Water & Toilets
Drinking, washing and a waterless toilet
0 of 17 bought
£0 of £2,729 spent
£724 critical
£2,729 for everything
Buy now: under 72 hours
£301 critical£428CriticalSealed drinking water, 2-litre bottles
£34est.
About 45 litres to drink over three days, 3 for pets, the rest for cooking, teeth and extra demand. Keep cool, dark and away from fuel
45 (90 litres)Tesco (opens in a new tab)Critical10-litre food-grade tap carriers
£192
9 filled with mains water for washing and flushing, 2 spare for collecting water, 1 as a handwash station. Smaller containers are easier to carry
CriticalKnow your hot water cylinder and stopcock
Free
A cylinder holds 100–200 litres; boil before drinking. Replace home-filled water every six months (CDC)
CriticalPortable bucket toilets with seat and lid
£40
20-litre units; check adult load rating and stability for the children
CriticalHeavy-duty compatible liners
£20est.
Test the fit before you need them
CriticalAbsorbent wood pellets
£15est.
Buy 30 litres, allocate 20 to the toilet kit; keep apart from dog food
30 litresPets at Home (opens in a new tab)Washing and household hygiene
£42est.
2 pump soaps, 2 bowls, 6 cloths, 12 toilet rolls, 3 packs of wipes, 1 litre sanitiser, 20 sacks, 20 pairs of gloves, disinfectant
1 bundleTesco (opens in a new tab)Personal hygiene top-up
£20est.
5 toothbrushes, 2 toothpaste, one month of usual menstrual or continence products
1 bundleBoots (opens in a new tab)
Buy next: over 72 hours
£423 critical£2,302More sealed water, to 300 litres
£79est.
Another 105 × 2 litres. To reach 630 litres, buy 270 instead (£202.50)
105 bottlesTesco (opens in a new tab)CriticalVirus-rated water purifier
£313
MSR Guardian pump: removes viruses, bacteria and protozoa, not chemicals. Plus a dedicated clean vessel
Purifier spares
£100est.
Seals and maintenance parts for your exact unit
CriticalChlorine dioxide tablets for 300 litres
£110
Lifesystems; follow the label's contact time
10 packsLifesystems (opens in a new tab)Covered water butts, 200 litres, with diverters
£200est.
For washing and flushing only; roof water isn't reliably drinkable, even filtered
Sanitation extension
£500est.
+270 liners, +180 litres absorbent, +108 toilet rolls, +9 litres sanitiser, +180 pairs of gloves
New drinking-water-rated tank, 1,000 litres
£1,000est.
Not a used chemical IBC. Needs a lid, sanitary tap, vent, solid base and frost protection; a filled tank weighs over a tonne
To do
Check every
Every 6 months: replace home-filled water. Quarterly: bottle dates.
Where it lives
Garage floor (if cool and dry) or a ground-floor cupboard. Toilet kit out of reach of children and pets.
Know-how
Why it matters
- Water pumps need power. Taps can run dry within hours, and flushing can back up the sewers into homes.
In an outage
- Drink sealed water first. Don't drink tap water until it's confirmed safe.
- If taps still run, fill the bath and carriers straight away.
- Stop flushing if told to. Bucket toilet: liner in, absorbent after each use, tie off, store sealed outside.
- Soap and water after the toilet. Sanitiser doesn't replace washing.
Avoid
- Containers that once held chemicals, including used IBC tanks.
- Drinking rainwater: filtering doesn't make roof water reliably safe.
- Putting waste in the garden or drains.
Know the limit
- Purifiers, tablets and boiling kill germs but don't remove chemicals. Always follow a do-not-use notice.
Infographic · tap to enlarge