RV safe toilet paper - do you really need to use it?

Do you really need to use RV safe toilet paper? Or can you just stick to your favourite regular kind? Mark Allen discusses RV toilet paper and how to test your paper to see if it’s RV safe.

Before we delve into whether you should use RV-specific toilet paper, let’s point out the main differences between your home throne and your camper crapper. First, the amount of water used in RV toilets is considerably less than a half or full flush back home.

That water wastage in your house helps not only to wash away the remnants of the previous night’s Vindaloo but also to dissolve and break down the solids and paper. Even the turbulence of the flush helps in breaking down the paper.

In your RV, that breaking down is left mostly to the holding tank chemicals. The smaller sloshes at flush time also aid in breaking it down. Both paper and waste turn to liquid so that they can be poured out into a dump point or removed from the system. Depending of course, on the toilet and tank system you have.

Um … so should I use RV safe toilet paper or not?

The short answer is yes. RV safe toilet paper breaks down a heck of a lot quicker than normal toilet paper. Therefore, it shouldn’t clog up your caravan toilet system. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you have to give up your favourite loo paper. Why? Because some brands break down really quickly, despite not specifically being advertised as RV safe toilet paper.

For those with a chemical toilet, RV safe toilet paper will turn into liquid quicker and can be easily emptied at a dump point. For those with a composting toilet in their caravan, it will break down quicker in your compost holding tank.

The number one point to consider here is the breaking down of the paper. Whether the cleverly labelled packaging promotes the “RV” usage or not, you want to know whether the paper is septic and sewer safe and whether it is fast dissolving or biodegradable.

Sure, you’d expect RV safe paper to have all those attributes. However, other papers promote the same regardless of whether they are recycled or non-recycled.

Time to test out your toilet paper

If your chosen paper doesn’t state the facts and you’re up for a bit of easy testing, here’s a great way to determine if your paper is RV safe toilet paper.

Grab a sealable container, fill it halfway with regular water (no RV chemicals), drop a couple of clean poo tickets in and start shaking. Errr, shake the container, not yourself!

If the paper starts to fall apart, then it’s a safe bet you can use it in your RV system. But if it stays in its standard form, do not use it. Pretty simple, right?

For a good comparison, try a few different toilet paper brands and types, as well as recycled and non-recycled. Now do the same with a facial tissue. You’ll note that facial tissues generally don’t fall apart, no matter how long or vigorously you shake the container. That’s the perfect example of why you should use the right tools for the job.

The same goes for wet wipes. Even if they state they are flushable, don’t use them. They’ll do more harm than good in the end—your toilet’s end, that is, not yours.

What is safe to flush down your RV toilet

The list of what not to dispose of or flush down your RV toilet could be as long or complex as you want but is easily summarised to this. Other than the toilet paper, if you didn’t eat it first, then don’t put it into the toilet.

The cost of RV safe toilet paper

As travellers, we are always looking for ways to save money to help keep us on the road longer. If you’ve been successful at finding a couple of different types of toilet paper with varying costs, then don’t be ashamed of choosing the cheaper roll, even if it’s not a dedicated or advertised RV safe paper.

So long as it’s septic and sewer safe and has passed the shake test, then you’re good to go.

Other tips

Given the restricted volume of an RV toilet tank compared to most home systems, try to limit the amount of toilet paper (RV safe, of course) you use. An easy way to lessen the amount of paper flushed is by placing paper that has only been used for number ones… that’s the wee…into a sealable bin. If the paper has performed its vital role “after dropping the kids to school”, flush it and its smell. It’s not something you want hanging around in the confined space of an RV.

Having said that, it’s only natural. So if you’re really into saving or can’t do without your favourite super-soft non-RV compliant roll, then bag and seal it all.

Knowing how to use or operate your RV toilet is a must. Read instructions carefully and use the correct chemicals in both tanks if you have that type of system (there’s a difference between the top and bottom tank chemicals). While we need to conserve water, don’t be shy about using it through the RV system as it’s part of the breakdown process and helps with the pouring of the waste when emptying.

So, go forth and wipe with confidence without clogging the system.