Buyer's Handbook
Emergency toilets, for when the plumbing can't help.
Most outages leave the toilet working if you can pour in a bucket of water. Some don't. This handbook explains how to tell the difference, what each kind of emergency toilet does well, how many bags and how much cover material a household really needs, and how to store and dispose of waste the way public health agencies ask.
Reviewed November 2026. We re-check this guide quarterly.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
Start here
The water is off, and someone needs the bathroom
A main breaks across town, or a storm knocks out the well pump. Within an hour, everyone in the house has the same question. If the drain still works, the answer is a bucket of water poured into the bowl. If the drain might not work, because the ground shook, the basement is flooding, or a drain is backing up, the answer is a bag, a bucket, and a plan for where the bags go.
Public health agencies treat this as a health question, not a comfort one. CDC notes that even a microscopic amount of feces can contain millions of germs.[2] An emergency toilet's job is to keep waste contained, covered, and away from people, food, and water until normal service returns. The equipment is cheap. The planning is what makes it work.
Before you buy
Five questions about your own household
Your answers decide which format fits and how much to store, far more than any brand does.
City sewer, or a septic system?
A septic system can stop accepting water when its drainfield floods, even with the power on. Seattle's emergency guide notes that water and sewer lines can be disrupted after a major disaster.[7] The drain section covers both.
What are you planning for?
A water outage with working drains needs little more than stored water and a bucket. An earthquake, a flood, or a backed-up drain needs a toilet that does not use the plumbing at all.
How many people, for how many days?
People times days decides how many bags, how much cover material, and whether one toilet is enough. The how much section does the math.
Who will use it, and can they sit low?
A bucket seat sits lower than a household toilet. Young children need supervision, and King County's public health guidance says so plainly.[6] Older adults and anyone with limited mobility may need a steadier, higher seat.
How it works
Every emergency toilet does three jobs
Whatever it costs and whatever it looks like, an emergency toilet that does not use the plumbing has to contain waste, cover it, and keep it stored safely until it can be disposed of. The agency guides below describe the same three steps in nearly the same words.
1. Contain
A liner catches everything. King County's public health department lines a toilet bowl, a 5-gallon pail, or another container with two heavy-duty plastic garbage bags.[6] The bucket or seat only holds the liner steady and gives you somewhere to sit.
2. Cover
An absorbent or cover material soaks up liquid and holds down odor. King County names cat litter, fireplace ash, or sawdust in the bottom of the bags.[6] Commercial gel powders do a similar job by turning liquid into a gel; Cleanwaste says one of its kits gels up to 32 ounces of waste.[10]
3. Store, then dispose
Tied bags go somewhere protected from people, pets, and pests until there is a safe way to get rid of them.[6][7] This is the step most kits leave out, and the one agencies disagree about most. The disposal section lays out the differences.
A fourth job sits beside the toilet rather than inside it: handwashing. CDC's emergency hygiene guidance is built around it, and the hygiene section covers how to do it without running water.[2]
The distinction that matters most
No water, or no drain?
These are two different problems with two different answers. Losing water pressure means the toilet cannot refill. Losing the drain means whatever you flush may not go where it should.
The water is off, the drain works
Keep using the toilet
If the water is off but the sewer lines are unaffected, Wayne County, Michigan's emergency management office says toilets can be flushed with stored water.[12] Use water you are not saving for drinking. Our sanitation without water guide walks through bucket flushing step by step.
North Carolina's health department adds the simplest option of all: use a neighbor's, friend's, or local business's working toilet.[8] Either way, an emergency toilet is still worth having, in case the drain becomes the problem next.
The drain may not work
Stop flushing, start bagging
- After an earthquake. Seattle's emergency guide says that if the sewage lines are broken but the toilet bowl is usable, place a plastic bag around the bowl and use it that way.[7] Washington County, Oregon, tells septic owners to find out whether the system still works after an earthquake.[9]
- During a flood on septic. EPA advises not using the septic system while the soil is saturated and flooded, because the wastewater will not be treated, and not using it again until the water in the drainfield is lower than the water around the house.[4]
- When drains back up. EPA notes that whenever the water table is high or the system is threatened by flooding, sewage can back up into the home, and the only way to prevent it is to use the system less.[4]
- When officials say so. Seattle's guide notes that emergency public information will include instructions about waste disposal. Follow your own utility and health department first.[7]
To use the existing toilet as a bagged toilet, North Carolina's health department says to turn off the water valve, flush out the water still in the bowl so it does not refill, and line the bowl with a plastic bag inside another kitchen garbage bag.[8] Never dump floodwater from the house into a sink or toilet on a septic system; EPA says it pushes solids into the drainfield.[4]
What an emergency toilet cannot do
It holds waste. It does not make waste safe, and it only protects a household when these are true.
