# TP anyone?



## billybob (Mar 4, 2015)

OK newbie here but not a newbie prepper. I am having a little decision. Trying to figure out how much TP (toilet paper) to stock for a family of 5 adults for one year. I am not able to get a real good handle on our usage due to having 4 bathrooms in the house. Anyone have any good rule of thumb ideas for how much TP per person per year?


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

My guess is about one role per person per week. 4x52=258 rolls per year plus another 36 for those ruff times. If you eat a whole lot of Mexican food double it!


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

No idea how you could estimate it! Everyone would use a different number of sheets 'per wipe' with a different number of required wipes per visit, different number of visits a day.....

I would start from fresh roll in each and monitor each month for a few months. put a 12 pack, or other monitored amount, in each bathroom and see how it goes. I would also add at least a 12 pack per year for times of ill health.

Kudos for adding this to your preps though! I am a big fan of TP and it was included in my original plans. Yeah, Yeah... There are many alternatives. But I can put up with a lot if I can have my allotment of therapeutic paper when needed. I have also saved a lot of fiat dollars! It is now over twice as expensive as when I stocked up on it. Talk about flushing money down the drain Hehehe.


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

For us, it was impossible to create a plan unless we knew how much we used of everything we wanted in the preparedness plan. Winging it was not an option. I counted used TP rolls for two years to get to our inventory.

For our planning purposes we estimate 2 rolls a week per female and three rolls a month per male. The example below assumes one female and one male.

2 rolls X 52 weeks = 104 rolls
3 rolls X 12 months = 36 rolls
This comes to 140 rolls a year

We buy the 40 roll box of TP at Sams for $20/box. Rounding up the estimated usage plus adding in some extra has us keeping four (4) of the 40 roll boxes (total rolls = 160) on hand for each planning year. Because the boxes stack and store so well we have no less than 12 boxes at all times. Use a box; buy a box.

The TP we buy at Sams is POM's septic friendly so if you're looking for a kind and gentle paper on your bottom, this may not be for you. However, it's not bad and it starts breaking down in the five to ten seconds after it's in water.

We do keep about 30 rolls of the good stuff on hand because sometimes things just happen and when you're in the midst of the runs kinder and softer is better.

I do adjust the numbers a bit when the TP companies reduce the size of the rolls like they did a year or so ago.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

We have been buying Sam's Club TP. There are 45 rolls in the package. We have 3 in the family and I figure 1 roll per day to be safe. I store 24 packages which allow for two years if the other two kids show up with their families. I still plan to double or triple this amount to use as a trade item. People also use TP for poor mans Kleenex.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Well, we are a family of three- 2 adults and a toddler. Our daughter is still getting comfortable with wiping so we stock the wet wipes for her. My husband is a construction worker and uses the facility on the job site. So we really only use about a roll and a half a week.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

A roll a week? Holy cow, maybe I am too stingy with my use.

My rolls (from my current 12 pack of 5-6 years ago so maybe less now.) have 352 sheets per roll, that is 50 sheets per day per person. That just seems like a lot of sheets per wipe, or a lot of wipes per day. But I will agree, it is better to err on the generous side!

:beercheer:


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

H, you made me go look.... you're right. The last two boxes of POM we bought, now being made by Georgia Pacific, have 45 rolls in a box. All the older boxes in our inventory have 40 rolls. Since I do FIFO I wouldn't have looked at the two new boxes had you not said something. I even did a sheet comparison (nerdy does have its benefits). The old box has 450 sheets per roll and the new box has 473 sheets per roll. However, to be fair, the new sheets are about 1/4" narrower, which has happened with almost every TP manufacturer.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Hrmmm... Maybe I am the stingy old codger everyone says I am!! That or just very regular.

A roll will last me at least three weeks, so I planned on 24 rolls a year. Which included two sheets a time for poor man's Kleenex. That gave me about 6 rolls/year for... times of ill health.


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## Balls004 (Feb 28, 2015)

Apparently we are sadly under-prepared in this category. If the SHTF tommorrow, I'll probably be the only looter leaving Walmart with an armful of toilet paper. And I guarantee that CNN will be right there to catch it too.

I'll be the laughing stock of the prepper world...


