Jul
20
2006
20
2006
Choose Cloth
Filed under: Cloth Toilet Paper, Conservation, Environmentalism, Green Cleaning, Green Living, Homemaking, Simplifying
Back by popular demand…a “re-print” of “Choose Cloth” (newly updated):
Over the last couple of years, we have slowly been getting rid of everything that is disposable in our house. In a society that is obsessed with disposable everything…sometimes I feel like an odd ball. But hey, what’s new? The progression has been as follows:
PAPER TOWELS: These were the first thing to go. They were expensive and I was addicted to them. I just bought a few more cloth towels and I grab them for everything. We have darker towels for staining spills.
PAPER NAPKINS: We didn’t use these a lot to begin with, but I switched to all cloth napkins after I found the cutest little red ones with stars. Adorable. Now I have several sets and I *love* using them at every meal.
DISPOSABLE DIAPERS: We cloth diapered Bella from day one. It’s one of the most enjoyable things about being a mama so far. They are so adorable, healthy, and easy to use. Love them.
FEMININE PRODUCTS: After I had Bella, I started to use what many affectionately call “mama cloth”. Basically, reusable feminine hygeine products. I have a GREAT set of reusable hemp pads. After I get my period back I will switch to using The Keeper or The Diva Cup. And for those of you that are saying “ooooh gross!”. Get over it…have you ever researched what is in a tampon? Sick.
TOILET PAPER: Our latest switch has been from paper to cloth toilet paper. This was definitely not a hard thing because we are already using cloth wipes on Bella (the cloth wipes we have are so soft and wonderful…most are made of flannel and velour or sherpa…2-ply). Before I decided to do this, I was intimidated because I didn’t quite understand the logistics of it all. So, in order to help some of you “get it”…I will explain further and offer a pictoral description of the setup.
Basically, we have dry and wet wipes. Dry for pee, wet for poop. The wet wipes are in a wipes warmer on the back of the toilet. I put them in there every day with a solution of water, apricot oil, Dr. Bronner’s soap, tea tree oil, and lavender oil. It’s a lovely smell…much more fun than plain ‘ol scratchy toilet paper! The dry wipes are just next to that on the toilet. I will eventually get a cute wire basket for the dry wipes. After you are done using the wipe, you just throw it in the wet bag hanging next to the toilet. Update since this photo was taken: The wipes are now in a basket in a drawer next to the toilet. Easy as pie. Here it is:
I know some of you have just vowed never to use the bathroom at my house ever again. But never fear, I will keep ONE roll of regular TP for my less “natural” guests. We do have one last box of tissues right now, but will just use the cloth wipes for that as well. And please don’t worry about the sanitary issues…everything is washed in super hot water with soap, baking soda, and the occasional vinegar rinse.
GROCERY BAGS: I bring my own bags to the grocery store. I LOVE my string bags from Reusable Bags. Ecobags is good too. Many grocery stores will give you a small credit for bringing your own.
All in all, switching our house to completely cloth has been a GREAT experience…one that is environmentally sound, and also financially sound. We save SO much money by not buying disposable stuff.
I still have a few more changes to make. I would like to get sets of cutlery and plates to take to events where I know there will be disposable dinnerware. I don’t do take out a lot, but if my restaurants were more eco-friendly, I would also get the stainless stell food carrier so they could just put it in there instead of the disposable boxes. The first time I heard about this, I was so excited. It was when I was visiting the Ecopolitan in Minneapolis. They asked me if I had brought in my own take out containers or did I need to purchase one from them. I did have to purchase one, but it was a recycled, compostable container. I love that place!
I also need to better at bringing my own travel mug to coffee shops. I have probably filled a landfill with all of the to-go cups I’ve drank from and tossed in the garbage 5 minutes later…so wasteful!
Re-evaulate your choices today…and choose cloth/re-usable!
If you would like to read another blog about this topic, check out my friend Sarah. She is a swell gal. She has her own business, Wallypop, and makes great stuff. Here it is.
Posted by Sara @ 10:11 am | Leave a Comment
24
2006
I think that’s a great set up! I think I’m just going to have to get over my irrational squeamishness because cloth just makes a lot more sense!
10
2006
cindy qualls referred me to your blog, especially this entry about cloth..i must say, i was inspired. i’ve been using cloth diapers for my kids & rarely buy paper towels, but cloth tp….it never occurred to me. i really think i’m going to give it a shot though.
thanks for the inspiration.
