Woman's Forum: Potty Issues

[cyndi]

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https://vanlivingforum.com/Thread-GIRLS-ROOM-Potty-Issues?pid=282070#pid282070

 

[TrainChaser]

Thanks!

 

[DrJean]

spaghnum moss works best... and is way cheaper than kitty litter...doesn't need changing as often... just fyi

I travel a lot of rest areas and haven't had to use my marine toilet as a flush one/cassette yet.... use a bag, toss waste in the trash like I do the dog poo I pick up after doggie.

 

[theinfamousj]

I have several brands of pee funnel (one in hard plastic, and one in squishy silicone). Speaking from personal experience, they don't help if you are a person who pees when they poop or poops when they pee. This is only for people who can do one without the other.

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[mert6706]

I know this is an old post, but every so often I see the reference to using kitty litter.  I'm assuming that you mean clay litter (clumping or non-clumping).  Why would you want to use something that is so HEAVY?  Sawdust works better:  it limits odor better, is lighter, and cheaper.  Many places sell bark, sawdust, gravel, soil, compost, etc.  The last time I bought sawdust it cost $13 for a cubic yard (27 cubic feet).  I kept two 5-gallon buckets in the van and when I was low, I stopped at one of those places and walked into the office and asked if I could buy two buckets-worth of sawdust.  Only one guy refused, the others usually charged about $2, "a buck a bucket".  One charged me $5 for two buckets, but that's still a lot cheaper than kitty litter.

For those living in cars, do you have a feel for what's the least amount of sawdust one can buy? How much do you use per "go?" Thanks!

 

[mert6706]

I have a tiny 1998 Mercury Tracer & had a time trying to figure out how to rig up a potty.  The buckets were to big, even the 2 or 3 gal. ones, so I finally found an old time cooking pot from the 30's or 40's & it fits on top of the back seat with a hospital bed pad under it.  I fixed up a curtain rod & draped a black out curtain panel across it, cut out black poster board for the side windows & use a small sun shield for the back window, put the larger back seat back down, put a 1" yoga mat down on with a thicker cotton yoga mat down with sheets & etc. and I now have my bed.  I have a med. size ice chest that fits behind the drivers seat on the floor.  I still need to get a small camping stove & I'll be ready to try car camping out.  Looking forward to some fun.  I need to get some window screens made & a battery run fan, yet.  I am 70 so if I am going to do this I need to get started soon!  My dream machine would be a high top van, though I am only 4' 11" I might fit in a regular van.  Which ever one, I want as few windows as I can get.

Good Luck to you! I'm 78 and planning to do something similar,depending on the vehicle I get. Dream of course is for a hightop van, can't wait for that as I am anxious to get going. One question, do you mean you made the bed on the larger back seat? How much length does it give for the bed? I'm taller than you by quite a bit.

 

[gypsyvioleta]

Good Luck to you! I'm 78 and planning to do something similar,depending on the vehicle I get. Dream of course is for a hightop van, can't wait for that as I am anxious to get going. One question, do you mean you made the bed on the larger back seat? How much length does it give for the bed? I'm taller than you by quite a bit.

My back seats folded down over the seats & were pretty flat,  I put the bed on the drivers side which was the widest one.  My feet were in the trunk, with a little space between my feet & the end of the trunk.  Violet's heart (engine) stopped a few days before I was going on my try out run, so I can't tell you how it would have been.  I have not been able to get another vehicle, yet.  So my adventures are coming to me through other who are living on the road.  Good luck & have lots of fun!

 

[TrainChaser]

Mert: "For those living in cars, do you have a feel for what's the least amount of sawdust one can buy? How much do you use per "go?" Thanks! "

There are three main sources for purchase: Bales of wood shavings at Tractor Supply farm stores, loose sawdust at landscaping supply places (you see piles of sawdust, bark, gravel, etc), and bagged shavings (called pet bedding) at pet stores like Petsmart/Petco.

Tractor Supply charges about $6 for a 5.5 cuft bale (equals 75 cents per 5-gallon bucket); if you have a choice, get the small flakes. They are in 49 states.

If a landscaping materials place would sell you sawdust for "a buck per bucket", that's just a bit more. If they ask, you can say it's for a portable toilet, or that it's for your cat's litter box. Tell him you'll load the bucket yourself. Now, a SMART dealer in a camping or boondocking area would jump on this and put out a sign that says "SAWDUST -- A Buck per Bucket" (your own bucket) for those who have composting or bucket toilets, and make THREE TIMES the profit on a cubic yard of sawdust, but I am not expecting to see this anytime soon.

The price skyrockets if you buy shavings from a pet shop. PetsMart/PetCo charge about $13 for 1.75 cuft (which equals $41 for 5.5 cuft at Tractor Supply prices).

Use: Put about 3" of sawdust or shavings in your bucket to start. If you can see anything after using, put a scoop of sawdust over it; if it's generally wet, add another 3" and continue.

Depending on your strength, I wouldn't fill the bucket more than half or 3/4 full, or it will be difficult to empty.

If you just use it for urine, there shouldn't be any odor. If you add 'solids', you will get more odor.

Unless you have a bladder infection or a disease like Leptospirosis, your urine should be sterile. Urine is composed of nutrients in a liquid base, and can be used as soil fertilizer. The average human adult produces about 2.5 pounds of dry nutrients per year.

If you want to dispose of just urine in sawdust/shavings (no poop), you can bury it in a hole. If you want to collect straight urine, you can pour it out in the sandy desert or open land. When the rains come, it will dilute and spread the nutrients. If you can dilute the straight urine with water (1:10 ratio), you can use it as a fertilizer on grass or non-food plants. DO NOT use straight urine on plants -- it does the same thing to them that dog urine does. t

Poop contains bacteria (both good and bad), and should not be distributed on soil. Collect it separately, bag it and deposit in regular waste containers, like at gas stations, etc. It would probably be okay if you could bury it deep enough, but some desert soils are like rock, and in other places people just won't bother.