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Country Living said:


> For our planning purposes we estimate 2 rolls a *week* per female and three rolls a month per male.


This is not an exaggeration!! Yes, I work long hours so I often use the facilities at work, but I swear - - - ~a roll per month at home is about all I need!!

The girls, on the other hand...... Sometimes I think it's 3 rolls a week per female!! SERIOUSLY?!?!?



Grimm said:


> So we really only use about a roll and a half a week.


I married the wrong woman. Need more gals like you in the world, Grimm.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

LincTex said:


> This is not an exaggeration!! Yes, I work long hours so I often use the facilities at work, but I swear - - - ~a roll per month at home is about all I need!!
> 
> The girls, on the other hand...... Sometimes I think it's 3 rolls a week per female!! SERIOUSLY?!?!?
> 
> I married the wrong woman. Need more gals like you in the world, Grimm.


I was roommates with a guy that used 2-4 squares of TP each time he had a movement. He was a real stickler for using less and I mean of everything. We shared a bathroom so we ended up just buying the same shampoos etc. Made for buying in bulk at Costco easier.


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## hashbrown (Sep 2, 2013)

A couple of weeks ago I tried to ration tp in my house to 4 squares for my wife. Yeah..... that didn't work.


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## PurpleHeartJarhead (Mar 23, 2014)

Interesting subject.

One common point I saw was the phrase "I/he/we use the facilities at work, so we really only use XX rolls per (time-frame)."

I encourage you to think that through. If we are talking about a *real* post-SHTF scenario, are we _*all *_still going to work? I would think not.

After losing a lot, most, of our preps in our garage fire, we have had the fortune and benefit of being able to re-examine our priorities and scenarios with the wisdom of hindsight (and age). We found we were over prepping in areas and under prepping in others. Hygiene was an area we were grossly unprepared for. This was kind of the reason for my shaving poll a while back.

What we found, after losing most of our stuff is that our priorities changed, our family dynamic (deaths, divorces, births, etc.) also changed. While losing our preps hurt, it has provided us with an opportunity to prioritize our preps to our evolving situation. We have found that some of these comfort items & hygiene items are more important now; as a matter of maintaining some of who we are in part, and for our morale.

If you have been prepping for a long time, chances are, you have your food, water and seeds. Take a step back and see how things have changed for you and your prepper family/community since you started. You may (or may not) be surprised at what you don't find.

Thanks for the interesting reads and happy prepping to you all.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Country Living said:


> the new sheets are about 1/4" narrower, which has happened with almost every TP manufacturer.


This explains why my hands get dirty!


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

I figure a roll a week for me and two for the wife so roughly 150 per year. I buy in the thirty roll packs so ten of those should do for two years. We have started buying larger rolls than we did when I worked out our usage and sometimes they have a bonus pack that has 36 rolls. I don't factor in either of those change and I still figure that ten packages is my goal.

We have a friend that visits from time to time and I swear that she must use at least five rolls a week. Everyone is different and you will need to work out your needs. I think Woody has it right, count your rolls then a month later count them again. Factor in any TP purchases and multiply by twelve for your years worth. I would round up, for example if you use one roll a week and you purchased packages containing thirty rolls then two packages would be put aside per year.

I do not count open packages. When I take a package out of storage and use one roll that package of 29 is no longer counted in my storage inventory,


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

I guess the real question is? After my years supply of TP runs out what the hell do I do?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

PurpleHeartJarhead said:


> Interesting subject.
> 
> One common point I saw was the phrase "I/he/we use the facilities at work, so we really only use XX rolls per (time-frame)."
> 
> ...


I thought about all of this. I have made family clothes for SHingTF.


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

RevWC said:


> My guess is about one role per person per week. 4x52=258 rolls per year plus another 36 for those ruff times. If you eat a whole lot of Mexican food double it!


Its not the Mexican food that gets you...... its all the tequila that you wash it down with! !


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## mojo4 (Feb 19, 2012)

At work they use the really rough paper that comes on the giant rolls. I should get a case or two of those. The rougher the ride the less my kids might waste!!


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

Sounds like a lot of people need wiping lessons. Wipe, fold it over and wipe again. 

We store lots of baby wipes. Easier to store and use less off.

