Last week I eased readers into my “I may be green, but I’m not THAT green” series with topics like no shampoo, no soap, no deodorant and no plastic straws. This week the kid gloves come off, though. I’ll highlight intimate and potentially disgusting alternatives. Are you curious?One ultra green alternative is replacing toilet paper with “family cloth.” Logistically speaking, family cloth means using cloth wipes instead of toilet paper.
I’ve got to admit, this idea makes me think “ew!” – yet it intrigues me. You can use anything for family cloth, like old, cut-up T-shirts, or cut squares of a baby’s flannel receiving blanket. The benefits include material that makes wiping easier – family cloth won’t shred or tear like good old TP. It’s supposed to be more comfortable, too. And, environmentally speaking, family cloth eliminates toilet paper. You’re not flushing paper down the toilet, and you’re not exposing yourself to bleached paper. Plus, it’s super cheap.
But for newbies like me, the concept sounds super gross. (This is coming from a mother who has used – and cleaned – cloth diapers for about four total years with my two children.)
Keep in mind that you can take a family cloth challenge to any level – some families choose to use family cloth only after urination. To me, that doesn’t sound so bad. Other families use it every time (EW!) and reserve toilet paper for guests.
You have to wash and dry family cloth. For cloth diaperers, this isn’t a big deal. Some family cloth users claim to wash their family cloth with their towels. Others wash them with their cloth diapers. I’m totally on board with adding the family cloth to loads of dirty diapers, but once my children are potty-trained I don’t want to add dirty wipes to my normal loads of laundry. Maybe a family cloth and underwear load could be a great plan.
I know I’ve said I’m not THAT green to try family cloth, but after reading the testimonies at Sorta Crunchy and Penniless Parenting, someday I just might change my mind.
[P.S. (updated at 10 p.m. Aug. 15) OK. I gave in today and tried it, just for fun. Never again! I tried a flannel blanket square, and it felt just like my quilted toilet paper. Except I had to throw it in my dirty cloth diaper pail. From now on I will stick to my toilet PAPER. And yes, I may be green, but I splurge on the comfy T.P. instead of the ecologically friendly one-ply stuff.]
[P.P.S. (updated on March 8, 2013) Now that both of my children are out of diapers and we have a lot of potty time and wiping going on in our house, I’m sticking to toilet paper – not cloth. I’ve switched to a two-ply septic-friendly paper, though.]
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Wow! I have never even thought about doing this. It sounds interesting, but I don’t think I am ready for that. I am done with cloth diapers and just like your concern, I just don’t know how I would make a load with just that. Cleaning up after my child is one thing, but all three kids and my husband and me, yuck! I also don’t miss the time I spent rinsing out and storing the stinky cloth diapers until there was a load. Thinking about it, I am not sure my husband would be up for it.
I am laughing out loud at your comments, Stacey and Jacque! :) I completely agree with you, Stacey … cleaning up after a baby or toddler is one thing, but adults and older children are just too gross for me. And, my husband is like yours … just the thought of this repulses him.
No thanks. I can’t imagine. If I was ever forced to use cloth I would wipe and throw it away. So what’s the point? LOL I will never take my Charmin for granted again!
I started using reusable tp a few months ago, and I really like it. I only use it for urination though — not quite ready to take the next step! I’d recommend using something a little thicker than just a piece of flannel though… I use old inserts from my menstrual pads, so they have two layers of flannel and a layer of terrycloth which makes them pretty absorbent.
TP is pretty biodegradable, so I don’t see the need!
Sarah, the problem is not toilet paper’s biodegradability, it’s that acre upon acre of rainforest are being clear-cut in order to grow the eucalyptus needed to produce that toilet paper. I still use toilet paper, but only the kind that comes from recycled paper (I do NOT however use tissues – hanky’s are much better). This isn’t without problems, but the notion that it’s okay to use toilet paper because it biodegrades is extremely problematic and beside the point. Humans and animals are being displaced and it’s time that we privileged folks stopped being slaves to bad habits and started living more responsibility – or at least taking the time to see the whole picture.
