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When you first start RVing, you’ll educate yourself on many fun and exciting products like solar panels, entertainment systems, and outdoor awnings.
Some products you’ll purchase aren’t quite as exciting, but they’re equally important (if not more so)! Like an RV toilet paper alternative, for example.
While no one likes to flush their money down the toilet, investing in the appropriate RV toilet paper can save you money down the road.
Let’s get into some great RV toilet paper alternatives!
What Makes RV Toilet Paper Special?
RV toilet paper is thinner and loosely composed, which significantly accelerates the dissolving process.
Once this TP makes contact with liquid, it will begin to break down. This instant process helps minimize the potential for clogs in your RV’s plumbing system.
Is RV Toilet Paper Actually Necessary?
Marketing teams trying to sell RV toilet paper tell us that RV toilet paper breaks down rapidly to prevent potential clogs or build-ups in your RV’s black tanks.
Regular toilet paper doesn’t break down fast enough though, and the resulting clogs can, at the least, require professional assistance.
At the worst, you might have to poke around through your black tank valve into your holding tank to break up the clogs. Yuck!
Many RVers shy away from the initial price, which can be at a premium for soft, quality products.
Additionally, it’s not always easy to find rapid dissolving RV toilet paper, so you might have to go out of your way to find a Camping World or other RV store to get it.
The price of RV toilet paper is ultimately better than a clogged RV black water tank from non RV toilet paper that could cost you hundreds to repair!
RV toilet paper will probably save money in the long run but, are there any other options?
Can You Use Regular Toilet Paper in an RV?
Typically, you don’t want to use just any old residential toilet paper in your RV.
You might long for the plush comfort of specific residential brand toilet papers, but you can’t use them in your RV if you want to avoid messy clogs and black tank trouble!
However, septic-safe toilet paper is the exception. Many residential homes use toilet paper labeled as septic-safe if they have a septic tank sewer system.
This specific toilet paper type, much like RV toilet paper, breaks down at an increased rate.
While RV black holding tanks are utterly different from a residential septic system, septic-safe toilet paper will generally be safe for RV use.
You’ll want to verify with the packaging that it’s genuinely septic safe, but also test to make sure it is.
We’ll share how you can test your toilet paper a little later in this article.
Can You Use Septic-Safe Toilet Paper in Your RV?
Yes, but bathroom users should still be mindful of their paper usage. Flushing a large amount of toilet paper, whether septic safe or not, is a recipe for a potential issue. If your favorite brand is labeled as “septic safe,” then the odds are favorable that you’ll have limited problems in an RV.
There’s a relatively easy test to determine toilet paper’s safeness for an RV’s black tank. Read on to learn more.
Alternatives to RV Toilet Paper: What to Look For
While RV specific toilet paper is ideal, you can sometimes use the toilet paper from your sticks and bricks home but research any modifications first.
As mentioned previously, you just need to choose a septic-safe option.
Look for the “septic safe” stamp of approval on the packaging. You might be surprised how many toilet tissue these days are septic tank safe!
The drawback to using septic-safe toilet paper is that you might have to use more fresh water to flush it.
If you have plenty of water to spare, it’s generally safe to flush this type of paper.
Try the “Dissolve Test” With Regular Toilet Paper First
If you want to use regular toilet paper, you can there’s a test to see if your current brand will work—many RVers use the “dissolve test” before flushing any new toilet paper.
To do the test, fill a lidded glass jar with water, then add a few squares of paper.
Seal the container tightly and shake it a few times. If the regular bath tissue easily dissolves, it should be safe.
You want the toilet paper to break down quickly, so it doesn’t cause damaging clogs.
If your toilet paper fails this test, but you still want to use a particular type of toilet paper, you have one more option: throwing it in a trash can after use. If you don’t put any toilet paper into the black tank, you can use any type of toilet paper!
You can put this practice into place by using a small trash can or waste basket in your bathroom, specifically for used toilet paper, and change the plastic bag often. While it might seem out of the ordinary for us, throwing toilet paper into the trash is common in many places.