If you get one of those gallon spray bottle with the detachable sprayer. They are at Wallyworld in the garden dept with various chemicals. After using whatever clean it very well. Dip the tube in boiling water and gently bend it into a tighter curve. You now have a portable bidet. Just pump up the pressure and spray away.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

RevWC said:


> I guess the real question is? After my years supply of TP runs out what the hell do I do?


Stop having to poop? 

Most of my prepping was not planning on the zombie apocalypse ELE event, no offence to those of you who do plan for it. It was planning for a major disruption of the supply chain or out of control inflation. It was based on 'If I was stuck at El Rancho Deluxo, what would I need to survive for an extended time?' TP made the list before Jamison's did. Not by much though!

Honestly though, prepping supply priority depends on your situation. A young single guy might not even give TP a thought, where a family man, with a wife and young gals, might make it a pretty high priority. Or an old codger like me, who had to remember to bring the toilet seat in and set it beside the woodstove after each use. The thought of having to dig through the snow to find some leaves sets my priorities in order. I can live without a lot of things, but roughing it is... well.. roughing it.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Keep track for a while*

I have been watching how much t.p. I use ever since I re-started prepping. I use one roll a week.

When my daughter was much younger, she had a friend who used so much each time she used the bathroom, she would plug up the toilet. I think she used a roll a day.

I also have some flannel to make reusable (after they are washed) wipes.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

RevWC said:


> I guess the real question is? After my years supply of TP runs out what the hell do I do?


Just keep a longer supply of TP than you do food.


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## Freyadog (Jan 27, 2010)

We have about 300 white shop clothes that we have earmarked for the bathroom when tp runs out. Then it is a matter of wash and dry.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> We have about 300 white shop clothes that we have earmarked for the bathroom when tp runs out. Then it is a matter of wash and dry.


Something like this? uswiping.com how appropriate. 100 towels for $18, not bad.

http://uswiping.com/whiteshoptowel.aspx


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Freyadog said:


> We have about 300 white shop clothes that we have earmarked for the bathroom when tp runs out. Then it is a matter of wash and dry.


I have about 200 flannel squares for our family cloth. They are 6" square and I serged the edges.


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## tamitik (Nov 19, 2014)

free TP.

my bro works at a very big bowling alley. they use the huge rolls of 1ply. when the roll gets down to the sz of an ordinary roll, they switch it.. 

they used to just put it in the dumpster but he collects them and gives them to the mens mission (and me).

free is good.. and 1 ply? just use more.

many office buildings etc use the huge industrial rolls.. talk to the maintenance staff.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

If you're going the industrial route, just order from a restaurant supply store.
An example:
http://www.restaurantsupply.com/jan...les/commercial-toilet-paper-and-toilet-tissue
Dispensers if/as needed are normally reasonable priced as well.

Personally, I prefer the paper towels when going that route. You can get a center-pull dispenser for $10-20 and a case (6 rolls, 2-ply, 500' or so per roll) of paper towels for $25. With the paper towels, you only need 1 sheet to do the "business down under". For day-to-day use, you can use them in your shop.


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## readytogo (Apr 6, 2013)

*Communist country and TP.............*

Growing up with limited to no TP was a early childhood experience for me, I always think of the basic foods/water in terms of survival/emergencies but never of TP,so at home and even with TP we used wash cloth to conserved it and on the many long road trips we always carry water and soap for sanitation along with news papers and a shovel, no restrooms on those country roads , in our country home way up in the hills the outhouse/restroom/shower always had a stack of the only newspaper available, the communist Granma and any other worn out publication, it also had a improvise bidet for the ladies that also served as a shower head, cold as hell since the water came from a metal tank on a small tower. So now in this country paper is not an issue, TP, napkins, paper towels, newspapers, magazines, etc,etc is all over the place but let this be a warning having been in the delivery/storage business for a long time I have experience many cases of TP going bad during long storage especially in hot temperatures and humidity ,paper needs temperature control and it will bring in rats, roaches also so keep a look out and good luck.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

The funny thing to me about how people cling to their toilet paper, is that it really doesn't work very well. 
Convenient? Absolutely. 
Comfortable? Not really, compared to what exactly? I tend to think most people would find water running over their skin (ie; a shower) to be more comfortable than rubbing it with paper, same goes for a soft cloth whether it is moistened with warm water or dry. Wipes would seem to be both more comfortable and hygienic.

