"So, where do you empty your toilet...?"

This is one of the most common questions I get, especially when I'm talking about staying off-grid or wild parking with my motorhome.

Whenever I mention that I've spent several weeks off-grid in places like Ireland, France, Sweden, and Norway, I get emails from people confused about what I was doing.

Am I emptying it behind a bush?!?!

Er, no. Nor into a river.

Or anywhere else that's not a proper hygienic toilet emptying point.

Please don't be that person! Only use appropriate places and dispose of all waste properly

What I do is make use of the facilities provided as I tour.

Over the course of my trips, I use:

• Campsites facilities
• Aires/ stopovers with toilet-disposal points (yup, even the UK & Ireland have a couple of those)
• Other public Elsan points (some marinas and town halls have installed these)

Very few of these facilities were free to use, but I'm happy to pay if it means I get the freedom of being able to wake up somewhere like this every morning!

(This is the Dolomites in Italy)

On many of my trips, I stay at a proper campsite at least once a week to empty all waste and refill with fresh drinking water. Sometimes I just ask the campsite if I can pay to use their facilities, and other times I book a pitch and stay overnight (this is especially useful if I need to do laundry or give my batteries/ powerbanks a good charge.)

If you're using facilities which aren't on a campsite, you can find them using an app like Park4Night. Just select the facility you want and it will show you your nearest or best options.

You can also use P4N to find places to fill up with fresh water, get showers and even find laundry facilities.

Best Toilet Finder App

If, like many of us, you find yourself 'caught short', I highly recommend the Flush Toilet Finder app (on the App store it's a green background with a white toilet roll).

It allows you to find toilets near you, shares if the toilets are free/ paid, if there are disabled facilities and if you need a key.

It's currently free to download and use, and covers much of the globe.

(And no, you shouldn't empty your motorhome toilet into a public one. That often causes blockages)

Smelly Toilet??

If you're struggling with a smelly toilet or grey waste tank in this hot weather, you're not alone.

There are a couple of things you can do to help:

🚽 Empty them more often. Obvious, yes- but it's amazing how many people don't empty their waste if it's not full. Heat speeds up the growth of bacteria, which means smells develop much faster than they do in cooler weather. If you can, empty every day or every other day to stop the smells

💧 Use plenty of water. A little extra flush water can really help the toilet chemicals/ additive to work better. Running plenty of water down your sinks also helps flush food particles and grease through the grey tank.

🧴 Use the right stuff. Make sure you're using a good-quality toilet fluid and, if your grey tank tends to smell, consider a dedicated grey waste treatment too. This is the toilet fluid I use (it smells so good) and this is the grey waste cleaner​

🚐 Get a SOG. If you travel a lot in warm weather, it might be worth fitting a SOG. This helps remove all fumes from your toilet- you don't even need chemicals!

🌡️ Park with the sun in mind. If possible, try not to have the toilet cassette or fridge sitting in full afternoon sun all day. Keeping that side of the van shaded can help reduce heat (and smell!) build-up.

🫧 Give everything a proper clean occasionally. Every few empties, rinse the cassette thoroughly and flush the grey tank with plenty of fresh water to help remove the build-up that's causing lingering odours. Don't pour bleach or household disinfectant into the toilet or grey tank. It can damage seals, interfere with other products and isn't recommended by many manufacturers. Use products designed for motorhome waste systems, like the ones above.

Happy toilet emptying!

Follow the adventures and get FREE info & resources: ​Website | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram​ *my emails may contain affiliate links to products and services we think you'll find helpful. We may earn from qualifying purchases. ___________________________________________________________________________________________

P.S The Wild and Off-Grid Parking Workshop is on Monday. There are just a few spaces left to join us live and learn how to stay in places like the one pictured above with confidence. Save your spot here.​

You can see ALL the products we recommend in our Amazon store​