A lot of people are making TP cakes.

Yup, it's called a wash cloth. I have a stack of old ones that were destined to be garage rags, and I haven't resorted to them yet, hopefully I won't have to. But people confuse necessity with convenience and I used cloth diapers when my girls were small, and it didn't kill me.

Annie

actually, when we print newspaper, we joke that we are printing on TP at 100 mph.

given that, you lay the paper flat and cut it into TP size strips and soak the strips in warm water. Take out the strips and hang them to dry. When dry, use them as TP. just don't wipe with a color page. The ink is soybean ink, which is washable.

Just don't try to flush anything beside toilet paper, unless you want to risk having clogged pipes. Even Kleenex should not be flushed.

correct. pretend you are in southern Texas, or Mexico, with 2 inch pipes and you throw your TP in the garbage can after use.

I would use old rags and a diaper pail if it came to that.

A friend (male) expressed a preference for leaves. :)

Soon everyone will be panic buying Diaper Genies off Amazon to hold their washable TP after use.

Get yours while they last!!!! Diaper Genie

Great. Now all the neighbors think I have covid-19 : ) Sitting on the back porch taking a work break and saw your (jet powered) bidet Ricky, and gulped down water, choking and coughing. That's hilarious! Sharing it with DH!

I found some of those wet wipes in a back cabinet - I never used them all and they are still sealed, damp and viable. But I also have old washcloths to use as cleaning cloths, and we'll use those if needed.

I also have cat litter delivered monthly from Amazon, and 2 top entry litter boxes. I just don't think I can fit inside, and covering my leavings might be an issue to ; - ) But seriously, it kinda looks like the porta potties we used when camping!

But don't flush the wet wipes unless you have a burning desire to clog your plumbing. Despite the claims, they're not really flushable.

Thanks for alerting others colleenoz :- ) you're so right, they will clog pipes.

But I was just going to use them when I sat on the litter box {rolling my eyes}!

2many, that DOES look like the "camping potty" I used to have when the girls were little. It's still up in the pole barn, there is no bathroom at the farm and sometimes the littlest kids just can't wait..

Jack, I remember having a "diaper pail", but I think any bucket/container with a tight fitting lid would work. Like maybe one of those frosting buckets from Walmart, that stuff tastes like it should be in a diaper pail! (keeping it food related, LOL)

Annie

Ricky, lol.

I guess old clean t-shirts could be cut up.

Be careful of different brands than you are used to. A few years ago, not wanting to shop Costco for the usual Scott brand, we picked up a small pack of charmin. Clogged our drain. Had to buy a plunger.

My husband ordered 2 boxes of jumbo TP from U-Line a couple of days ago, and they were delivered yesterday. (I guess they were still available because no one else wanted to deal with them.) They’re the giant rolls used in public bathrooms. There are no perferations. I guess he figured they’d be our emergency TP, napkins, and whatever. We’ll see...

During the week my DH lives down in the city for work. Because he works a lot of overtime, hr often meets the cleaner doing her rounds and chats as they work. She has three jobs, cleaning offices, bookkeeping for her extended family's businesses and night filling at a supermarket (yes, she's a migrant; I always say good luck to our migrants because they do the jobs that everyone who complains that "they take our jobs" is "too good" to do, and they work their butts off and deserve to succeed. Anyway, I digress).

DH had mentioned that I was trying to get a pack of toilet rolls without success because the shelves were cleaned out before I could get to the shops after work. So she brought in a large pack from her night filling time for me :-)

I am very grateful and am baking cookies tomorrow as a thank you :-)

And, that, Colleen, is what we should all be doing, helping out each other. I wish a bad rash and lifetime itchiness on anyone who is buying more than they need, and even worse things to those who are buying up all the stock so they can resell it at a profit. I see Costco is refusing to take returns on toilet paper, sanitizer, Lysol, etc., because people are buying up large amounts thinking they'll just return them if they don't need them/can't sell them.

I agree on the migrants, by the way. Here they are mostly farm workers and they do the work that could be done by today's young adults that won't do anything that might cause them to get dirty. Last year asparagus went unpicked, apples stayed in the orchards to rot, various crops went without harvest because no one could get help to do them. Farmers always let the local food pantries "glean" after harvest, but even they were at capacity with fresh produce. I live in a college town and you would think we'd have a pool of available young workers, but none of them want to do manual labor. (sigh) Then again, I can't get them to work elections for $10 an hour either, I offered to drive any local teenagers that were 16 and 17 to Election Worker training, where they got paid $10 per hour to attend a two hour class and free pizza. The Princess and her cousin were the only ones who went and in the entire county only 11 teenagers showed up. You can't vote at 16/17, but you can work the polls, go figure. Anyway, they were just not interested. However, now I have two young and healthy "alternates" for this year's elections, if I need them, most of my poll workers are over 80.