- Hands get washed every time. After using the toilet and after handling any bag of waste, wash with soap and water, or use hand sanitizer.[7]
- It is away from food and water. King County says to locate an emergency toilet away from food preparation and eating areas.[6] Stored bags stay away from food, water, children, and animals.[9]
- It stays closed between uses. Keep covers closed to keep out insects and animals and to prevent injury, and supervise small children using it.[6]
- Waste is never burned. Seattle's guide lists waste incineration, burial, and outdoor pit latrines as not legal and not recommended in the city, citing the risk of vermin and accidental contact.[7] Rules on burial differ elsewhere; check yours.
- Local instructions come first. Disposal rules vary by place and by emergency. Your health department or utility has the final word.
The formats
Six ways to build one, from free to about $200
Prices below are the ranges we found at major U.S. retailers on November 1, 2026. Every format still needs liners, cover material, and handwashing supplies.
About $0
A bag in your own toilet
Shut the water, empty the bowl, and line it with two bags.[8] The most comfortable option, at normal height, in a private room.
Watch for: lifting a heavy bag out of the bowl. Change it before it gets full.
About $15 to $35
Bucket toilet
A snap-on seat and lid on a 5-gallon pail, sold alone for about $16 or with the bucket for about $28 to $35. The agencies' standard answer when the bathroom toilet is unusable.[6][12] The bucket also stores the whole kit.
Watch for: a low seat and a tippy base on soft flooring. Check the seat's listed weight limit.
Two buckets, one seat
Twin-bucket toilet
One bucket for urine, one lined bucket for solids covered with shredded paper, bark chips, or a similar carbon material. Washington County, Oregon, recommends it for long sewer outages after an earthquake.[9]
Watch for: local rules. What to do with the urine differs by agency, so read your county's guide before you rely on it.
About $3 a kit
Gel waste-bag kits
A bag pre-loaded with gelling powder, a zip-close outer bag, toilet paper, and a wipe. Cleanwaste says each kit gels up to 32 ounces of waste and goes in the trash.[10] Light, sealed, and ready to grab.
Watch for: cost over two weeks for a family, and whether your area accepts them in the trash during an emergency.
About $25 to $40
Folding toilet frame
A collapsible frame with a seat that holds a bag underneath. Packs flat for a car or a closet shelf, and works with gel kits or plain liners.
Watch for: stability and weight rating. Set it up once at home before you need it.
About $100 to $200
Portable flush toilet
A camping toilet with a flush tank on top and a sealed waste tank below. Comfortable and familiar. Thetford says the waste tank is emptied at a dump station, or into a regular toilet connected to sewage.[11]
Watch for: the obvious catch. When the sewer is out, there may be nowhere to empty it. Best for a water outage or a camper, not an earthquake plan.
Permanent composting toilets are a different purchase, built for off-grid living rather than a closet kit, and this handbook does not cover them. Neither do rented portable toilets; King County notes those must be pumped out regularly by a licensed contractor.[6]
Bags and cover
The supplies do the real work
The seat is the cheap part. The liner and what goes in it decide whether the system is tolerable on day ten.
Liners
- Use heavy-duty bags, doubled. King County lines containers with two heavy-duty garbage bags, and Washington County uses heavy-duty 13-gallon bags.[6][9]
- Close them with a tie-wrap, then double-bag. Seattle warns that handle-tie bags are not liquid tight unless they are secured another way.[7]
- Do not overfill. Washington County fills a bucket no more than half full of waste, and King County ties and removes bags at the end of each day.[9][6]
Cover material
- Household absorbents. Cat litter, fireplace ash, sawdust, or shredded newspaper, named by King County and Seattle.[6][7] Cheap, and easy to store in quantity.