We should all start washing our dishes, hands and faces with dry toilet paper, think how amazingly_ hygienic_ we would be.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Cloth wipes will work just as well, just need to figure out the sanitizing and laundry situation for SHTF. I'm slowly building up a stash for my daughter, might as well start a stash for the rest of the family too.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Salekdarling said:


> Cloth wipes will work just as well, just need to figure out the sanitizing and laundry situation for SHTF. I'm slowly building up a stash for my daughter, might as well start a stash for the rest of the family too.


This is what I did. I made several hundred 6" wipes for Roo and made double so I had family clothes set aside for SHingTF. I have been thinking of getting some more brushed flannel fabric to make a bunch more.

As for cleaning them I washed the wipes with the cloth diapers. If laundry soap runs out you can just strip them as you would cloth diapers in boiling hot water and sun bleach any stains.


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## Viking (Mar 16, 2009)

RevWC said:


> I guess the real question is? After my years supply of TP runs out what the hell do I do?


Large tree leaves, around here we have big leaf maple trees and they do work pretty good. During a snowy winter scoot on a snow bank.JK:laugh:


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## Country Living (Dec 15, 2009)

Four pages on toilet paper. You'd think we have a bum fetish....


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Salekdarling said:


> Cloth wipes will work just as well, just need to figure out the sanitizing and laundry situation for SHTF. I'm slowly building up a stash for my daughter, might as well start a stash for the rest of the family too.


I think they work better, actually. Compared to cloth diapers, or helping the sick/elderly, cleaning these for a healthy adult is nothing.



Country Living said:


> Four pages on toilet paper. You'd think we have a bum fetish....


The funny thing is, there have to be at least a half dozen threads on here about this topic too


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## Gians (Nov 8, 2012)

We may not be eating and drinking as much as we did during normal times, however if hygiene isn't good and people get the trots then the wipe is going to be gone through fast.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

cowboyhermit said:


> The funny thing to me about how people cling to their toilet paper, is that it really doesn't work very well.
> Convenient? Absolutely.
> Comfortable? Not really, compared to what exactly? I tend to think most people would find water running over their skin (ie; a shower) to be more comfortable than rubbing it with paper, same goes for a soft cloth whether it is moistened with warm water or dry. Wipes would seem to be both more comfortable and hygienic.
> 
> We should all start washing our dishes, hands and faces with dry toilet paper, think how amazingly_ hygienic_ we would be.


I think you nailed the main reason, convenient; I'll add disposable. It also does well in the non-vegetative compost pile. Comfortable? I've used a lot of alternatives that made store bought TP like a gift from the happiness Gods. Granted I've never used a warm, damp piece of flannel, which does sound very pleasurable and therapeutic. I also never tried using damp pages from a "Sears & Roebuck", I went dry. Most of my contemplation time was spent crumbling and re-crumbling the page so it felt less like using chisel. I'm not actually all THAT old, we used the JC Whitney catalog.

What if warm water is a luxury? Water in general? Do you stock up on leaves each summer? I just went with store bought and crossed it off my list.

What do you choose to use for the job? Do you have an everyday alternative that we can try?


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I have always found it perplexing that many people have an almost ritualistic or taboo way of thinking about body functions as basic as these. I know people who won't use public washrooms for certain functions, or even a work bathroom. Most people find changing diapers and washing baby (or kids who get sick) clothes and diapers to be unpleasant, but the idea of a much less dirty cloth from an adult is somehow a million times worse. Many people tend to think that anything other than the standard paper is barbaric and disgusting, yet most can agree logically that it only does an adequate job hygienically. If I just wiped my hands with toilet paper after cleaning the toilet and made you a sandwich, what would most people say 



Woody said:


> I think you nailed the main reason, convenient; I'll add disposable. It also does well in the non-vegetative compost pile. Comfortable? I've used a lot of alternatives that made store bought TP like a gift from the happiness Gods. Granted I've never used a warm, damp piece of flannel, which does sound very pleasurable and therapeutic. I also never tried using damp pages from a "Sears & Roebuck", I went dry. Most of my contemplation time was spent crumbling and re-crumbling the page so it felt less like using chisel. I'm not actually all THAT old, we used the JC Whitney catalog.
> 
> What if warm water is a luxury? Water in general? Do you stock up on leaves each summer? I just went with store bought and crossed it off my list.
> 
> What do you choose to use for the job? Do you have an everyday alternative that we can try?


