How to Conserve Toilet Paper

We are kicking off a new series on the Making Life where we take ideas from our readers. We asked our social media followers what they were interested in reading about and we’re going to do our best to respond to their ideas!

Our first post is: “How to make your tp go further because society is a bunch of panicky wusses.” Or, for search engine result purposes, “How to Conserve Toilet Paper.”

This blog post required some out-of-the-box thinking.  At times it may be as philosophical as it is practical. But without further ado, here’s how you can conserve your toilet paper the next time it’s scarce at the grocery store.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

1. Follow the Rule of Three

Three to four squares of toilet paper at a time should be enough in most cases. You may need to repeat the process several times, but you don’t need to wrap the toilet paper around your hand 100 times. Teach your children the art of using less toilet paper.

Note: If you’re using thin ply toilet paper this will not apply. You’ll need to use half the roll of toilet paper to ensure safety.

2. Lock the Toilet Paper Up

If you’re like us, having toddlers or young children in the house means you’ll find entire rolls of toilet paper unrolled across the floor. The same is true for cats. If you suffer from this problem, keep your toilet paper in a safe place where little hands and paws can’t reach it.

During the time of writing this, I walked upstairs and found this. I failed to protect my toilet paper supply.

3. Consider a Bidet

Some people in my house are adamantly against the idea of a bidet, but it is a popular feature in many countries around the world. There are some added benefits to using a bidet including less stress on your plumbing, better for the environment, and they say it cleans more efficiently than toilet paper.

I still think some toilet paper would be necessary so you don’t leave the bathroom with a wet bum.

4. Make Your Own Toilet Paper

I’m not going to teach you how to do it in this post, but you can make your own toilet paper. Healthline has a tutorial if you care to check it out, and it requires finding random paper around your house and turning it into new paper.

5. Use What’s In Your Home

If things get desperate, you can always try using other things in your home such as napkins, baby wipes, paper towels, tissues, etc etc. Just don’t flush things down your toilet that doesn’t belong in the toilet. Even “flushable” baby wipes are not really flushable.

6. Try Bargaining With Your Neighbors

Maybe you live in a house with a passel of children and your neighbor lives alone. He might be hoarding massive amounts of toilet paper that he doesn’t need. You can offer things like:

• Freshly baked bread
• Vegetables from your garden
• Homemade candles
• Chainsaw milled lumber
• Your dignity
• A lifetime supply of your kids shoveling his driveway

7. Get an Amazon Subscription

I didn’t personally do this, but I heard people who had an Amazon subscription for toilet paper didn’t have to worry about not getting their monthly supply.

8. Don’t Hoard the Toilet Paper

Another good way to make sure that you have enough toilet paper is to not buy it all. If everyone buys the amount of toilet paper they actually need instead of storing it up as if there will no longer be grocery stores next Tuesday, there should be a reasonable amount left for everyone. Even if that means you have to switch out your preferred brand for another one. *

*Please don’t judge families that have a lot of children. They may look like they’re storing up for the apocalypse, but it’s probably just enough to get them through the next few weeks.

Don’t Fret About Conserving Toilet Paper

Trust your instincts. You’ll figure it out. You’ll find a way to make your toilet paper last longer if things get desperate. I have faith in your ability to survive.

*Many of the stock photos in this post came from Pexels.