Chapter 21 · Hygiene and sanitation
21.3 If the sewer works: bucket flush
- Use non-drinking water. Water from the bathtub, graywater from washing dishes or clothes, rainwater, or pool water. Never use your drinking water reserve.
- Fill a bucket. Modern U.S. toilets are built to flush with 1.6 gallons (6 L) or less; older ones use more.
- Pour it into the bowl all at once, not into the tank, from a few inches up and in a single motion. The force of the stream is what carries the contents through the trap. Pouring it slowly just fills the bowl.
- Save flushes. Flush every time there are feces. With urine only, you can wait for several visits (close the lid). Put the paper in a container with a lid and a bag if water is scarce, so you don't clog the drain with weak flushes.
