Reusable Toilet Paper: Not So Crazy
By Jenn (TinyChoices.com) | August 26, 2010
So, I know there are a few of our readers who have made the switch at home to reusable toilet paper– which, for the uninitiated (and probably squicked out), means keeping a supply of clean cloths next to the toilet, using them to wipe, then tossing them into a collection bin until laundry day. Before you fall off your floor in horror, please consider that this is actually no more gross than parents who use reusable diapers for their babies.
This is a switch neither Karina nor I have made, and to be honest, while I totally saw the environmental benefits, I just didn’t think I was on a regular enough laundry schedule to implement a system such as this. It’s different if one has a large family– wash is always being done– but for a solo hobo, it’s very hit or miss.
I recently travelled in Central America, where the toilet lines are so delicate that folks don’t toss their used TP into the bowl, but instead into a small trash bin. That bin is emptied every day, and there’s no smell or mess. I just realized how close this system is to a reusable TP system, except for the fact that the Central Americans are still using regular disposable paper, instead of reusable rags. What strikes me is how easy and economically-sensible it would be for them to make the next small switch– when the average living wage is a equal to a few dollars per day, why should any of that necessary money be going towards an unnecessary disposable product?
Of course, our cultures at this point in time are biased towards disposables, and many folks the world over have developed the “gross!” reflex in the last generation or two about things like this– hankies instead of paper tissues, reusable cloth pads instead of disposables, etc. But when I stop to think about it, there’s really nothing gross about this at all. In fact, it could easily be argued that the truly gross thing is to cut down trees in order to make paper to wipe our butts with.
Where do you stand on the resuables issue– TP, hankies, or pads? Do you think this is grody, or a no-brainer?
[Image by Public Domain Photos via Creative Commons]
Topics: Home, Waste | 13 Comments »
We use all of the above in our home. I think once a family goes through childbirth and diapering the gross out factor of bodily functions and fluids disappears. It did for us at least!
I’m curious about trying this, but I just have a feeling it won’t fly with the rest of my family… Plus, I don’t exactly have a handle on the laundry as it is. Not sure I want to add pee-soaked items to the pile.
If I ever get my groove laundry-wise, I think I will give reusable toilet paper a test run, though!
I have wondered about using reusable TP while backpacking in the woods, but I hadn’t really thought about it at home, which is slightly ironic because I am a big believer in hankies (I really get stressed out about the idea of using tissues now), cloth pads, and fabric “paper towels”. I’m gonna try it!
I am all about reusable everything. Old pajama pants become tp, “kleenex”, etc. I use little round flannel pieces for cotton ball and q-tip type needs. I love my Gladags menstrual pads and have been using the same set for upwards of 10 years- they hold up great and I line-dry them. It’s a great feeling to save resources and money, plus I get to have awesomely cute prints on all my resusables. Who gets moons-n-stars, fairies, cows, frogs, etc. on their throw-aways? No one!
Don’t many cloth diaper families send out to have their diapers washed? In which case, they’re likely bleached or put through some other sort of industrial sanitizing process?
Is it enough to wash your TP cloths in homemade laundry detergent and hot water? Will they be sufficiently clean?
And whether the answer is yes or no, I wonder (it’s likely a non-issue, but just to throw it out there devil’s advocate style) whether it’s actually cheaper in Central America to buy paper than to spend money on hot water (and maybe bleach) to clean the rags…
Thoughts?
All the cloth diaper-ers that I know (and I count myself among them) wash their diapers at home. Part of the eco-friendly aspect of cloth diapers is NOT sing harsh chemicals or bleach to sanitize them as some of the services do.
Yes, it is enough to wash your TP cloths as you do the rest of your laundry. For cloth diapers you do one cold rinse, a hot wash with detergent, then one or two cold rinses. TP cloths would be less sensitive than diapers because they wouldn’t sit wet next to the skin for long periods of time.
Thought I’d chime back in with a few thoughts…
*We only use ‘family cloth’ for #1 (just the cheap 12 pack of washcloths from the dollar store) and they are never ‘pee soaked’. They’re just a tiny bit wet from wiping.
*We wash ours with diapers currently, but once the kiddo is out of diapers I plan to wash them with the regular laundry or with the kitchen cloth/towel loads.
*I wash cloth diapers/family cloth with cold water and earth friendly detergent and either line or machine dry. No bleach, no hot water. We haven’t had any trouble with this system through 2 kids (and four years, that’s a lot of diapers!)
Don’t know if that answered any questions up thread, but I wanted to try.
I use cloth pads, but they don’t just go straight into the laundry. First I pre-soak for about a day, changing out the water a few times before squeezing them dry. I never really developed a “ew gross” response to my period- possibly because I was reading third wave feminists and Goddess worship stuff at the age I started bleeding.
I’m trying to switch to hankies, but it has been a challenge. I’ve found just tossing them into the laundry leaves them with snot stains sometimes, so I’ve got to figure out a system for that…Also, on days when my allergies are acting up, I don’t think I have enough hankies to make it!
I might be willing to try cloth for pee, except I’m not sure where to put them. See, I’m also a solo laundry doer, and it is a once-every-six-weeks deal fro me.
I am totally going to start calling myself a solo hobo!
I’ve used cloth instead of paper towels for almost 20 years and have been a hankie user for even longer. However, like you, my laundry routine is inconsistent and I don’t have a machine in my house. And, like Lisa above, I’m already not great at keeping things laundered. However, baby steps. I think using cloth for pee only would be a relatively painless way to ease into this routine. If I worry about putting damp pee cloths in with the laundry I could rinse them quickly after use and let them dry before hampering.
Do cloth users travel with cloth as well?
Solo hobos unite!!
I currently live in Morocco, where there are very few ‘western’ toilets and tp is available but not widely used – at least not in the countryside, I have no authority whatsoever to discuss cities.
So what do I use? First off, I use a squat toilet, which makes it much easier to do away with tp entirely (and uses a fraction of the water, but that’s a different topic). After utilizing said toilet, I scoop some water out of the bucket with my right hand, pour it onto my left, and wipe. Most of the time soap is unnecessary for urine – easily rinsed away – but I always keep soap by the toilet so that I can get a good lather if need be. Then I have a handkerchief with which to dry off. I always travel with a bathroom kit of a small bar of soap and a hankie.
As for the hankies, I wash them with the rest of my laundry in a plastic tub. As I just use them to rinse off, they’re not really dirty – I wash them in cold water with tide once, rinse them off, and then I’m done. Easy Peasy : )
Unfortunately, I think the logistics of washing over a western toilet is most likely trickier than washing over a squat toilet – I suppose that’s why the Europeans have bidets. Even so, I highly suggest giving it a try.
I use reusable cloth tp at my place. 90% of the time it’s just my son & i. currently it’s only used for ‘short’ trips so i’m the only one using it. i think it’s great. i only do laundry once a week & it’s a total non issue. i also use fabric menstrual pads & the instead cup.
the cost of running the washing machine / heating water / introducing chemicals is much higher than just using a reasonable (non-luxury) paper… and you shouldn’t need more than 2 or 3 squares anyway. It’s the handwrappers that are causing the problems.