TP does fine, disposable wipes are better, though a bit excessive to most people. Water does at least as well, in the form of an actual bidet or a portable unit, or something similar. "Family cloths" do a very good job, damp or dry, particularly for the reasons women use so much more paper than men in general. There are lots of ways to make a setup exclusively for cleaning such fabrics, many people use them for diapers.

If there wasn't enough water to wash some cloths (maybe a gallon pail of fabric/week) for an extended period of time, then using leaves or grass would be the least of your concerns imo. For the short term, it would be crazy for someone interested in preparedness to not at least have some extra TP or wipes, or some bags of cloths (that could be burned or otherwise disposed of if need be). In the long run, water can't be in short supply if you want to be prepared, you have to find another source or move imo.


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## RevWC (Mar 28, 2011)

Can you spare a square?


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*Just wait!*

If and when SHTF, we will all have our breaking point, IMHO. When I took training to work in a crisis shelter for abused women, we were told that a crisis is a big change in your life. If you win the lottery, or come into more money than you ever imagined, you will be in a crisis. Big changes eventually cause each of us to have some sort of breakdown. For some, there will be physical abuse. Others may cry non-stop. Others may not be able to react, and seem unresponsive or catatonic when they need to be reacting and moving quickly.

What will be your breaking point? Some of you might be surprised at what causes you to break down. It may be something that seem so little, but it is just the last piece. And how will you react?

I imagine that those who are in denial will have the hardest time. Those of us who can "go there", will do better, but even if we can cope with things that we never imagined, there will be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

I imagine that having no more toilet paper on top of many other things such limited food choices, living in cold, no electricity, no electronics, having to work at menial tasks such as finding firewood, and not living a leisurely and entertained life, could be it for some who live a soft life now. Some will have had their breaking point before that.


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

OK everyone drop trou and bend over. i have the pressure washer out for your weekly wash. Enemas are 25 cents extra.

I'm sure everyone, esp my wife, has extra clothing that could be cut up and used and probably some old blankets.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

oldasrocks said:


> OK everyone drop trou and bend over. i have the pressure washer out for your weekly wash. Enemas are 25 cents extra.
> 
> I'm sure everyone, esp my wife, has extra clothing that could be cut up and used and probably some old blankets.


Uhm, pretty sure that with the pressure washer enemas are free...


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> Uhm, pretty sure that with the pressure washer enemas are free...


I don't plan on standing to close-scared of backsplash.


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## Cotton (Oct 12, 2013)

This far south... multiply your stocks by 4. There are alternatives the rest of the year!


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

Just don't use the leaves that come in threes.


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## TimB (Nov 11, 2008)

Balls004 said:


> Apparently we are sadly under-prepared in this category. If the SHTF tommorrow, I'll probably be the only looter leaving Walmart with an armful of toilet paper. And I guarantee that CNN will be right there to catch it too.
> 
> I'll be the laughing stock of the prepper world...


That was too funny.  I needed a good laugh this morning. :laugh:

Between the paper towels, TP, wipes, and old clothing/rags we are set for several years. 

One other thought- how are you prepared (TP-wise) in the event of a SHTF and a bug-out scenario? :hmmm: 
I just don't see people lugging cases of TP with them.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

"What did pioneers use for toilet paper?"

http://historytogo.utah.gov/salt_lake_tribune/history_matters/022501.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/frontierlife/essay5_3.html

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/572/what-did-people-use-before-toilet-paper-was-invented

http://mentalfloss.com/article/48950/what-did-people-use-toilet-paper

http://www.funtrivia.com/askft/Question95298.html

http://www.mum.org/pastgerm.htm


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

I HAVE THE ANSWER!!

Luffa sponges. We grow them. A couple plants produce lots of sponges. In the fall we peel them, soak them in a weak solution of white vinegar and dry. A typical luffa is 2 ft or longer and can be cut into pieces. Damp they are soft and would work well. You could either wash them or dispose of them.When you peel them the juice leaves your hands super soft.

