The coronavirus pandemic has sent panicked shoppers across Europe into a toilet paper buying and hoarding frenzy. Videos of scuffles in supermarkets have been circulating widely on social media and some have even ended in fistfights that required police intervention. Are you, too, worried about whether you have enough toilet paper for the coronavirus lockdown? But how much do you really need? And what to do if the unthinkable happens and you run out? Tongue-in-cheek, online calculators are here to help.
At howmuchtoiletpaper.com and www.blitzrechner.de/toilettenpapier, curious users can work out how long their stockpile will last. Just tell it how many rolls you have and how often you go to the toilet. You can adjust the settings for the number of wipes per trip, the number of paper squares per wipe, the number of family members in your household and how long you plan to stay home.
Generally speaking, people tend to wildly overestimate their TP needs, the German website says.
"Many people use more toilet paper than needed. For a 'number one,' one or two sheets should suffice," it adds.
A person with a stockpile of 10 rolls, who uses the typical amount of paper three times a day, should survive for 53 days, it says. A message notes that this is 39 days longer than the recommended 14-day quarantine for those with symptoms.
The website also offers some suggested alternatives to toilet paper should the supermarket shelves be bare.
Washcloths, strips of old rags and even a quick shower are all good options. But be careful not to flush paper towels as they could clog up the toilet.