12
2007
I have a question about the toilet cloth paper. Does the bag smell bad with the accumulated cloth? How often do you launder them.
Thanks.
12
2007
No…I’ve never had a problem with smell. I will occasionally spray some essential oils in there, but I wash them about every 2 days, so there really isn’t time for a smell to develop. I think the fact that it’s a drawstring bag and some air is allowed in really helps. If it was enclosed, and then opened, I think the smell would be worse. Hope this helps!
10
2007
I am looking into doing this at least for me right now at our house. Did you buy the wipes or make your own? If you bought them where did you get yours? What is the bag made of or did you buy that too? I think this is a great idea and think I just might switch all to it once my husband gets use to the idea. I think he would like it better since he does not like the cheap toilet paper I buy since I can’t see spending a fortune on toilet paper. Thank you for being such an inspiration:)
18
2007
We’ve used cloth TP off and on. We keep a bucket in the tub and throw everything in there. We also throw any diapers and I throw my pads in there too. It all comes out in the wash, lol! I use old face cloths but I’m thinking of making some flannel ones with some fabric I had left over.
4
2007
I have a question about using cloth wipes too. What brand of wipes warmer do you use? Do the cloth wipes work well with any wipes warmer?
5
2007
oooooooooooooh…I love your blog. Happened here from Jess @ Making Home. All I could think of as I read your blog on cloth toilet paper was….this is where I’m headed if I keep on the track I’m already on. Like you, I use cloth on the babies and myself. Maybe the cloth will make it in our bathrooms if hubby is willing to come alone for the ride! We’ll see…
Thanks for being you and making me feel cool for being me!
19
2007
I love your blog and your inspirational lifestyle! I cloth diapered (some:() of my kids, and I use the Keeper. When I showed my girls your post on cloth TP, they said, “Why don’t we do that, Mom?” Well, why not!! I’m wondering how much work it will be with 6 of us using the potty and two coming up. I guess it’s all perspective. If we simplified somewhere else, we’d have tons of time to make this work. Anyway, thanks for the inspiration.
Bobbie
1
2007
[...] törlők helyett remekül bevált a konyharuha, a popsira a pamut kendőcskék. Én szerettem volna ilyet a WC-be, de ez már a válóok kategória, hehe, úgyhogy lemondtam [...]
12
2007
Sara - love your cloth wipes system. Can you tell me what type of “wet bag” you are using? What type of lining does it have and where did you buy it? I have been planning on getting set up for using cloth wipes for a while now, but just need to get the logistics figured out. I don’t think I will do wet wipes (although it sounds great!), but I want to keep it as simple as possible for no.
2
2008
For the wet wipes… do you rinse them out in the toilet first before adding them to the laundry bag??
2
2008
Hi Kelly…
No, we just put them in there, no rinsing required. As long as your water heater is HOT, it shouldn’t be a problem. We’ve never had any trouble with “residuals”
24
2008
Hi, I was wondering if you could give some direction on what you used for your wet bag material. Do you just wash the bag with the cloths? Thanks.
25
2008
The wet bag was one I bought online…it’s made of a plastic coated fabric called “PUL”. And yes, I just throw it all in…actually I just empty it into the washer and then throw it in there with it (never touching anything with my hands).
23
2008
Hi Sara…Okay, I can’t even believe I’m thinking about ctp…but I am! lol. So…where do you buy a cloth warmer? What proportions of all those oils/liquids do you put in the warmer? How many wipes do you have to make it work? And…my hubby, who is actually open to this asked the common question…what about the water it wastes? I don’t know the facts on all that…water waste vs. reduction on environment switching to cloth…can you point me to where i can find out that info? Thanks so much for your blog, you are a real inspiration!
26
2008
Claire…the cloth warmer is just a wipe warmer from Targer (top loading). I usually would just fill it with water and drip a few drops of whatever I was adding into the water, and then submerge the wipes.
After awhile, I gave up the warmer as it was just too much trouble. We just kept a basket of wipes out and wet them at the sink if we wanted to. Much easier
As far as excess water used for washing…it’s practically nothing. We did maybe one or two little loads of wipes per week. It’s no more water than taking an extra bath or shower.
