We finally decided to ditch regular toilet paper and switch to homemade TP, otherwise known as “family cloth.” (And we’re telling the whole internet!)
My husband and I moved away from toilet paper for a number of reasons:
(1) It’s dry.
(2) The chemicals it’s processed in are bad for those sensitive areas.
(3) It leaves particles. (Gross.)
Also, did you know that it takes 37 gallons of water, 1.3 kilowatt/hours (KWh) of electricity and some 1.5 pounds of wood to make a SINGLE roll of toilet paper? [1] Not to mention all the energy it takes to process it from our sewer system.
Chemical-laden baby wipes are no good either. They have things like methylisothiazolinone in them, which I can’t pronounce. As a general rule, if I can’t pronounce it (or eat it), then I don’t put it in or on my body.
For years now, I’ve been getting really thin tears “down there” that feel like paper cuts. I’ve now learned that these are called vaginal fissures and can be caused by certain soaps, artificial fragrances, tampons, scented or colored panty liners, and paper toilet paper. When I got married, these vaginal fissures became even more of a problem, as they made intercourse very painful.
Think about how MUCH bleached, processed plant material we put in that area! Tampons. Disposable pads. Toilet paper. It’s all highly processed and full of chemicals, and we put it RIGHT THERE all up in our most sensitive bits!
The solution? Eating a balanced diet (check!) and cloth toilet paper. (I also gave up tampons to use a Mooncup instead, but that’s a different post!)
Okay okay. So is giving up TP taking it too far? Maybe for some of you who are less sensitive than me, it seems absolutely nuts. But guess what?
After we switched to family cloth and cloth pads, MY PAPER-CUT TEARS DISAPPEARED.
For me, it’s life-changing. Living with those tears was terribly painful, and it made fun married-people stuff really hard. I’ve had zero tears since we switched. ZERO. Not even one. And to be honest ladies, I really feel like I’m pampering myself! It’s like when you go to a spa or fancy hotel and they don’t have paper towels, they have fluffy white washcloths that you throw in a woven basket. You know, THOSE? It’s like that, 3-5 times a day. :)
How to make family cloth
First, get some organic flannel patterns that you just adore. (I am seriously in love with these little birds!) Then, I suggest you get a cute little fabric bin to put the finished squares in. Simply cut, double layer, and sew into squares. Then you’re done!
Some of you might be thinking that this is going a little too far or that this is gross, but it makes so much sense to me. For you cloth diaper users, this may not be too much of a stretch. And if you’re really concerned about bacteria, instead of throwing the used cloths into a dry bin, you can throw them into a vinegar and water solution, and perhaps add a little tea tree oil, as well. Voilà!
Many people around the world prefer to rinse first, using bidets, some sort of water bottle or vessel, or even spray bottles. We use this bidet from Amazon, and we love it. It leaves us feeling so clean that the cloth is more just to dry than anything. We only ever need to use one square at a time; and overall, it seems much more hygienic than regular paper toilet paper, which sometimes doesn’t get everything and can leave paper particles. (Ew.)
Also, if you’re wondering if they smell. They don’t. At least ours don’t. Using water and cloth is so much cleaner than paper….I can’t even describe it to you non-water/cloth using folks. Pooping shouldn’t be that messy. If you’re having that much stink and mess…well…I think maybe you might want to evaluate more than just what you’re wiping with.
For me, family cloth has made my bathroom time just *that* much more luxurious, AND it’s helped to heal my body. Go on! Try it! ;)
Also, if you’re wondering about the squatty potty, you can learn more HERE.
CJ, if you soak the cloths like she said in a container with white vinegar and tea tree oil and maybe baking soda, you don’t have a sterilization problem. You would certainly not want to use a poison like bleach that would defeat the whole purpose. I have been using white wash cloths to wipe with when I urinate to save on tp for many years and just wash them in a load of their own with baking soda in the load with the soap. I never thought about using wash cloths for wiping for everything. Now, I don’t see why not. What would be wrong with just using wash cloths as long as the cloths were a different color than what you might use for bathing? We don’t use wash cloths for bathing at our house we use natural sponges or shower scrunchies of net. Like Sam says, I don’t think my husband would convert, but I will certainly try this and save even more trees and water. tysm for the article.
I am thinking about the water use, detergent and bleach required to make the cloth sanitary again. Cost plus chemicals. Not sold on this.
