Emptying your pouch
People have different ways of emptying their ostomy pouch. It can take practice to find the way that works best for you.
- Empty your pouch when it is 1/3 -1/2 full
- Place some toilet paper in the bowl to prevent splashing
- Flush at the same time as emptying pouch can help eliminate odours
- You do not need to flush the pouch out with water – this may actually loosen your seal if you get water up around the stoma
- Ensure that the end of the pouch is clean
- People with an ostomy find using wheelchair accessible washrooms convenient as the toilets often have larger bowls to facilitate emptying.
- Sitting back on toilet with legs apart and drain pouch between legs
- Kneeling in front of toilet
- Squatting front of toilet
- Standing in front of the toilet
- Empty in to a container then empty it into the toilet (an option if mobility/ flexibility is an issue)
If you use a urostomy pouch, don’t forget to close the “faucet” of your pouch!
This is an excellent YouTube video giving different options.