov, “Build a Kit” and “Water” guidance; Federal Emergency Management Agency publications on food and water in an emergency; American Red Cross emergency kit lists; Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization (Portland, Oregon area), Twin Bucket Emergency Toilet guidance; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, guidance on emergency disinfection of drinking water. General information only. Follow instructions from your local water utility and emergency officials. Checked October 2026.

First Question: Is the Sewer Still Working?

Before you decide how to handle toilets, figure out what actually failed. There are two separate systems in your home: the water supply that brings clean water in, and the sewer that carries wastewater out.

• Water supply off, sewer working. This is the most common situation during a water main break or a short outage. The toilet bowl still drains normally; the tank just does not refill. You can flush manually with a bucket of water.
• Sewer damaged or backing up. After earthquakes, major floods or widespread infrastructure damage, officials may ask residents not to flush at all. Flushing into a broken system can push sewage back into homes, streets and waterways.
• Building pumps down. In apartment towers, water pressure on upper floors can drop when the power fails. Drains often still work, so manual flushing is usually fine unless the building or city says otherwise.

Listen to your local water utility, city emergency management office or building management. Local radio, official social media accounts and emergency alerts are the usual channels. If you see sewage coming up through floor drains, tubs or toilets, stop using all drains and report it.

How to Flush a Toilet Without Running Water

When the sewer is working, a toilet does not need its tank to flush. It needs a fast surge of water into the bowl.

1. Fill a bucket or large pitcher with about one to two gallons of water. Older toilets typically need more water than newer low-flow models.
2. Lift the seat.
3. Pour the water quickly and steadily into the bowl, aiming toward the drain hole. A fast pour triggers the siphon that empties the bowl.
4. Pour a little more slowly at the end to refill the bowl so it seals out sewer gas.

You can also pour water into the tank and press the handle, but pouring straight into the bowl uses less water.

Use non-drinking water for flushing whenever you can. Water from a bathtub you filled before the outage, rain collected in a bucket, or leftover cooking and washing water all work. Save your stored drinking water for drinking, cooking and hygiene. If you have a few minutes of warning before a storm, filling the bathtub is one of the simplest ways to set aside flushing water, as long as no young children can get into it unsupervised.

To stretch your supply, many families follow a simple rule during outages: flush solid waste right away and let urine wait for several uses before flushing. Keep the lid closed between flushes.

When You Should Not Flush

There are times when flushing makes things worse:

• Officials have announced damage to sewer lines or treatment plants and asked residents to stop flushing.
• Your building has flooded at ground or basement level and drains are backing up.
• After a strong earthquake, until the building and city confirm the pipes are intact.
• When you hear gurgling from several drains at once or see water rising in a tub or shower when the toilet is flushed.

In these cases, switch to an emergency toilet. Do not dump waste outside, into storm drains or into a toilet that cannot carry it away. That spreads contamination where other people live and walk.

How to Set Up a Two-Bucket Emergency Toilet

Emergency managers in the Pacific Northwest promote a simple system called the Twin Bucket Emergency Toilet, developed for earthquake preparedness by the Regional Disaster Preparedness Organization in the Portland, Oregon area. It works just as well in a city apartment during any long outage.

The idea is to separate liquid and solid waste. Urine is generally much lower risk than feces and makes up most of the volume, so keeping it separate makes the solid-waste bucket smaller, drier and less smelly.

What you need:

• Two sturdy buckets, ideally five-gallon size, with tight-fitting lids
• A toilet seat that fits a bucket, or a regular seat you can rest on top
• Heavy-duty trash bags (contractor bags are thicker)
• A dry absorbent material such as sawdust, wood pellets, shredded paper, peat moss or clumping cat litter
• Toilet paper
• Hand sanitizer and moist wipes
• Disposable gloves
• Labels or tape to mark the buckets clearly

Setup steps:

1. Label one bucket for liquid and the other for solid waste.
2. Line the solid-waste bucket with two trash bags.
3. Add a layer of absorbent material to the bottom of the bagged bucket.
4. After each use of the solid-waste bucket, cover the waste with a scoop of absorbent material and close the lid.
5. When the bag is about half full, tie it off, place it in another bag if needed, and store it in a separate lidded container away from living areas until collection is possible.

