Bottles and Sitting Down

How to Pee in a Bottle

If everything is going well, this is simple.

• If your stand-to-pee device has a tube, stick the tube in the bottle and pee.

• If you are using a trough model pee funnel (pStyle, Tinkle Belle, Venus to Mars), just put the tip of the device into the bottle’s opening.

• If you have drinking bottles with you, make sure your pee bottle is easy to identify!

• Freshette makes reusable pee bags that you can just tie off—these naturally work best with a Freshette. I’ve heard these are great for wheelchair users out and about. (See note below.)

• See my thoughts on the best pee funnel to pee in a bottle.

I have a word of caution.

If you really, really have to go, you need a bigger bottle than you think. I tested bottle-peeing when I REALLY needed to pee. I thought a 28 fl oz Gatorade bottle would be big enough. Wrong! I filled not only that bottle, but 2/3 of a bottle the same size which I very luckily had on hand. 

Physically, it was easy! Pee funnels are awesome if you want to pee in a bottle. But don’t think a Gatorade bottle will work in an emergency. 

By the same token, Freshette’s pee bags are also too small for a mega emergency pee. Ordinary pee, yes. They are awesome! But if you are saving them for when you are ready to burst, they will overflow.

If you know in advance that you are going to have to pee in a bottle, test the bottle out first! And don’t wait until it’s a crisis.

Want to use a pee funnel sitting down?

This comes up mainly in the context of a.) traffic jams and b.) disabilities. In terms of the latter, I am not an expert! I am able-bodied and do not use a wheelchair, so please consider this only the most general advice.

Pee funnels for sitting or lying down

Pibella is marketed as being ok to use sitting down, and the Pibella Comfort (which I don’t review) is specifically for sitting and lying down. Freshette also advertises itself as being for use sitting down, and you can buy versions with a much 36 inch tube for bedrest and wheelchairs. The pStyle site also covers use of a pStyle in a wheelchair on their Healthcare page. However, any hard funnel will work. There are also AFAB urinals for those who cannot get out of bed, and pee bags for car rides, neither of which I review here.

How to use a pee funnel sitting down

• Do not use a rubbery pee funnel for this. You will pee on yourself and the seat.

• For use in cars, I recommend a Freshette. Hard funnel, 7-inch tube. You can also leave a Freshette in your car and extreme temperatures will not warp it! If you’re doing this in a bed, that 36-inch tube may be your friend.

• Venus to Mars, Tinkle Belle and pStyle will also work if you don’t need a tube. And as for Pibella—if it works for you, it works.

• If you are in a wheelchair, lock your brakes!

• You have to be able to get the pee funnel directly under your urethra, which will mean scooching to the edge of the seat. Your ability to do this will depend a lot on the circumstances—a small car is not great.

• Open your legs.

• Hold the pee funnel against you, MAKING SURE it is tipped down—remember it will spill if it is tipped back toward you. Keep in mind many car seats slope down, so really get to the edge.

• If you are using a Freshette, it might be easier to reverse how you hold it—check out Freshette’s own guide here.

• Put the tube (or tip) in a large bottle and pee, or direct into toilet.

• Wipe with the device, pulling it away from you.

• Know you might have to do this? PRACTICE FIRST.

For me personally, in a traffic jam, I’d rather get out of the car, open both car doors, and use the stand-to-pee device between them. But I get that this may not be possible.

If you use a wheelchair, or are just very good at peeing sitting down with a pee funnel, send me your feedback! gostandingup@gmail.com