I just don’t understand the “eww” factor when it comes to issues such as family cloth, cloth menstrual pads, etc. When did our bodily “fluids” become so unnatural and disgusting to us? What did people use for years and years before TP was invented? To me it just seems selfish to ignore the facts- the damage it’s doing to our environment is just heartbreaking. I agree wholeheartedly with Shelah- we all need to look at the whole picture and start living more responsibly.
Advertising. I really think that our culture’s current ‘view on eww’ comes from 60+ years of advertising. Next time you watch TV, pay attention to how many commercials for cleaning products are oriented towards ridding our homes of nasty germs in the easiest way. I think we’ve been sold the notion that ‘clean’ can only mean a few things.
We do use family cloth, but it is a realtively recent development in our home. I don’t find it at all gross. I cut up, in very large squares, old cotton clothing. I keep baskets of it by our toilets. I keep swing- top waste cans in the same spot. Once a week, I dump the cans into the washer with bleach and hot water, spray the cans with tea tree and/or bleach, and then dry the load on the highest heat setting. And the cycle repeats.
It just got to the point that it made no sense to me to buy something we were going to immediately flush away. I don’t feel ok about flushing away incredibly valuable environmental resources when there is another viable option. That’s just us.
I’m new to it but I wish I had strted years ago. After all, it never stopped me from using a dry washcloth in a pinchor during a storm when all the stores were closed. I went to Walmart and bought green washcloths specifically for my “green experiment”. I had to use to for #2 because my dogs kept getting into the small can I used for “dirties”. I then just wash the cloths the same as any towel. Works fine. I wish I had considered alternatives to pads and tampons back when I used them. Ovr teh course of her menstruating life, a woman will use approx. 17k such products. I felt a real pang when I read that.
The “ew” factor is a natural reaction to things that can harm us. Feces has a lot of E.coli in it. People and other animals usually steer clear of their own poop. You really need to wash your hands after dealing with it. W
I LOVE my family cloth!!! :) Since I am living with family right now I had to give it up but I really miss it.
I just remembered your site (seeing a link on mine to your excellent article about hot dogs!) and just now saw this old article. I’m in the “just for urination” group and love it! I did a guest post on the subject at Live Renewed:
http://www.liverenewed.com/2013/05/how-to-use-cloth-wipes-all-around-your-home-green-in-365.html
If you live in an area that is rich in water, like I do, you can make your own bidet by installing a sprayer to the valve that supplies water to your toilet. It is cold water, but you can spray your bum and then use TP sparingly and get yourself very clean and fresh. You can find a sprayer online (look for baby diaper sprayers like bumGenius or OsoCozy Cloth Diaper Sprayer).
GREAT idea … thanks so much for sharing, Ivy!
Anonymous/W is completely right – the “Eww” factor is completely natural and as it should be. We are talking about feces collecting on cloths somewhere inside living quarters. Leaving the issue of toilet paper aside, let’s just look at those facts for what they are. Feces is full of dangerous bacteria that can make us sick; that’s why we (hopefully) wash our hands afterwards. Millions of people through the centuries experienced various diseases from the improper handling of their own waste. Whether one chooses to use family cloth or not is obviously anyone’s personal choice. But I respectfully ask that we not insult each other’s intelligence by saying that “advertisers” have somehow boondoggled us into thinking that completely disposing of the apparatus we use to wipe our bacteria-laden tushies (down a toilet, out of the house) is more sanitary than keeping it around (where pets and children may also possibly access it), and then continually handling it (gathering, washing, etc.) – it simply IS more sanitary. We can “live responsibly” (by whose definition, by the way?) and still be rightfully grossed out by the excrement our bodies produce. If you are not grossed out by stinky, bacteria-laden poop that is the waste product of our bodies, then your worldview has taken you beyond common sense.
The best solution, IMO, is use a bidet. We use a bidet in conjunction with cloth wipes. Since the wipes are basically for drying, after first thoroughly ourselves cleaning with water, they’re very easy to wash.
My husband and son complain when they have to go somewhere without a bidet. It gets us a lot cleaner than toilet paper.
If people really hate the idea of cloth, you can still use a bidet and use toilet paper to dry afterward. It only takes a tiny amount of toilet paper to dry yourself after cleaning with a bidet. (like 2 squares)