- Carbon cover. Shredded paper or bark chips over each use in a twin-bucket system, to dry the waste and control odor.[9]
- Gel powders. Sold loose or pre-loaded in bags. Cleanwaste's kit gels up to 32 ounces of waste.[10] Follow each maker's dose and disposal directions.
Where agencies disagree
Bleach in the bag, or not?
Some guides add disinfectant. Seattle's suggests pouring a solution of 1 part liquid chlorine bleach to 10 parts water into the container after each use, and Wayne County, Michigan, gives the same ratio.[7][12] North Carolina lists bleach or disinfectant as one choice among kitty litter, peat moss, and lime.[8] Washington County's twin-bucket method relies on dry carbon cover instead.[9]
Whichever your county uses, two cautions hold everywhere. Wayne County warns not to use dry bleach, and to buy chlorinated lime, never quicklime, which is highly alkaline and corrosive.[12] And CDC says never to mix bleach with ammonia or any other cleaner.[3]
How much you need
The math for two weeks
Start with water, because it decides whether you need an emergency toilet sooner than you think. Ready.gov plans one gallon per person per day for drinking and sanitation.[1] A single toilet flush uses far more: the federal standard is 1.6 gallons, WaterSense toilets use 1.28 gallons or less, and older toilets can use as much as 6.[5]
A family of four, flushing by bucket
If each person flushes four times a day with a 1.6-gallon toilet, that is about 26 gallons a day, more than six times the four gallons the family's stored water was planned around. Bucket flushing makes sense with plenty of water you are not saving for drinking, such as a filled bathtub or a rain barrel. Without it, a bagged toilet saves your water for people.
Bags and cover for 14 days
- Liners. One change a day per toilet, as King County does, doubled, is 28 heavy-duty bags per toilet for two weeks, plus outer bags for storage.[6] A busy household may change more often. Buy a full box more than the math says.
- Gel kits. Check each kit's stated capacity, up to 32 ounces of waste for Cleanwaste's, against how many times your household uses the toilet in a day.[10] For a family over two weeks the count climbs quickly, so kits suit travel and short outages, and a bucket toilet with liners suits a long one.
- Cover material. A large bag of cat litter or sawdust, or a shopping bag of shredded paper, stored dry. Use some after every use.
- More than one toilet. A large household, or one with someone who is ill, may want a second bucket toilet so nobody waits.
The rest of the kit
Seattle's list is a good template: a bucket with a tight lid, heavy-duty bags and ties, absorbent material, household bleach, soap, rubber or vinyl gloves, toilet paper, antiseptic towelettes, and hand sanitizer.[7] Ready.gov's basic kit names moist towelettes, garbage bags, and plastic ties for personal sanitation.[1] Add menstrual and incontinence supplies and diapers if anyone in the house uses them. Our emergency hygiene supplies handbook covers the rest of the shelf.
Hygiene
Clean hands are the other half
A well-sealed bag does little good if the hands that tied it go straight to the kitchen.
Soap and water first
CDC says to wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If clean tap water is not available, set up a temporary handwashing station with a large water jug.[2] King County asks for a place to wash hands next to the emergency toilet.[6]
Sanitizer as backup
Without soap and water, CDC says to use an alcohol-based sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. It does not remove every germ and works less well on visibly dirty or greasy hands.[2]
For the wider picture, including bathing, dishes, and laundry without running water, see our emergency hygiene guide and the hygiene and sanitation section.
Storage and disposal
Where the bags go depends on where you live
Storage advice is consistent. Disposal advice is not, so plan for storage and wait for your local instructions on the rest.
Storing tied bags
Disposal, agency by agency
- King County, Washington: into a working public sewer or septic system, or buried on your own property; in the household garbage only during a declared emergency, once a public announcement allows it.[6]
- Seattle: during emergencies only, with other household garbage, securely double-bagged. Burial, burning, and pit latrines are not legal in the city.[7]
- Washington County, Oregon: store the double-bagged waste securely and listen for instructions from your waste haulers.[9]
- Gel kit makers: Cleanwaste's directions say to dispose of its kits in the trash.[10] Your local rules still decide.
The pattern: store safely now, and dispose the way your own health department or waste service announces. Ask them now, before you need it.