Liquid waste: depending on local guidance, urine can often be diluted and poured down a working drain or onto soil outdoors away from water sources. If sewers are damaged and you have no outdoor space, store it in a sealed container and follow local instructions.

Single-Bucket Options and Commercial Kits

If you only have room for one bucket, you can still make a working emergency toilet. Line it with a double layer of heavy-duty bags, add absorbent material after every use and change the bag frequently. It will fill faster and smell more than a two-bucket system, but it keeps waste contained.

Commercial emergency toilet kits are also sold. Most combine a bucket, a snap-on seat, waste bags and a gelling or absorbent powder. Some include bags that fit directly inside a regular toilet bowl. These are convenient for apartments because the bags go into the existing toilet after you shut off the supply valve and empty the bowl. Whatever you buy, check that the bags are thick, that the absorbent is clearly labeled for human waste and that you have enough supplies for several days.

How Much to Store for Sanitation

There is no single official number for emergency toilet supplies, but you can estimate based on your household.

Item	Suggested starting point for 1 to 2 people, 3 days	Notes
Heavy-duty trash bags	1 box (20 or more)	Use double-bagging; extra bags help with general trash
Absorbent material	1 to 2 gallons	Cat litter, sawdust or commercial powder
Toilet paper	2 to 4 rolls	Stored in a waterproof bag
Hand sanitizer	1 to 2 bottles	At least 60 percent alcohol
Moist wipes	1 large pack	For hands and body when water is limited
Disposable gloves	1 box	For handling bags and cleaning
Bleach	1 bottle of plain, unscented	For cleaning; check expiration
Zip ties or twist ties	1 pack	Ready.gov lists plastic ties for sanitation

Scale up for larger households, pets or anyone with medical needs. If you plan for two weeks rather than three days, multiply accordingly. Ready.gov encourages households to consider supplies for several days and longer in case services are out for an extended period.

Keeping Hands Clean With Limited Water

Handwashing is one of the most effective ways to prevent illness, and it gets harder when the taps are off. A few habits help:

• Set up a handwashing station. A large water jug with a spigot, set over a bucket or the sink, lets you wet hands, turn off the spigot while soaping, then rinse. This uses much less water than a running faucet.
• Use soap and water when hands are visibly dirty. Hand sanitizer does not work well on greasy or soiled hands.
• Keep sanitizer at the toilet and at the kitchen area so everyone uses it every time.
• Wash or sanitize before handling food and after using the toilet, changing a diaper, handling pets or touching trash bags.

Water for handwashing should be clean. If your utility issues a boil-water notice, use boiled, bottled or properly disinfected water for hands as well as for drinking. Our guide to water storage containers compares jugs with spigots, barrels and bladders that work well for this.

Bathing, Dishes and Laundry During an Outage

Sanitation goes beyond the toilet. When water is short:

• Sponge baths with a basin of warm water and a washcloth use a fraction of the water of a shower. No-rinse body wash and moist wipes stretch supplies further.
• Paper plates and disposable cutlery reduce dishwashing. Store a small pack in your kit.
• Wipe dishes before washing to remove food scraps, then wash in one basin of soapy water and rinse in a second.
• Postpone laundry unless clothing is contaminated with waste or floodwater. Bag soiled items separately.

Reused gray water from washing can often go toward flushing, which keeps fresh water for drinking.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Without Running Water

Diluted household bleach is a common disinfectant for hard surfaces. Use only plain, unscented bleach and follow the label instructions for disinfecting, since concentrations vary by brand. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners, because the combination creates toxic fumes. Open a window or run a battery fan for ventilation while you clean.