Good luck with your decision…after you try it, you’ll wonder why you were wiping your bum with crunchy paper all these years!
ouch!
1
2008
I too use cloth. I was wondering something though. I see you are using a wipe warmer - I’m assuming this is plugged in ALL THE TIME? Corect me if I am wrong, but doesn’t this use electricity?
1
2008
Dana…yes, it does
About as much as a phone charger I would think. However, as I said in the previous comment, we don’t use it anymore. Just got tired of it 
Too much work! Thanks for reading…
25
2008
Oh Gosh-I love your blog, I’m so lucky I found it and I am telling everyone I know to check it out. Not at the ctp level yet, but hubby and I our headed in that direction. Keep up the good work, Sara. You are an inspiration to everyone on the planet!
13
2008
I’ve recently switched to CTP too. Here is how I do mine. I have a 2 gallon bucket that I put my wipes in. I use shop towels purchased in bulk at Costco. I make a wipe solution of 3 cups water, 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 tbs Dr.Bronners, 5 drops TeaTree oil, 5 drops Lavender, 5 drops Grapfruit seed extract, 1/4 cup oil (I use EVOO)
Put your wipes in the bucket or large tupper ware container. Pour the wipes solution over the wipes and close the lid. The solution will soak throughout all of the wipes. I love this mixture!
16
2008
Thanks so much for reposting this! We are just at this point and there were so many logistics I was trying to figure out. Now I know how to make the bags, I don’t need a ctp warmer and how to store the clean ones. What a great post to answer all questions at one time. The comments and the post are super informative!
6
2008
i think i’m allergic to scented toilet papers, definitely allergic to disposable feminine hygiene products, and paper towels take up half of my kitchen side… i’m absolutely fed up with all these, so i’m happy i’ve found your site. the only thing i find weird is using cloth for poop, so i’ll just start using cloth for pee i think. as for napkins, towels and all the other stuff you’re absolutely right and i fell I’ve been stupid not doing them the same way.
10
2008
My daughter just linked me to your blog and I love it. We are trying to go completly green also. I just passed this on to my husband and lets just say he was not thrilled. He says it is ok for the babies, but not us. I told him we are doing it. He says he is buying his own toliet paper. He is usually open to just about everything, but guess this is going to take some time. :O Thank you so much for your great ideas, links, and support.
8
2009
I was just at my girlfriends today and she told me about your site. I was very inspired.
We have used CD for our kids and I rarely buy PT…but the TP idea was new to me!
We are making a date to sew the flannel wipes and then I am all over this!
Thanks for sharing!
10
2009
So exciting to find this article today. I just made cloth tp for myself last night. My husband and 4 boys won’t be joining in right now but I’m excited to try it for pee. I like your idea of warm water for poop so maybe someday. Can you share what size your wipes are? Did you make them or buy them and if so, where? Thanks much! I’ve been cloth pads for a couple of years now so I hope this is just as easy a transition.
4
2009
Oh man! I am glad I found this post! Exciting! I’d never even thought of this. I was thinking about the hot water use, but I suppose if you’re saving all that TP…then it evens out, right?
And I am totally a witness (OFTEN) to the Gospel of the Divacup. That was the best investment I EVER made! There’s no telling how much money and discomfort I’ve been saved in three years. I’m surprised by how some of my friends are grossed out by it, but c’mon, it’s just our bodies, and I will never go back to abusing myself with unnatural, dry bleached cotton! Now that’s yucky!
Sara, y’all are so awesome! God bless!
12
2009
We have recently started using cloth wipes in our home and it’s working great. This site has been a big help, along with others. I made my own wipes out of flannel, double ply for #2 and they are so much better than TP. We put our used wipes in a small garbage can with a lid opened by a step lever. I’ve been putting a solution of just 5 inches of water and a generous squirt of Dr. Bronner’s lavender liquid soap. Since we don’t have kids, we don’t want to do laundry ever two days and this has worked perfectly for us!
Thanks again for all the info and comments! It’s great to see so many people giving this a try and thinking green!
16
2009
I read what you write about the cloth-wipes and have some questions on how Eco-friendly this idea really is, if your solution was to be commonplace.
As you say the cloths have to be laundered at high temperatures to kill off germs (+85-90 Celsius). High temperatures in washing-machines demand a lot of energy- and every serious environmentalist today will tell you to launder larger amounts of textiles at low temperatures(+30 Celsius), and as seldom as possible.You will need to launder small amounts of cloths twice a week to keep up your cloth-usage.