It’s a simple alternative if your RV’s holding tank clogs often and you’re sick of having to use the campground bathroom.
Best RV Toilet Paper Alternatives
While you’re now an expert on selecting RV-safe toilet paper alternatives, you might be wondering which brand to consider. We have a few options for you!
Scott 1000 Septic-Safe Toilet Paper
- Scott 1000 toilet paper gives you the quality you want in 1,000 septic-safe sheets. Performance and long-lasting toilet...
- Flush without fear. Scott 1000 is sewer & septic safe, making the 1-ply bathroom tissue perfectly flushable. It's also...
Scott toilet paper is well-known in the RV community because it breaks down quickly.
It’s single-ply with 1000 sheets per roll, so you’ll change the roll less frequently.
Most importantly, it’s safe to put into your black tank. This RV toilet paper alternative comes in a variety of package sizing to fit your family’s needs.
It also carries the ECOLOGO, which means it meets environmental standards and is eco friendly.
Seventh Generation Septic-Safe Toilet Paper
- Seventh Generation 2-ply bathroom tissue designed for softness and strength
- Chlorine free made with 100% Recycled Paper*, no added dyes, inks, or fragrances
Seventh Generation is a popular brand even amongst those who are not RVing.
The brand is well known for its eco friendly products, a component that’s appealing to so many of us.
They use 100% recycled paper in a 2-ply roll that won’t make you feel like you’re skimping out.
Cottonelle Ultra Clean Care Septic Safe Toilet Paper
- 24 FAMILY MEGA ROLLS: Cottonelle Ultra Clean Toilet Paper with Active CleaningRipples Texture, 1-Ply, 24 Family Mega...
- TOILET PAPER WITH CLEANINGRIPPLES TEXTURE: Cottonelle Ultra Clean toilet tissue removes residue that can cause...
The Cottonelle Ultra Clean Care Septic Safe Toilet Paper is a single-ply RV toilet paper alternative.
It’s textured and advertised to be three times stronger and thicker and two times more absorbent than other options.
If ultra soft and robust toilet paper is important to you, this might be the right choice.
It’s also made with sustainably-sourced plant-based fibers, so you’ll be reducing your ecological impact.
Angel Soft Toilet Paper
- ANGEL SOFT toilet paper delivers softness and strength at a good value
- Long lasting rolls with 425 plus 2-ply sheets per roll
An RV YouTube channel called Freeway Flippers conducted a review of seven different RV toilet paper brands.
Their tests showed how the different brands broke down in water over time.
Spoiler alert, their favorite brand is Angel Soft.
This was surprising because Angel Soft doesn’t advertise to be septic safe or RV friendly but it still dissolves quickly!
However, if you look at the fine print of their Amazon page, you can see that it says “safe for standard septic and sewer systems”.
Great Value Ultra Strong Toilet Tissue Paper
Great Value was another top choice by RV YouTubers, Wandering Weekends.
This RVing family also created a video documenting the process of testing some of the top RV toilet paper brands and some non-RV brands.
This is another toilet paper brand that doesn’t advertise as RV friendly, but if you look closely at the Amazon description, it does say this toilet paper is septic safe.
This 2-Ply sheets of bathroom tissues is super strong and absorbent, making it a great choice for your RV toilet paper needs.
Reel Premium Bamboo Toilet Paper
- These soft and durable tissues have been designed to be gentle on your face, while strong enough to handle the biggest...
- Five-star Comfort & Care: Made from Grade A recycled fibers, sourced from North America - our strong and absorbent...
Bamboo toilet tissue is all the rage. Since bamboo grows like a weed, it can be responsibly and sustainably grown quickly.
These toilet paper rolls are 3-ply but still break down quickly. Each one is wrapped in a paper covering so each time you open one you feel like you are in a luxury hotel.
These are great for reducing your carbon footprint but cost more money.
LUXE Bidet Neo 185 (Elite) Non-Electric Bidet
- DUAL WASH MODES – The rear wash sprays a stronger flow towards the rear. The feminine wash sprays a softer flow...