What goes wrong
How a good plan falls apart
Flushing a broken drain
Pouring water into a toilet on a flooded septic system or a cracked sewer line sends sewage where it should not go. When the drain is in doubt, bag the bowl.[4][7]
Thin bags and handle ties
Thin bags can tear, and Seattle warns that handle-tie bags are not liquid tight.[7] Store heavy-duty bags and a pack of tie-wraps with the bucket.
Overfilled bags
A full bag is heavy and hard to lift without spilling. Change it at half full, or at the end of each day.[9][6]
Running out on day four
A seat with six bags is a weekend, not a plan. Count liners and cover material for the number of people and days in the math above.
The wrong lime or bleach
Quicklime and dry bleach are caustic; Wayne County warns against both.[12] Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.[3]
A flush toilet with nowhere to empty
A portable flush toilet's tank needs a dump station or a working sewer-connected toilet.[11] In a sewer outage, keep bags on hand for it too.
What to buy
Now that you know what to look for
Our emergency toilet comparison is below, followed by the checks we hold every option against.
Affiliate disclosure: New World Survival earns a small commission on qualifying Amazon purchases at no cost to you. This helps us cover operating costs and keep building new content. We only recommend gear we would put in our own kit. Commission never decides a recommendation.
Must have
- Holds a doubled heavy-duty liner securely
- A lid that closes between uses
- A listed weight limit for the seat
Plan around
- Two weeks of liners and cover
- Somewhere safe for tied bags
- Your county's disposal rules
Easy to live with
- A seat height the whole household can use
- Stores its own supplies inside
- A handwashing setup beside it
After you buy
An hour of setup, then a closet shelf
An emergency toilet asks for almost nothing until the day it is needed.
Pack the kit inside the bucket
Bags, ties, gloves, toilet paper, wipes, sanitizer, and a small bag of cover material fit inside a lidded 5-gallon pail, so the whole system lives in one place.
Set it up once
Line it, sit on it, and tie off a bag in daylight. Finding out the seat wobbles on your floor is easier now than during an outage.
Learn your local rules
Look up your county health department's emergency sanitation page, and your septic system's needs if you have one. Note where waste is supposed to go.
Keep the cover material dry
Litter, sawdust, and powders are absorbents. Store them sealed, off a concrete floor, so they are ready to absorb when you need them.
Sanitation without water
Bucket flushing, protecting drain traps, and setting up a bucket toilet day to day.
Read the guideSewer and septic systems
How your wastewater leaves the house, and what changes in an outage or a flood.
Read the guideWater outage action plan
The first hours and days without running water, in order.
Read the guideSeptic system care
Keeping a septic system healthy, and what to do when it floods.
Read the guideAll comparisons
Every comparison, in one place
Each comparison we publish for emergency toilets is listed here as it is finished.
Where this comes from
Sources
Federal guidance covers handwashing, kits, and septic systems. Detailed household instructions for emergency toilets come from state and county public health and emergency management agencies, cited here by name. Where they differ, this guide says so.
- Ready.gov (FEMA). "Build a Kit." Accessed November 1, 2026. ready.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Guidelines for Personal Hygiene During an Emergency." August 5, 2024. Accessed November 1, 2026. cdc.gov
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "How to Safely Clean and Sanitize with Bleach." August 26, 2026. Accessed November 1, 2026. cdc.gov
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. "Septic Systems: What to Do after the Flood." Accessed November 1, 2026. epa.gov
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense. "Residential Toilets." Accessed November 1, 2026. epa.gov
- Public Health, Seattle and King County. "How to create an emergency toilet." Accessed November 1, 2026. kingcounty.gov
- Seattle Emergency Management. "Emergency Sanitation" (brochure). Accessed November 1, 2026. seattle.gov
- North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. "Toilet Use During an Emergency." October 2024. Accessed November 1, 2026. ncdhhs.gov
- Washington County (Oregon) Emergency Management. "Disaster Sanitation." Take 5 preparedness series. Accessed November 1, 2026. washingtoncountyor.gov
- Cleanwaste (manufacturer). "The Original WAG BAG" product page. Accessed November 1, 2026. cleanwaste.com
- Thetford (manufacturer). "Portable toilet" infographic. Accessed November 1, 2026. thetford.com
- Wayne County (Michigan) Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "Sanitation in an Emergency." Accessed November 1, 2026. waynecountymi.gov
Stay current
We re-check this guide every quarter as guidance and products change. The Weekly Readiness Brief is a quiet way to hear when it updates.