You can let them dry on the vine but its harder to peel the outer skin then. I have part of a 50 gallon barrel left I processed 3 yrs ago and they are still good. Mice will eat them if not put into something mouse proof.

It's a product for TP that you can grow easily. We grow them on a trellis like cucumbers. So get some seeds and plant this spring.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

oldasrocks said:


> You could either wash them or dispose of them..


Maybe not ideal... I wouldn't want to try to clean the "stuff" out of something with so many pores and places where bad stuff can hide


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## Balls004 (Feb 28, 2015)

I'm not worried about toilet paper because my wife says I'm anal retentive. 

She can get her own toilet paper.

P.S. What's luffa sponges?


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

LincTex said:


> Maybe not ideal... I wouldn't want to try to clean the "stuff" out of something with so many pores and places where bad stuff can hide


So dispose of them like paper. As prolific as they grow they might even be a good barter item. You don't have to soak them in vinegar but if you do they turn white instead of brown when dry. We plant them outside the garden area. So far no bug or animal has attacked the plants. There is still a few hanging on the old vines from last summer right now. They do need a lot of water like cucumbers but grow good in poor soil.


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## lanahi (Jun 22, 2009)

Leaves of the mullein plant are called "poor man's toilet paper". Nice and soft, like Charmin. If you arn't allergic to them, that is.

I mark the date on the inside of a roll when I start a new roll of TP so I know how long it takes to go through one.


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## Tobugrynbak (Nov 7, 2008)

Are the 5 adults all male or is there a female contingent?
Rule of thumb, is that women will use 2-3 times the amount that a healthy man does in a week. (I live in a house with 3 adult women).
If you work on 2 thinks(women friendly term for dump) a day per man, then add the number of "1's" an average woman does in a day. Because women use TP at every toilet event. You'll get close to a number.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Balls004 said:


> I'm not worried about toilet paper because my wife says I'm anal retentive.
> 
> She can get her own toilet paper.
> 
> P.S. What's luffa sponges?


Luffa "sponges" are the fibers from the inside of a gourd.



















http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luffa


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

Hummm.... superglue one end and add a piece of string and it looks like you cured another problem..


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

If you want to conserve TP an idea is to keep a few peri bottles for the ladies to use when they 'tinkle'. Each lady should have her own bottle for hygiene reasons.


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## Axelight (Apr 21, 2012)

If possible, start off the month pulling TP only from a large pack, like a bale of 48 rolls, and have a second bale of 48 rolls stored in reserve. When (or if) your 1st bale runs out, start counting how many rolls you need from the second bale to carry your family to the end of the month.

At the end of the month, this will give you a rough count of how many rolls your family uses per month. Then multiply that number to accommodate how many months/years you want to stock up on.

When it comes to TP, I always find it best to err on the side of caution.


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

Grimm, thanks for the nice pictures. I need to go out to the storage locker and get a couple to try. Better half has one on the sink to wash dishes with but better not use that one.

Helicopter, I think you don't realize how big the sponges are. Either that or--no won't go there-- they are not absorbent like cotton.


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

oldasrocks said:


> Grimm, thanks for the nice pictures. I need to go out to the storage locker and get a couple to try. Better half has one on the sink to wash dishes with but better not use that one.
> 
> Helicopter, I think you don't realize how big the sponges are. Either that or--no won't go there-- they are not absorbent like cotton.


Yea Grimm had not posted the last picture of it in the basket at the time. The basket gives a better idea of its size.....


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

helicopter5472 said:


> Yea Grimm had not posted the last picture of it in the basket at the time. The basket gives a better idea of its size.....


Yes, think 2 feet long and up to 6 inches in diameter.


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

helicopter5472 said:


> Yea Grimm had not posted the last picture of it in the basket at the time. The basket gives a better idea of its size.....


I did have that picture posted but there was a problem with the link. I just went back and fixed it.

Depending on the species of Loofah gourd they vary in size and shape.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

Tobugrynbak said:


> Are the 5 adults all male or is there a female contingent?
> Rule of thumb, is that women will use 2-3 times the amount that a healthy man does in a week. (I live in a house with 3 adult women).
> If you work on 2 thinks(women friendly term for dump) a day per man, then add the number of "1's" an average woman does in a day. Because women use TP at every toilet event. You'll get close to a number.


