Why is toilet paper a big deal in an RV? One very simple reason – if you clog up your black tank, you are going to have a very big mess on your hands. Unlike a house, every RV has a holding tank for your solids and liquids. When you clog a toilet in a house, you can usually fix it with a plunger, or an auger if it is especially bad. But in most cases, the issue won’t be too bad because toilet paper flows through the smooth pipes in the house and out to the local sewer system (unless you have septic).

Contrast that to an RV, which essentially has a big plastic box that lets all that goodness sit and gum up together until you get around to emptying the tank. If your paper won’t break down sufficiently, it will make a huge wad that will never make it out the tank drain. So it matters very much what you actually put down the toilet – wipes and paper towels are definite no-no’s. And you need to be very careful with what kind of toilet paper you use. We considered quite a few options, weighing cost vs. ability to break down.

What we found was Cottonelle septic-safe toilet paper works perfectly fine (at least for us!).

It’s only 1-ply but very soft and strong. We have a macerator in our master bathroom which helps break down the paper, but in the half bathroom we don’t have a macerator and it’s never been a problem at all.

 

Cottonelle Ultra CleanCare Septic-Safe

 

 

Thetford AquaSoft

Another septic-safe RV toilet tissue is Thetford AquaSoft but we found the cost is much more than Cottonelle and not as soft. We are sure its a great option, but unless we start having issues we are not going there!  Thetford Aquasoft is marketed for RV’s – designed to break down very easily. If you find that the Cottenelle isn’t working, this could be a good option.

 

 

Scott Rapid-Dissolving

Scott Rapid-Dissolving is another popular choice for RV’s. They claim it breaks down faster than the leading brand toilet paper. Scott Rapid-Dissolving is made for RV’s but the rolls are smaller than regular toilet paper. We found you get much more paper with Cottonelle family mega rolls and it cost much less than Scotts.