Wipe the area around the emergency toilet, the bucket rim and seat, door handles and the handwashing station at least once a day. Wear gloves and wash or sanitize your hands afterward.

Odor and Pest Control in a Small Space

An emergency toilet in an apartment can quickly become unpleasant. Keep it manageable:

• Cover every deposit with absorbent material right away.
• Keep lids closed at all times.
• Change bags before they get heavy or full, so they do not tear.
• Store sealed bags in a covered trash can on a balcony, in a garage area or in the coolest, most ventilated spot available.
• Keep sealed bags away from food storage and sleeping areas.

Insects and rodents are drawn to waste and food scraps. Tight lids and prompt bag changes are the best defense.

Disposal: What Happens to the Bags

This is the question people most often skip. During a short outage, sealed bags of waste can usually go out with regular trash collection once service resumes, but rules vary by city, and some areas set up special collection after large disasters. Check with your local sanitation department or emergency management office.

Never put waste bags in recycling, storm drains or open dumpsters without guidance. If collection is delayed for a long time, local officials will typically announce drop-off points or instructions.

Special Considerations for Apartments and High-Rises

Apartment living adds a few wrinkles:

• Know where your toilet’s shut-off valve is. It is usually behind the toilet near the floor. If you are using bags inside the bowl, turn the valve off first so the tank does not refill if water returns unexpectedly.
• Ask your building about its plan. Some buildings have backup pumps or generators; others lose water pressure on upper floors as soon as the power goes out.
• Coordinate with neighbors so nobody flushes into a backed-up stack. On shared lines, one unit’s flush can overflow another unit’s fixtures below.
• Store supplies compactly. A five-gallon bucket can hold the bags, absorbent, gloves and toilet paper, then become the toilet itself when needed.

Our apartment emergency kit guide has more tips on fitting supplies into closets and under beds.

Planning for Kids, Older Adults and Pets

Toddlers in diapers, older adults and anyone with mobility limits may need extra supplies or a sturdier setup. Consider:

• Extra diapers, wipes and disposal bags, enough for at least a week
• A commode chair or toilet frame that a bucket can sit under for people who need support getting up and down
• Incontinence supplies if anyone in the household uses them
• Pet waste bags and extra litter so pets do not compete with people for absorbent materials

Talk to children ahead of time about the bucket toilet so they are not frightened by it during an emergency. Make it part of a calm practice run.

Practice Before You Need It

Setting up an emergency toilet for the first time in the dark during a storm is stressful. A short trial run on an ordinary weekend shows you what fits where, whether the seat is stable and what supplies you are missing. Put a printed one-page instruction sheet inside the bucket so anyone in the household can follow it.

Review the kit when you check the rest of your supplies. Bleach loses strength over time, sanitizer can evaporate and bags can become brittle in hot storage areas. Our severe weather preparedness guide covers the rest of your household plan, from alerts to shelter options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I flush my toilet if the water is shut off?

Yes, if the sewer system is working. Pour one to two gallons of water quickly into the bowl to trigger a flush. Stop if officials say sewer lines are damaged or drains are backing up.

What can I use instead of a toilet in an emergency?

A sturdy five-gallon bucket lined with heavy-duty trash bags, with cat litter, sawdust or another absorbent added after each use, makes a workable emergency toilet. A two-bucket system that separates liquid and solid waste reduces odor and volume.

Should I use drinking water to flush?

Only as a last resort. Use bathtub water, collected rainwater or leftover washing water for flushing, and save stored drinking water for drinking, cooking and hygiene.

How do I get rid of emergency toilet waste?

Seal bags tightly, store them in a lidded container away from living areas and follow your city’s sanitation guidance. Disposal rules vary, and officials often announce special instructions after large disasters.

What sanitation supplies does Ready.gov recommend?

Ready.gov’s basic emergency kit list includes moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. Many households add a bucket, absorbent material, gloves, sanitizer and toilet paper.