CJ, MUCH more water and chemicals are used in the production of TP than using cloths to wipe up after using the bidet.
I have been using cloth for over a year. they are not supposed to be flushed. They are laundered. They don’t stink ( I guess they might if you let the laundry pile up) they are no different than washing underwear. It is not unsanitary. It saves resources (trees, ect.)and money. and you will be cleaner and no nasty chemical and paper particles in your undies.Win, win!
FIRST of all…You CANNOT FLUSH these. Have you even THOUGHT about the PLUMBER BILL if you do? SECOND….THIS is not SANITARY!!! THINK….When you poop, what do you do with these? If you have to wash them, they would build up until laundry and smell to high heaven!! UHM…..No.
You might want to reread “. . . instead of throwing the used cloths into a dry bin, you can throw them into a vinegar and water solution, and perhaps add a little tea tree oil, as well. . .”. Also, Pampers haven’t been around forever. I used cloth diapers for my kids and they were a whole lot bigger and messier than these cloths. My kids and I never got sick or infections from using them.
Jackie B. You are using the cloths after you wash your hinny with the bidet or spray bottle as the author says… it is so thorough you may only have a minuscule amount of fecal matter left behind, it’s not like you have a diaper full…
can you please explain this “squatty potty” concept? not getting it even when looking at a picture of one? just looks like a step stool to me? FYI we will be learning how to make mommapads in church here really soon. thankfully I never have to worry bout that problem in life again, however my girl is coming up in the ranks…..
THANKS LOVE THIS!
You can read more about the squatty potty in a recent review I wrote.
It is a great bathroom helper.
http://lachicaorganica.wordpress.com/product-reviews/squatty-potty-toilet-stool/
Look it up on YouTube they (squatty potty people) have a very easy to understand video with Unicorn ice cream… check it out!
You know, bidets are like $40 on amazon…I feel like that would be easier and more sanitary. Whatever floats your boat :)
And bidets use even MORE water, in addition to the flush of the toilet. People who are “disgusted” by this have either never had a baby that they diapered or are dealing with some pretty bad “body issues”. People need to get over being “disgusted” with perfectly normal bodily functions. And the idea of using potable water to flush away our feces is WAY more disgusting than using a cloth wipe in my book. We can’t continue to ignore the environment by just flushing or throwing things away. There is no “away” anymore!
Sue,
I think a bidet in conjunction with the cloth wipes makes a lot of sense. Yes, the bidet uses some water however you’ll also need to wash the cloth wipes. The bidet makes the whole situation more sanitary and will likely make more people open to using the cloth instead of disposable paper.
I agree with this, a bidet will not use that much water I would think, especially not as much as is used for making a toilet paper tissue. Not only that you would just end up wiping water from your butt instead of feces.
Sue, your comment is absolutely true!! There really is no ‘away’. Well said.
P.S. I don’t necessarily use when I have had a BM, I do have toilet paper around for this, but I do save a lot of paper from just each tinkle!
Hi, I knit my own washcloths and now, thanks to you, I started knitting my own family cloth, so amazing, they take about two TV shows to make, or listening to a great cd.
Thanks, Carolyn
Hi Courtney, I was just wondering why you chose flannel over any other fabric and did you double it up because it’s quite thin?
I liked the texture, and I doubled it up because it seemed like it would last longer. Next time, I’d like to get organic bamboo velour.
Thanks for writing about this. Less garbage going into landfills that are no longer built to break down materials but to put them into a type of ‘suspended animation’.
I sold organic pads at one point in the shop BUT then thought… why even put THAT in a landfill. It’s so unnecessary.
I find this very interesting after changing over to cloth feminine hygiene products years ago. In doing that I have NOT put over 1500 sanitary napkins that are full of chemicals (never mind my own biological material) into a landfill.
Imagine 100 women NOT putting 1500 items a year in there… Imagine 10,000. Imagine 100,000 (150 MILLION products)…
It is no problem to put them in a bucket to soak and wash them out in a sink. They unfold and so are very easy to clean and do not require a whole lot of water.
I have been very curious about going this next step but have not thought enough about how to do it successfully. Thanks for posting. I haven’t read the article yet but am going to now.
We are also shopping for a composting toilet. That said, you couldn’t have company use it because you wouldn’t know what meds were going into the garden… so many people on meds these days… it can be quite frightening… so many that even the fish are affected by the hormone/med levels in our waste water… Sigh.
Thankfully our family does not require any meds.