Plan for when the plumbing stops

When the water is off or the sewer is backed up, sanitation becomes the problem that turns a bad week into a dangerous one. The direct threat of a disaster is usually over in hours; the illness that follows from poor sanitation can last weeks. The plan is unglamorous and cheap: handwashing supplies, a toilet alternative, a waste plan, and the basics for periods of no running water.

Keep hands clean when water is scarce

Handwashing is the single most effective thing you can do to prevent the spread of illness after a disruption. Stock hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) for when soap and water aren't available, but understand it's a bridge, not a replacement — it doesn't clean visibly dirty hands and doesn't kill every pathogen. Soap and water, even minimal water, is better. The CDC guidance is clear: wash for 20 seconds with soap.

Plan the water for it. If you're on a tight water budget, handwashing water can be lower-quality than drinking water — water you've already used for something else, caught in a basin. Don't use your precious drinking water to wash hands if you can reuse. A basin, a bar of soap, and a plan to catch the runoff is the setup.

Stock the supplies: liquid soap, bar soap, hand sanitizer, paper towels or clean cloths, and disposable gloves for handling waste. These are cheap and they run out faster than you'd expect when the whole household is home for days. Buy them in quantity and store them with your emergency supplies, not scattered through the house.

Handwashing isn't just for after the bathroom. It's before food prep, after handling garbage, after caring for someone who's sick. During a disruption, when everyone is stressed and crowded, the bar for transmission is lower and the handwashing bar needs to be higher. Build the habit now, not during the outage.

For kids, make it easy. A step stool to the sink, soap they can reach, a routine they know. During a disruption, the kid who can wash their own hands is the kid who doesn't bring the stomach bug into the shelter room. The habit is the prep; the supplies are the backup.

Plan a toilet for when the plumbing fails

If the water is off or the sewer line is backed up, your toilet doesn't flush. The two-tub-bag method is a simple answer: line your toilet bowl (or a bucket) with a heavy-duty trash bag, add a handful of kitty litter, sawdust, or soil after each use to control moisture and smell, and tie and store the bag when it's full. Store used bags in a covered bin away from living spaces until you can dispose of them properly.

For a household, plan for the volume. Two adults produce a meaningful amount of waste and toilet paper in a week. Have enough heavy-duty bags, an absorbent material, and a bucket or a toilet seat riser. A 5-gallon bucket with a lid and a trash-bag liner is the minimum; a purpose-made camping toilet is nicer. Don't flush anything but human waste and toilet paper during a disruption — your plumbing may already be stressed.

For anyone in the household with specific needs — infants in diapers, menstruation, a household member with mobility issues — plan for those supplies too. A shortage of diapers or menstrual products during a power outage that also closes the stores is a crisis you can avoid by stocking ahead. These aren't 'extras' — they're the core of a real sanitation plan.

Privacy and dignity matter, especially for kids and for anyone with mobility needs. If you're using a bucket toilet in a shared space, plan a privacy screen or a designated spot. A plan that works technically but is too awkward to use is a plan that fails. Think about how the household will actually use it.

Have a waste-disposal plan for after the disruption. Tied bags in a covered bin are fine for a few days; for longer, you need a plan for where they go. Check your local guidance on emergency waste disposal. Don't let the solution to one problem (no toilet) create another (a pile of untreated waste).

Plan waste and laundry

Trash piles up fast when you're home 24/7. Have extra trash bags and a plan for where full bags go if pickup is delayed. Food waste in a non-working fridge or during an outage is a smell and pest problem; a sealed bag in a cool spot or outside is the answer. A disrupted routine produces more trash than a normal week.

Laundry without machines is real work. For a short outage, you can get by with re-wearing and spot-cleaning. For a longer one, a basin, a plunger, and a drying line are the tools. Stock detergent and a clothesline. If you have an infant, cloth-diaper supplies and a hand-washing plan are the backup if disposable diapers run out.

For a household with kids or anyone incontinent, laundry is a bigger issue. Stock extra changes of clothes, bedding, and a hand-washing method. A disruption that lasts a week with no laundry is a hygiene problem, not just a comfort one. Plan for the volume, not for the ideal case.

The honest summary: sanitation is the category people skip because it's not fun to think about, and it's the category that causes the most secondary illness. A week of handwashing supplies, a bucket toilet, and a waste plan cost very little and prevent the worst outcomes. Don't let the unglamorous categories be the ones you skip.

Stock for the disruption you'll face, not the one in the movies. A week of being home with the power out is the realistic scenario for most households. That's a lot of hands to wash, meals to clean up after, trash to deal with, and laundry to think about. Plan for that, not for a year in a bunker.

This is planning guidance, not emergency advice. In an emergency, call 911. See a mistake? Report it.

Keep planning the basics