Welcome Tobugrynbak!!!!


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

What I want to know is how is he still coherent living with 3 women.


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## HamiltonFelix (Oct 11, 2011)

I like the idea of the pump-up sprayer/bidet. We'll have to test that.  

The Intelliseat electronic bidet/dryer/heated toilet seat sold by Costco a while back for $119 IIRC, is nice but does NOT eliminate the need for TP, though we had hopes... 

We've never measured usage, but it's a good idea. Now I'm curious. When we get low, we just buy a case to use and another case to put away (we do that with lots of non-perishable things). There's an attic crawlspace under our steep roof that's great for dry storage that doesn't require heat.


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## oldasrocks (Jun 30, 2012)

HamiltonFelix said:


> I like the idea of the pump-up sprayer/bidet. We'll have to test that.
> 
> You can bend the wand if you dip it in boiling water for a few seconds. Then it will be shooting straight up instead of backwards.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

The pump sprayer sounds a bit cold to me but some sort of bidet option combined with the personal cloths, primarily for drying, might well be a functional system. This should make the cleaning of the cloths more pleasant.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

oldasrocks said:


> What I want to know is how is he still coherent living with 3 women.


Dude, it ain't easy!

Romans 5:4:
....and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope;


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

Late to the conversation but I figure one roll per two days fpr my family of 4. Note these are singe rolls so if yall use double rolls that could explain why you get more use out of one. So for me its buy at least 3 packs of 4 every two weeks, which gives me 4 to 5 extra rolls. Sometimes I will buy 4-5. Its taken a while but just two weeks ago I now have a year of TP saved up. Yep Im the crazy guy with 190 rolls of TP in his bath room. It tool me about a year of buying this way but it did work. I don't have a Sams club or Costco so I get mine at Kroger at .79 a 4 pack. So say 200 rolls equals 50 packs or about $39.50 for a year. Not too bad eh?


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

biobacon said:


> Late to the conversation but I figure one roll per two days fpr my family of 4. Note these are singe rolls so if yall use double rolls that could explain why you get more use out of one. So for me its buy at least 3 packs of 4 every two weeks, which gives me 4 to 5 extra rolls. Sometimes I will buy 4-5. Its taken a while but just two weeks ago I now have a year of TP saved up. Yep Im the crazy guy with 190 rolls of TP in his bath room. It tool me about a year of buying this way but it did work. I don't have a Sams club or Costco so I get mine at Kroger at .79 a 4 pack. So say 200 rolls equals 50 packs or about $39.50 for a year. Not too bad eh?


I get a 36 roll pack at Costco once a month and buy the 12-16 roll packs at the market when they are on the $5 special once to twice a month. I get coupons to reduce that $5 to $4 or even $3 a pack. I get about 4-6 packs during these sales. K thinks I'm nuts but I'll feel better with a few years of TP stored.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

> K thinks I'm nuts but I'll feel better with a few years of TP stored.


Yer not the only one! I'm glad to see my favorite sundry to stock up on is shared by at least a few here.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

*"Luxury" Toilet Paper*

Anyone else heard of this or used any? I did catch part of a TV ad for 'going commando' but thought I just heard it incorrectly.

I might just have been stocking up on ghetto TP, not the luxury kinds. But I can remember, way long ago, before dirt was invented and we had to walk uphill both ways to school...... You were happy if the "paper products" had only small splinters. Anyone else remember those brown rough sheets? I thought my current double-ply nice soft tissue was pretty luxurious. Maybe I am missing out on something really special?

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-14/americas-latest-craze-flushing-money-down-toilet-luxury-toilet-paper

One can understand the allure of "aspirational" wearables, no matter how idiotic one looks when peeking from under a Borg-esque (and now flopped) Google visor or when taking a selfie while chatting to their "New Paranomral" iTimex: the whole point is simply to appear more affluent, more powerful, and generally more important than the guy next door who isn't dressed like a Borg zombie and actually has a life. What, however, we can't explain is the relentless surge in sales of "luxury" toilet paper.