- HYGIENIC PROTECTION – The guard gate is designed to shield the nozzles for your ultimate sanitary experience. The...
Have you fallen in love with your RV toilet paper brand? Don’t want to change away from Grentay RV toilet paper? Love Scotts Rapid Dissolving toilet paper? Can’t give up your Aqua Soft Toilet Tissue?
Then a bidet might be the alternative for you! It will allow you to use less RV toilet paper saving you money.
This bidet hooks up to the cold water line attached to your toilet and requires no electricity to use. The other side benefit is that you can never have too much water in your black tank.
Are You Ready to Make the Switch?
Overall, you can avoid an expensive repair or potential mess merely by trying to find the right RV toilet paper on your next few camping trips.
Were you surprised to learn that you might need to change your toilet paper while RVing?
Are you willing to switch the brand you currently use if necessary to get RV-safe paper?
Not ready to make the switch? Check out our list of the best RV toilet papers!
Last update on 2024-04-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
I did a controlled experiment as well…
My testing proved that Charmin UltraSoft was slightly BETTER at breaking down than AngelSoft, and is a much more comfortable paper to use. AngelSoft is a bit cheaper.
But Charmin UltraSoft breaks down as well or better than the expensive “RV safe” papers, and can be used both at home and on the road.
We’re 3/4 timers who spend a lot of time moving about and have tried many different types of toilet paper plus black and grey tank cleaning/waste breakdown solutions. We’ve also watched multiple videos and read blogs on the toilet paper dissolve tests. Have to say that best toilet test in our humble opinion is watching the black tank empty using a see through connection to witness how much the paper dissolved in actual use. After seeing quite a few different brands pass though our stinky slinky, the best dissolving has been the Scotts “Rapid Dissolving for RV and Boats” toilet paper we normally find in the Walmart RV section.
Hi Jason, great article! Our RV (when it’s delivered in about 3 weeks or so) has a macerator toilet. I was wondering if that presents a different scenario for what type of toilet paper that can be used instead of for a toilet that drops directly into the black tank. Thanks.
Hi Rick, well you might already now know this, but your macerator toilet does all the dirty work for you. Literally. It grinds all the solid waste into a slurry which is frequently flushed right out into the sewer system. Of course, if you’re boondocking, that option is not available, so the slurry goes into the black tank. In any case, it’s all a slurry at that point and will have little impact on your ability to easily empty it.
I am so glad my Charmin has the septic safe seal 🙂
During the TP shortage we grabbed Angel Soft to use in the RV because it did say septic safe on it. Maybe that’s not the case with all of them but the one we picked up had it.
I read as much as I can about RVing and RVer’s comments on various subjects to get informed before my purchase of an RV MH. This subject interests me as I’m a senior with a medical problem (IBS) so my (going) varies from one extreme to the other with very little medical way of controlling it. We have always used Charmin Ultra Strong as it works best for us in our home and hope it will work in an RV black water tank as well. On the package, it does say SAFE IN SEWER SYSTEMS AND SEPTIC TANKS so we hope we will not encounter problems. To be on the safe side would it be advisable to also use a biodegradable and septic-safe liquid such as the one I researched (Aquabac) to help break down solids and toilet paper. Also, I have looked at a Bidet Attachment for a Toilet! If anyone has any comments I would be happy to hear them as I would rather be informed than not! Thanks
We use Costco’s Kirkland toilet paper in our rig. It’s bigger in width (and length) than conventional papers, so we find that we use less of it. It is also marked “Septic Safe”, so there’s that plus. The coup de grâce, however, is using “Happy Camper” black tank treatment. This stuff is amazing, it voraciously decomposes solids while cleaning and deodorizing the black tank naturally, using salts and NO caustic ingredients. We use a scoop of Happy Camper, a cup of Dawn detergent, and a cup of Calgon in the 55-gal tank through the toilet, and it seems to do very well for us. We’re also considering a bidet to see if a no-paper situation is possible. 🙂