Toilet Cloth or Toilet Paper

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Abstract

Did the switch over to cloth take some getting used to? Yes, it did. When my youngest daughter was an infant, rather than buying tub after tub of baby wipes, I decided to make some toilet cloths that we could use and reuse. We were already using cloth diapers so it made sense to use cloth wipes too. My version of the toilet cloth began life as face washers. To reduce the eewww factor, I folded the face washers in half and sewed the 3 remaining sides shut. Then I cut each one in half and sewed that edge shut. They end up being 1/4 the size of a face washer and 2 layers. Perfect!</p><h1 id="c5fa">How to Use</h1><p id="ccd4">In the bathroom now, there is a basket on the floor full of clean toilet cloths (and yes, a couple of spare rolls of toilet paper). Grab one saturate it with warm water wringing out the extra water so it’s just wet, but not dripping. After using the toilet cloth, drop it in the bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I used to keep a shaker of baking soda on the sink counter for sprinkling on the cloths to keep the odour down but decided it was overkill. There is no odour. This isn’t a diaper pail by any means.</p><p id="94d8">For my partner, myself occasionally, and for our guests, of course, we have toilet paper available. We buy toilet paper from <a href="https://refer.whogivesacrap.org/x/CEvOKp">Who Gives a Crap</a> by the case.</p><figure id="0119"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*VKfoqnYAol555JmZ94mIGw.jpeg"><figcaption>Rolls of toilet paper from who Give a Crap, Photo by Ann Leach</figcaption></figure><h1 id="f7ad">Clean Up</h1><p id="e4bb">Every week, they go in the washer for a pre-rinse and then a regular wash. They are dried on the clothesline where they are disinfected by the direct sunlight.</p><p id="cc82">Would you? Could you? Use toilet cloth? Let’s talk about it in the comments!</p><p id="1f99"><b>Previous article</b></p><div id="957a" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-to-recover-when-life-is-just-too-much-66590d4a8745"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Recover When Life is Just Too Much</h2> <div><h3>Asking for help is OK.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*3siiw6x9tHRTn5xzqrs26A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="e7bd"><b>Related Article</b></p><div id="cd12" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedi

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um.com/how-to-keep-a-budget-tracking-expenses-vs-planning-ahead-e0520b5b998"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Keep a Budget — Tracking Expenses vs Planning Ahead</h2> <div><h3>Budgeting is fun, exciting, stress-relieving, and generally leaves me feeling warm and fuzzy all over or that may be…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*16vYofj9kol1OCcPs6zzTQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="2140"><a href="http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/invented-toilet-paper/joseph-gayetty/"><b>Joseph Gayetty</b></a> — the first man in New York to sell modern toilet paper</p><div id="f0d2" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/table-of-contents-654c30df24b2"> <div> <div> <h2>Table of Contents</h2> <div><h3>Cornerstone articles are listed below.</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*x_0w7nZuJ3s5I29xAlnPag.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="7f3d"><b>Affiliate Links*</b></p><figure id="4f7a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*iPTm_I06UmQQsitz_RvZCA.jpeg"><figcaption>The box our yearly supply of toilet paper comes in. Photo by Ann Leach.</figcaption></figure><div id="dfff" class="link-block"> <a href="https://medium.com/@AnnRLeach/membership"> <div> <div> <h2>Read every story from Ann Leach (and thousands of other writers on Medium)</h2> <div><h3>As a Medium member, a portion of your membership fee goes to writers you read, and you get full access to every story…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*umufR3aFX0FY9HNp)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="02b6">*When you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I make a small commission which does not increase the price you pay. Thank you.</p><p id="f2bf"><i>Originally published at <a href="https://letstalkabout.com.au/toilet-cloth/">https://letstalkabout.com.au</a> on August 25, 2021.</i></p></article></body>

Would you? Could you?

A stack of toilet cloths made over from face washers. Photo by Ann Leach.

The topic of using cloth family wipes rather than paper toilet paper has been getting attention lately in some of the FB groups I’m in. Of all the responses, it looks like 45% are all for going to Cloth or have already done so, 45% have a lot of questions and uncertainties to work through and 10% are eewww’ed out by the thought and won’t even consider it. To each their own. Me? I’ve gone cloth.

Back Story

Years ago, I made flannel napkins by cutting some old flannel I had into squares and hemming each one. When they get too old to be napkins, I cut them down to hankie size. I cloth diapered and made cloth wipes for my baby. Most recently, I have taken the old baby wipes, stacked them on the back of the toilet for the grown-ups to use. I do. My partner doesn’t. Our now 11 yo daughter does. To each their own. No worries.

A funny thing is, I told my partner I was considering this switch long before I actually implemented it. Without making a big deal out of it, I just did it. After a month or so, I was telling him how much this topic has been coming up lately in the FB groups and how pleased I was with the results in our home. He was surprised that I was doing this!! He said…. so that’s why we haven’t gone through the 12 rolls of tp as quickly?? Do we even live in the same house?!

Indoctrination

It is scary how indoctrinated we are to paper toilet paper. It’s only been the norm since 1857 when Joseph Gayetty of New York first sold “medicated Paper, for the Water-Closet”. (How was it medicated? What does that even mean?!) Oh, the price was 50 cents for 500 sheets. (Very pricey)

My grandma, born in 1929 and now 92 years old, has told me when she was a girl, they kept old sewing patterns and Sears catalogues (back when they were tissue papery not glossy) in the outhouse to use. That was just in the 1930s, which is not that long ago in the big scheme of things. If you do some internet reading, you’ll quickly learn how eewww people from other countries find our “tissue paper” for cleaning after using the toilet. In a lot of countries, a spritz of water and/or cloth is the norm. And paper toilet paper is SO wasteful!

The Switch

Did the switch over to cloth take some getting used to? Yes, it did. When my youngest daughter was an infant, rather than buying tub after tub of baby wipes, I decided to make some toilet cloths that we could use and reuse. We were already using cloth diapers so it made sense to use cloth wipes too. My version of the toilet cloth began life as face washers. To reduce the eewww factor, I folded the face washers in half and sewed the 3 remaining sides shut. Then I cut each one in half and sewed that edge shut. They end up being 1/4 the size of a face washer and 2 layers. Perfect!

How to Use

In the bathroom now, there is a basket on the floor full of clean toilet cloths (and yes, a couple of spare rolls of toilet paper). Grab one saturate it with warm water wringing out the extra water so it’s just wet, but not dripping. After using the toilet cloth, drop it in the bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door. I used to keep a shaker of baking soda on the sink counter for sprinkling on the cloths to keep the odour down but decided it was overkill. There is no odour. This isn’t a diaper pail by any means.

For my partner, myself occasionally, and for our guests, of course, we have toilet paper available. We buy toilet paper from Who Gives a Crap by the case.

Rolls of toilet paper from who Give a Crap, Photo by Ann Leach