9 Steps to Make Toilet Paper

Most survivalists think of food, water, and medication; forgetting about one equally important item, toilet paper.

While pioneers survived without it, toilet paper has become a necessity in this modern time. You cannot imagine a mess that will be going for just a day without toilet paper.

Can you run out of toilet paper? Yes! Currently, there is a shortage of toilet paper rolls. People make long queues at the grocery for it but you can now forget all about that.

We will discuss how to make toilet paper at home. So, even if you are self-quarantining, you cannot worry about running out of toilet paper.

We will list the materials needed and outline the steps on how to make toilet paper at home. In the end, we will provide alternatives to toilet paper. Stay tuned for details!

Can You Make Your Own Toilet Paper?

Yes. You should never be worried if there is a toilet paper shortage, as you can always make it using locally available materials.

For some reason, groceries have limited stocks of this essential item. If you manage to get there, you might find long demoralizing queues.

What if you live off the grid? You may not have the luxury of visiting the retail shop more often looking for just one item, toilet paper.

That is why we are here to teach you how to make toilet paper at home, and if you cannot make it, you can look for alternatives, which we will also state in this article.

Fortunately, you can make toilet paper at home using locally available materials. Read on for what will be needed and DIY toilet paper-making instructions.

Things You Will Need To Make Toilet Paper

You can make toilet paper out of many waste papers around your home as the primary material. Newspapers or any other non-glossy magazines can be used.

Apart from that, you will require tools to make it happen. The following is the detailed list of things you need to make toilet paper at home:

• Bucket or Tub
• Water
• Large Pot
• Leaves
• Grass
• Heating Source
• Spoon or Ladle
• Baby Oil
• 2 Large Bath Towels
• Rolling Pin
• Rubber Mallet
• Wooden Board
• Weights
• Scissors

TEKTON 16 oz. Fiberglass Handle Rubber Mallet

9 Steps To Make Toilet Paper

You can make toilet paper at home in just nine steps. Luckily, there is nothing complex in the process if you have all materials and tools.

The result will be equally soft toilet paper. The quality may not match the commercially manufactured ones, but it will be good enough for the purpose.

Here are the details of what each of the 9 steps entails:

Step 1: Soften The Paper

Soften the newspaper or any other glossy paper that you want to use for this purpose.

You can shred it before soaking to make softening even faster. To proceed, put the pieces of paper in a bucket and then fill it with water.

Step 2: Whitens The Paper

This step can also be done together with the first step. It involves removing inks from the waste paper used. To accomplish it, leave the waste papers in a bucket of water for as long as possible.

That will dissolve the ink. You can proceed to the next step when it is about 75% white.

Step 3: Increase Adhesion By Adding Leaves Or Grass

Remove the paper from the bucket and place it in a large cooking pot. Add about a handful of leaves or grass to help the paper fibers hold onto each other. Proceed to the next step once done.

Step 4: Pulverizing The Paper Into Paper Pulp

Fill the pot with water to completely cover the paper. Set the cooking pot and its content on the heat source. Start heating to simmer for about one hour.

Do not bring the content to boil to allow the added leaves and/or grass to absorb as much water as possible.

Raise the temperature to a maximum to bring the content of the pot to boil. Continue boiling for another 30 minutes.

Now, remove the foam with a spoon. You may add more water here as necessary. The soft and whitened paper and plant matter mixture should turn into pulp at the end of this step.

Step 5:  Removing Water And Add Baby Oil

Take the cooking pot out of the heat source. Drain as much water as possible without interfering with the pulp.

Next, let the pulp cool and filter out the remaining water. You should be careful when doing that because the pulp can dry. So, be quick.

Once all water has been drained from the pulp, add baby oil. That will keep it soft even after sun drying. The quantity you need for this step depends on the amount of waste paper used.

For 8 large sheets of paper of a half-pound of non-gloss magazines, add 4 teaspoons of baby oil. Alternatively, you can use any fragrance-free lotion or aloe to serve the purpose.

Amazon Brand – Solimo Baby Oil

Step 6: Pressed And Dried The Toilet Paper

Spread a towel on a flat surface such as a table or floor and transfer pulp onto it. Use a rolling pin to evenly distribute the pulp on the towel, obtaining a thin layer of the pulp if possible.

If you have any hard or solid-like pulp that cannot be spread by simple rolling, use a rubber mallet to hammer it.

Place the second towel onto the spread pulp. The setup should be a thin layer of pulp sandwiched between two towels.

Add a board and other heavy objects on top of the towel. Leave it for 30 minutes so that the towels absorb all the remaining water from the pulp.

Step 7: Remove The Weights And The Board

Remove the weights and flip the towels upside down to remove the bottom one. Do that gently to be sure not to damage the toilet paper formed in between.

Take it to the sun to dry when still attached to the towel. It will not harden because of the baby oil that you applied.

Step 8: Quick Test By Gently Pulling On It To Assess Strength.

Check if the paper is dry by touching it or peeling it from the edges. If you cannot peel it off as a single sheet, give it more time to dry.

Step 9: Peel The Dried Paper From The Towel And Trim The Paper Into 4” X 4”

The last step is to proceed with the peeling process. If properly dried, the process should be easy. Once peeled, cut into desired sizes and store away from moisture.

Alternatives to Toilet Paper

Making toilet paper at home is not a do-or-die situation. After all, the process takes time, and you cannot wait for it.

So, what are the best alternatives to save the day? You can resort to other toiletry and paper items such as facial tissue, baby wipes, sanitary pads, napkins, and paper towels.

What if you can’t access the toiletry listed? A paper, cloth, water, or sponges are some of the readily available options. They can be used when there is an acute shortage of toilet paper.

The last option is to turn to nature for help. Consider using leaves, grass, or moss.

However, you have to be very careful when using leaves because some plants can sting as well as cause itching and irritation. Trust us, it is not the feeling you would wish for after emptying your bowel.

Also, avoid dry leaves because they are not effective and can possibly cause injuries.

Conclusion

Next time you run out of toilet paper, you can just make it at home, as described in this article.

There is no need to panic or wait in the long queues at the retail shop to buy a roll when you have a pile of waste papers lying around your house.

We hope you found the information you have been looking for and we appreciate your time at the Em Offgrid.

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