# Coronavirus--I don't get it.\[hoarding toilet paper\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [March 8, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107 "2020-03-08T16:25:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/261 "2020-03-17T20:08:52Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Man, we got a squeamish crowd here. Having two kids and cloth diapering, I’m used to being elbow deep in shit. 🙂 > > Seriously, though, a good portion of the world gets by fine with a pitcher of water and a hand. I wouldn’t even think twice about cleaning my shitter in the shower (and it would be cleaner than using TP anyway.) Well, good for you! Since you’re not squeamish, I hereby invite you to take a barefoot walk in raw sewage, with nowhere to wash your feet afterward. A good portion of the world does _that,_ too. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/262 "2020-03-17T20:20:34Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I think it’s more the strangeness of people buying _a year’s_ worth of TP. There’s only three of us in my family, and I think it would take 3-4 shopping carts to carry a year’s worth of TP. Seen anyone carrying that much? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/263 "2020-03-17T20:24:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The weak and squeamish die first. Just sayin’. Push comes to shove, just cut a hole in a lawn chair and park it over a lawn sprinkler. We’re talking about the people hoarding TP. (The lone exception being my aversion to shitting in the shower.) Feel free to propose this to them. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/264 "2020-03-17T20:29:52Z")
I feel like the thing to do would be to keep a bucket with a lid filled with a strong bleach solution near the toilet, use rags, and dump them in the bleach bucket. Then once a day pour the whole mess in the washer, set it to hot, throw in more bleach if you want and some detergent, and wash them on hot. Exactly as gross as cloth diapers. It wouldn’t be ideal, but it wouldn’t be disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/265 "2020-03-17T20:53:50Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > The weak and squeamish die first. Just sayin’. Push comes to shove, just cut a hole in a lawn chair and park it over a lawn sprinkler. A redneck bidet! Now _that’s_ the can-do spirit! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/266 "2020-03-17T20:55:42Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > There’s only three of us in my family, and I think it would take 3-4 shopping carts to carry a year’s worth of TP. Seen anyone carrying that much? Oh, people have described it on these boards. ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/267 "2020-03-17T20:57:10Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > We’re talking about the people hoarding TP. (The lone exception being my aversion to shitting in the shower.) Feel free to propose this to them. I think I see the disconnect. No one’s talking about shitting in the shower, right? They mean to jump in after you’ve used the toilet, to give yourself a rinse. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/268 "2020-03-18T13:39:53Z")
One teeny weeny benefit of this shortage: we no longer have the Princess and the Pea type souls informing us of how _their_ ass is so special and delicate that only the rippled/puffed/embossed 2/3/6-ply Supremo-Mega-Ultra version of one particular brand is possibly worth buying. Nope. New rule: if it’s available, buy it and be grateful! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/269 "2020-03-19T17:34:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Man, this one’s _easy_. 🙂 > (…) > 2) Sewers should keep on working as long as water continues to flow downhill. The treatment plants may stop functioning, and if you live near one you may wish you didn’t, but the sewage will get there. > > (…) Since my house is 2-3 meters under sea level (NAP) I seriously doubt that gravity is all it takes. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/270 "2020-03-19T20:44:08Z")
Who needs TP? We have snow! Think of us as bears shitting in the woods and thinking of the Pope. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/271 "2020-03-19T22:54:29Z")
I’m convinced some people are buying up all the TP they can find so they resell it later at a huge profit. I saw a 12-pack of double rolls on eBay for about $25, plus $15 for shipping. And remember those are only “double” rolls which are really like single rolls these days. Yay, free enterprise. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/272 "2020-03-19T22:56:53Z")
> [@The\_Librarian](#): > > - The sewers will keep functioning fine. Just wait until people start flushing TP substitutes en masse. I don’t think those drains will be working so well then. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/273 "2020-03-20T00:35:25Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Just wait until people start flushing TP substitutes en masse. I don’t think those drains will be working so well then. Now that every household in the developed world has a multi-year supply of toilet paper in stock, we’ll have to wait a long time to see that happen. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/274 "2020-03-20T00:41:36Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Just wait until people start flushing TP substitutes en masse. I don’t think those drains will be working so well then. Our stays in Mexico and Central America quickly schooled us on toilet etiquette. [ul] [li] Drop trou; sit. [/li][li] Grunt; void; drain. [/li][li] Wipe adequately. [/li][li] Place soiled paper, corn husk, straw, whatever wiper you used, directly in the small refuse can placed beside the toilet.[/li][li] Flush. Once is enough.[/li][li] Wash hands properly.[/li][li] Stand; get decent.[/li][/ul] Only liquids and feces go down Latino drains - nothing else. We didn’t see bidets. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/275 "2020-03-20T01:59:21Z")
This is an eye-opener here. In this part of Asia, TP is used to dry yourself after a good sloshing with water (#1) or a careful washing with soap (#2). My Filipina wife is only just learning how white people do it, with a little scrap of dry paper that just spreads it around (Ew, amid shrieks of laughter). Filipina girls are walking around most of the day with wet panties, most don’t bother to dry after a good splashing. We haven’t bought a roll of TP in our three years together. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/276 "2020-03-20T10:43:47Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > Just wait until people start flushing TP substitutes en masse. I don’t think those drains will be working so well then. [Already happening](https://www.cnn.com/2020/03/20/us/wipes-flush-toilet-pipes-wellness-trnd/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/277 "2020-03-20T17:38:13Z")
At Burning Man there are a couple thousand portable toilets in the city and the mantra is _If it didn’t come out of your body, don’t put it in the potty._ The sole exception is _single_-ply toilet paper. Anything else, emphasizing flushable baby wipes, jams up the hose when the porto is serviced making the poor guy pluck it out by hand. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/278 "2020-03-20T19:34:04Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Now that every household in the developed world has a multi-year supply of toilet paper in stock, we’ll have to wait a long time to see that happen. No they don’t. A lot of people can’t get it in the normal manner\* because a few others are hogging it. \*Normal manner=going to the store whenever, and knowing for sure you’ll be able to buy TP. \*\*Not normal, but for the time being still doable=(a) buying online at a ruinous markup, or (b) getting down to the store when they open at 6am. Except it wouldn’t be 6am, you’d have to get there early to get in line. And you’ll be standing in line outside in the cold, rather than sitting fairly comfortably in your car. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/279 "2020-03-20T22:12:13Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Our stays in Mexico and Central America quickly schooled us on toilet etiquette. > [ul] > [li] Drop trou; sit. [/li][li] Grunt; void; drain. [/li][li] Wipe adequately. [/li][li] Place soiled paper, corn husk, straw, whatever wiper you used, directly in the small refuse can placed beside the toilet.[/li][li] Flush. Once is enough.[/li][li] Wash hands properly.[/li][li] Stand; get decent.[/li][/ul] > Only liquids and feces go down Latino drains - nothing else. We didn’t see bidets. :eek: This. The thing I’ve seen when I travel. My concern is do I bag the waste & put it in the regular trash? And why the fuck is the store completely out of cat litter?? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107/280 "2020-03-20T22:24:56Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > Now that every household in the developed world has a multi-year supply of toilet paper in stock, we’ll have to wait a long time to see that happen. Not every household has a multi year supply though. I haven’t bough toilet paper since before this virus really exploded. I’ve calculated I have about a months supply left. Hopefully it is restocked by then. If not I guess I will move over to kleenex and wet wipes which I will dispose of in the trash. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coronavirus-i-dont-get-it-hoarding-toilet-paper/849107.md?page=15)