Annie

If your toilet is next to a shower with a hand held sprayer, just slip off the panties, pop into the shower and rinse off.

This was shared on another forum here:

And FYI, you can use an empty dish soap or water bottle with a spout, filled with water, as a DIY bidet.

What people can do with the excess.

I’m kind of confused about the TP thing.

We usually have a couple big packs (6 rolls each) on hand. I think SWMBO bought one more in the past couple weeks. 18 rolls of TP - how is that not enough? We probably replace a roll every week or so, so we have a few months supply on hand, without even trying.

Why is there a TP crisis? Surely the hoarders have stopped panic buying TP by now?

@John -- I think you are not yet on full lockdown. However, it should be soon so the hoarding will start. There is a psychology of self control and action behind the hoarding. We happened to have too much TP on hand so we haven't had to buy any, at least for three months. And I've found we're being careful with use to extend the supply, so it may last for six months. Timing need with a daily shower also helps cut down (without being indelicate).

Women use a lot more TP than men, so it might be the women, especially younger ones, who are hoarding. Also, there's a lot more needed if your family are out of the house a lot at work, school, social, errands, gym, etc. I have friends in tall, dense places, like Manhattan, who don't eat or shower at home very often. Maybe toast or cereal or takeout/delivery. Few dishes. Slow to get and keep hot water, much nicer shower at the gym, and if you're going to get sweaty, why waste a shower first thing. They wash and style their hair there too. So they also use toilet paper at the gym, at work, at lunch, etc. Now, they're cooped up with 2-3 kids who are usually at school and afterschool programs, even if the husband is "essential" and gets to poop in peace at the office. They just need a lot more TP than usual, and delicacy aside, unless they're on the no-cycle hormones kind of birth control, the women have extra needs. Many of them may be of the mindset of I can get through anything but not without toilet paper. In Manhattan, some are concerned about the strain on the pipes.

It's similar for the women here, but less obvious. Kids at home, staying home, etc. Attitude of what do I need to get through this. There was a run on ketchup too. TP and ketchup will soothe the national spirit. :)

Actually, the previous owners (Frenchies) installed a bidet feature in the master bath. But it is cold water only! I will use it when necessary.

I was thinking some of it may have been because paper towels & napkins were sold out too. TP can be used to wipe all kinds of things - not just bottoms...

Carol, I suppose they could be using TP for other things but I don't think it would be strong enough for much cleaning. I've used it in lieu of kleenex on occasion.

I have cloth napkins for meals and use white "bar mops" for everything from dishes to counters, they then get washed and bleached and used again, so I seldom even think of paper towels or paper napkins. I did find that I couldn't buy paper plates for Mother, who only likes a certain kind, and they must be the "coated" ones, for some reason. Yup, sold out. I told her it wasn't a tragedy, she has a dishwasher and paper plates are a convenience and not a necessity. She agreed, but she will forget about it and ask me again tomorrow, LOL.

Annie

Annie, what do you use for draining french fries and other things from your frying pan?

I'm not Annie : ) But, for draining fried foods, and other tasks for which I used to use paper towels, I'm now using my dish drying towels. I'm trying to conserve paper towel usage for wiping things down with alcohol and bleach... and cleaning up after my new kitten, who insists on scattering her poo everywhere.

Also, while I do not have a recipe for toilet paper, I found one can grow it! I planted these empty toilet paper rolls last fall, and they are already growing! I'm not sure how long it takes for the green leaves to wrap themselves around the empty rolls, and turn white, but there ya go! I'll keep you'all posted...

LOL!!

2Many, I was asking Annie because she said she rarely thought of paper towels. :) I rarely use paper towels, and rarely fry stuff, but I do think of them. ;)

Your conservation effort looks useful. The TP garden is the money shot, though. :)

LOL!!!! I'm loving that photo!

I too use white bar mops and white cotton napkins. I never did care much for using paper for things; always though it wasteful. I'm using more paper now to clean things with Lysol, etc. than I ever have in my life.

2Many, I don't think I'd want to use my cloth towels for draining bacon, tho'. That's the kind of thing for which I do want to use paper.