There are people on this site who won't like this information. Some of them have dogs. They must think that dog pee is nourishment, and human pee is poison.

 

[simply lesa]

I use a humanure compost pile on my property and when i car camp (used to vandwell) .ive tried lots of stuff. Im currently preferring the wood pellets for neatness. Since i line my buckets with kitchen trash bags 13g fit well, they control odor and fluff up, so $3 of kitty litter pellets or $3 of hampster bedding lasts about the same amount of daily use. I dont separate my business. Tho the commercial seperators like the Separette are really nice and i cant fit the expense in my budget. I have bought and used both tiny kitty litter bags of pellets as well as $5 big bags ppl burn in pellet stoves. They work

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[mert6706]

My back seats folded down over the seats & were pretty flat,  I put the bed on the drivers side which was the widest one.  My feet were in the trunk, with a little space between my feet & the end of the trunk.  Violet's heart (engine) stopped a few days before I was going on my try out run, so I can't tell you how it would have been.   So my adventures are coming to me through other who are living on the road.  Good luck & have lots of fun!

"I have not been able to get another vehicle, yet."

Aw, gypsyvioleta, that's so sad. So sorry abbout your car!  I can't get a vehicle yet either, and not for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I just keep reading the forum and watching the Utube videos. They say if you can picture it you can make it happen or something like that so I'm proceeding as tho my future life as a nomad is just a matter of time. I hope the same for you. Keep us posted!

 

[AsphaltGypsy]

I realize that the guys all say to pee separate from poo, but for those of us females who normally do them together, how do you handle it? I have a composting toilet my husband built and it is comfortable, easy to use, etc., but i'm not sure about disposal. My husband will be pulling my 28" travel trailer with his 1 ton Dodge Van that he has converted to an rv for himself. This isn't an issue for him, but me, it is. Any advise would be welcome. :huh:

while I find the original message/answers to be quite informative and educational, I have to admit that I am more intrigued with the statement " my husband will be pulling my 28' tt with his 1 ton dodge van that he has converted to an rv for himself". That statement right there has me wishing/thinking....what a great set up. LOL Sounds like the best of both worlds. Was this by design? something that ya'll had planned/talked about before hand? what's the skinny on that decision? btw...loving it!!

 

[TrainChaser]

I'm just collecting my plastics and papers for a recycling dump, and noticed something useful.

Purex Liquid Laundry Detergent:  opaque plastic bottle with a handle, holds 75 oz (9 cups).  The center spout can be pulled out with a pair of pliers, which leaves an opening 2.5" wide.  The threads are on the outside of the bottle, so the lid can be secured w/o the spout being in the bottle, which is not the case with all detergent bottles.

Just FYI.

 

[mothercoder]

while I find the original message/answers to be quite informative and educational, I have to admit that I am more intrigued with the statement " my husband will be pulling my 28' tt with his 1 ton dodge van that he has converted to an rv for himself".  That statement right there has me wishing/thinking....what a great set up.  LOL  Sounds like the best of both worlds. Was this by design? something that ya'll had planned/talked about before hand? what's the skinny on that decision?  btw...loving it!!

LOL  I was thinking the same thing!  I'm single but if I were to ever find a male someone to travel with I would prefer he keep his place and I keep mine.

 

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

"I have not been able to get another vehicle, yet."

Aw, gypsyvioleta, that's so sad. So sorry abbout your car!  I can't get a vehicle yet either, and not for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, I just keep reading the forum and watching the Utube videos. They say if you can picture it you can make it happen or something like that so I'm proceeding as tho my future life as a nomad is just a matter of time. I hope the same for you. Keep us posted!

Absolutely.  When I was 17 I knew I was going to full time RV as soon as I could.  That was a little less than 50 years ago.  I have about a year a half before I will finally take off.  In the meantime, there was camping every summer.  And planning every year.  About 10 years ago the downsizing began.  I'm still doing that.  I've had disability in between as well and some surgeries.  I'm still going

Just keep planning.  I waited and got a better retirement outlook because of it.  Had time to gather my equipment like propane heaters and ovens and stoves, solar shower bags and tools.  Do a wish board and put it on your refrigerator.  I put a picture of a Class B on mine and had it a year later, inluding the $10k to buy it.

For now plan a backpack excursion you can take a bus trip to.  Mostly, visualize you going and believe you will.

Christine

 

[mert6706]

You knew at 17? Awesome! I never considered it as a lifestyle until the last year or so, when a friend discovered Cheaprvliving.com and got me interested. Now she's dropped out and I'm all for it! Just bought a shower shelter, looking at lighting, heaters, stoves, etc. adding up the costs. Confused about a lot of the equipment and studying to sort it out. Congratulations on your Class B--my dream machine! I'm handicapped so can't backpack, can hardly carry a sack of potatoes let alone a backpack. I wish!! Thought about backpacking too late in life. Just finished reading "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed for the second time. Admire the way she made up her mind to backpack the PCT and never questioned whether she could do it, just went for it. That's what I'm planning to do to become a Nomad with tent, etc. until I can upgrade. Already have my first summer planned, heading for cooler pastures.  Working on the downsizing; should have kept my status when I lost all my stuff 10 years ago. Dummy me, accumulated a houseful again before I knew it. Now it's tough, because most everything has sentimental vallue. I'm going to ask my daughter what she wants and the rest is going, going, gone! I'm hoping to start full-timing January 1. Just need a vehicle. Are you going to RTR in January? I hope to, if I can get there.