As the BezosPost reports, US sales of what the industry calls "luxury" rolls - anything quilted, lotioned, perfumed or ultra-soft, from two- to four-ply - climbed to $1.4 billion last year, outpacing all other kinds of toilet paper for the first time in nearly a decade, data from market research firm Euromonitor International show.

The luxury market is one-fourth the size of the standard TP market, but its prominence in Big Wipe is growing faster than many industry watchers expected. Luxury toilet paper sales have grown more than 70 percent since 2000, and they're expected to keep growing faster than all other categories every year through at least 2018.

So while 80% of the population is seeing their disposable income decline, and is perfectly happy to smash the TV the next time some clueless econopundit says wages are in fact rising (or will any second, just be patient), that one, ultra tiny portion of America whose assets are now approaching $100 trillion is officially running out of ideas what to spend their money on, so in lieu of wiping their ass with $100 bills, they will use the next best thing.

But what is most surprising, is that unlike the reverse psychology of aspirational products that has unleashed upon the world such moronic products as a $17,000 rose gold iWatch which unlike a comparably priced Rolex Dayton will be obsolete in one year when the next generation of iWatch replaces it, the "luxury" rolls are not prohibitively priced, so even if one is trying to impress someone with their exclusive ass wiping inventory, it will hardly generate much of the desired jealous response:

This style of bath tissue offers a far different kind of luxury than, say, a $17,000 watch: It's the same ol' stuff, just thicker, softer and more absorbent than other rolls. Though it's a little pricier, analysts said, nearly everyone can still afford it, making it a surprising barometer for how confident Americans are that they can afford a minor splurge.

The result: "trickle down" bubbles may be a total failure for society as a whole, but they certainly have made an impact on one's toilet bowl:

Before last year, luxury toilet paper's sales growth last beat out the other rolls in 2000 and 2005, both boom years for the U.S. economy and consumer spending. The luxury toilet paper business is expected to grow 9 percent over the next five years, compared with 6 percent for the cheapest "economy" lines.

Just like with the Apple Watch, when penetrating, so to say, an unmet market (indicatively, the toilet paper market is about $9.7 billion) it is all about crating a buzz through marketing and hype:

To compete for the luxury crowd, paper giants are paying heavily to advertise just how luxurious their rolls can be. To promote Cottonelle's new "CleanRipple" design, which spokesperson Bob Brand said would "be a differentiator in the premium bath tissue space," parent company Kimberly-Clark has sprung for TV ads that suggest users of its new high-end blend will be so clean they can "go commando." The firm also paid for reunited boy band New Kids on the Block to play a Cottonelle-sponsored concert last month in New York.

And that's how you reach the American public: "is your ass so clean that you would go commando?"

As(s) some brilliant advertising company closed the circle on that question, "Go Cottonelle, Go Commando"

Those appeals to bathroom grandeur seem to be paying off. Sales of the three-ply Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, which last year rolled out improvements to its "silkiness," jumped 30 percent in the United States last year over 2013, said Anna Umphress, a spokeswoman at consumer-goods firm Georgia-Pacific, which makes Quilted Northern and Angel Soft.

It would appear the "fantasy" of walking around without underwear has hit home with the target demographic: "sales of the three-ply Quilted Northern Ultra Plush, which last year rolled out improvements to its "silkiness," jumped 30 percent in the United States last year over 2013, said Anna Umphress, a spokeswoman at consumer-goods firm Georgia-Pacific, which makes Quilted Northern and Angel Soft."

There is some hope: not everyone is an "aspirational" tool:

Luxury toilet paper is not without its challenges, of course. It doesn't exactly have the same word-of-mouth power of other high-end purchases. And because it offers mostly superficial benefits, analysts question just how long luxury toilet paper's winning streak can continue.

"Premiumisation is a tool to drive that value, but there are limits to how far that can take you," said Svetlana Uduslivaia, Euromonitor's head of tissue and hygiene. "At the end of the day, for most consumers, toilet paper is toilet paper."

But not for everyone, and certainly not the Fed, which may have failed in its mandates (at least those not involving pushing the Apple Sachs "Industrial" Average to nosebleed records) but when it comes to forcing richer, if dumber Americans, to flush their money down the toilet it has most certainly succeeded.


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