I have to agree on the bacon, Kate, as I'm not sure if the grease will wash out that well (haven't washed a load yet), but we don't have many paper towels, and none to be found locally. I think with the hot water and laundry detergent, it's not economical. But for now, it's what we've got : )

Plllog, I usually use newspaper. I don't fry bacon in a pan, Elery bakes it in the oven on a rack and the fat drips down into the pan that the rack is in, so it gets poured into the "grease jar" after the bacon is cooked. I seldom fry things, but when I do, they are normally drained on newspaper or on a rack over newspaper. We do get the daily paper, and that's what I use to cool Chex Mix on too. The used newspaper often goes between garden rows with some mulch over top, it doesn't compost well enough to go into the compost barrel, but it also makes a great fire starter.

I did find that I should not drain fried chicken on those white terry cloth bar mops, because I get little "fuzzies" on the chicken, LOL, but the cloth napkins will work in a pinch. Because they are used to wipe greasy fingers, they can also be used to drain grease from food, although it certainly isn't my first choice.

I had to smile at your rows of growing toilet paper, 2many. Dad used to do the same thing with toilet paper rolls and tomato plants, but it was to protect the plants from cutworms.

Annie

Thanks for slaking my curiosity, Annie. I save newsprint from packages for kitchen use, like on the induction under a fry pan, but then I forget to use it because it's so rare I need to. :) The actual newspaper comes digitally. The soy ink they use nowadays makes me sneeze. :D

I use to use the newspaper for many 'gross' things. It is much harder to drain grease or line the under-sink trash bin with the digital version. :D

You and I, both plllog. I keep forgetting to use newspaper under my cast iron, and I always feel like a dope as I'm cleaning up the oil splatters, LOL! I have yet to put my Kindle under my cast iron... and I probably won't Kate!

Well, Annie, now you tell me about the other good garden uses for toilet paper rolls, and we've got a shortage! Ha ha! I am stockpiling our newspapers to keep weeds out of the garden.

When I get low, I'll switch to rags for #1, and use the rest of the stock for #2.

When I was young my Grandmother wanted to conserve on paper towels. She put a flattened brown paper bag on the counter and one paper towel on top, for cleanliness, and drained her fried food on it.

We will run out I'm sure. More things to worry about. No leaves here so that is not an option. (lol). Come on Spring!. We don't use paper towels much so never a stock of that. One roll inside a kitchen cabinet last 6 months. (just use for yuck stuff) then follow-up clean with bar cotton cloths.

We will just hop in the walk-in shower if need be in the bath that has a handheld, .Much cleaner anyway. ....a little soap(?).

My grandfather used to lay paper towels out on the counter to dry and use again. So paranoid about water usage he did not want to use the washer/dryer.

Still have a little TP, but if we get sick (with anything) I'd like the 'luxury' of using it then, so I'm using wash cloths for #1 now. Which I'm not enjoying. Especially when it's late at night, and cold. Tried hopping in the shower, but that got exhausting. Still, we'll have to when we run out completely. Local store was told by distributor to stop asking for it, they don't know when it'll come, and with my luck, it'll be off the shelves before it can be picked up. Sleevendog, be sure to check those leaves... ; ) Remember, leaves of three, let it be; berries white, take flight! LOL! Elizabeth, what a great idea!

One supplier said they should be able to restock by the end of April.

I started watching how much we go through and how long a roll lasts. (this is getting weird how we spend our time)... We are good for four months. Last month I ordered from the webstaurauntstore and forgot I have a big sleeve of small unbleached napkins I use for a project. 750. Then found 4 Scott rolls in a half bath we rarely use.

LOL, "leaves of three, let it be"

Oh, I have two stacks of frozen grape leaves....

My sister was able to buy a Costco package, limit 1, three days ago. Seattle. We had a Costco package from the month before so I hadn't become concerned yet. I was in a Fred Meyer one week ago picking up some things to drop off at my mothers senior apartment (no face to face visits allowed right now) and Freds had limit 1 package of 12 rolls in stock (plenty TP on the shelf but no paper towels). I didn't need it, but our Safeway + Walmart has had none locally and I picked up one package so I'd have something to give nephews, neighbors, someone running really low.

OT but I started to buy a book that had been recommended Ebay over the weekend and was reading the seller's feedback ratings. Saw where he had been selling TP at $10 for 4 roll units + shipping. I skipped him, found the book listed with another seller.

2many, I do see some "off brand" toilet paper on Amazon, but I don't know how long delivery would be. The Walmart website also shows some "rapid dissolve" for RVs and some novelty toilet paper printed with things like Santa Claus, it might be better than nothing! Or try your local camping supply store...

Annie

Annie is right. There are several off-brand TP on Amazon. Most of them give a delivery date between mid-May and some time in June. There are some of those quick dissolve versions that are available earlier. And some jumbo rolls like those used in public restrooms.. That’s what my husband got as a backup. It’s not great but when desperate, who cares?