The detergents required to wash your cloths hygienically clean also contain chemical compounds that are seriously harmful to the environment. This is already a problem that urgently needs to be solved by our detergent-manufacturers, as people laundering their clothes all over the world puts a serious strain our rivers and lakes. (Our detergent can already be found in the glaciers of Antarctica.)
You may like your solution, but I still think using recycled paper-products and installing a bidet that uses water that is reabsorbed an purified is a far better solution for the environment.
23
2009
hi Sara, i just wanted to share with you! we’ve been cding for 18 months now, and i’ve use mama cloth for 3-4 years, we recently switched to unpaper towels, but here’s the kicker. I just bounced the idea of cloth wipes in the bathroom, and my hubby grimaced, to say the least. it took some work to get a ‘maybe’. i read him your site, share with him how cool you guys were and showed him the cute picture of your toilet and wipes.
as he walked away i heard him comment, it better feel good to my tushy! Thanks for helping me win my man over completely! Hugs!
Onna
23
2009
Onna…that’s great!! It’s funny because now Matt prefers cloth to paper because it works so much better and is more “comfy”
Have fun!
15
2009
People in some parts of the world have been using water for washing their bottoms after each poo or pee. Don’t you think it’s more hygienic and less hassle (and more frugal)…you just have to wash your hands with soap afterwards - you’ll safe all the energy and resources (electricity, detergents, essential oil etc.. and WATER). If the WC is near the sink, just connect to the tap with a short hose, otherwise, for a neater plumbing work, create another tap closer to the WC. Use handkerchief or something equivalent to wipe dry. No bacteria transfer will take place at all!
27
2009
As a Muslim, we are required to wash ourselves after using the bathroom with water. Some families install toilet hoses while others use the plastic water jug you use to water your plants. So if you decide to replace toilet paper with cloth, you could consider washing before wiping which will help keep the cloth sanitized and clean even after using it - it will also minimize any bad odors.
Hope that helps.
Noor
13
2009
Sara, I absolutely love your blogs. I came across it by way of Flickr. I was looking for dreadlock pictures and saw Anniebutterfly’s, where I then saw your comments, which took me to your photostream, where I found your blog address.
I think this is a great idea. I doubt anyone else in my household would grab onto the idea, but even if it’s just me cutting down on paper products it’s a start. Thinking of how often the wipes would need to be washed, and seeing as it’s probably only going to be me, I thought “that’s an awful lot of water and electricity for one person,” since I don’t wash my clothes in hot water. I remembered the mini manual washing machine from http://www.laundry-alternative.com. I’ve been wanting one for just about forever, and I thought this is the perfect reason for getting one. I also love my (thrifted) cashmere sweaters but hate handwashing them.
This little machine has to be about the perfect answer for when naysayers question just how much of an impact going to cloth could have. It uses no electricity and only a small amount of water.
P.S. After about 6 years of wanting locks, and 2 years of seriously researching them, I started mine shortly after my 47th birthday. I ended up redoing them after two months because I didn’t like the method I started them with, so they’re only about two weeks old now. It was your dedication to yours and keeping them natural (no extensions) that got me to finally take the plunge. :oD Living here in the Midwest, I wasn’t looking forward to the negative comments I would possibly get. But in the three months that I’ve had them, I’ve only gotten one comment. That was from a man in his mid 70s who was stocking the shelves at a grocery store. I didn’t hear him the first time, so I asked him what he’d said. It was “You sure look spiffy with that hat on.” (I was wearing a silk scarf around them). That just made my day.
13
2009
Hi Shirley…thanks for the comment and congrats on your dreads!
As far as the mini-washer for the wipes. I wouldn’t do it
We used to have one in the RV and honestly, I can’t imagine doing cloth wipes in it and not HATING it. Unless you are planning on using a wringer as well, then it might be ok. The thing is, there is no way to wring the clothes out, so you would be taking the wipes out, one by one and wringing them out before hanging them to dry or drying them in the dryer. Extremely tedious and in my opinion, not as sanitary as using the washer on hot. Just my opinion 
Have fun!
13
2009
Hi Sara…I was planning on spinning them out in the big washer. Even if I don’t end up liking it for wipes, there’s all those hand washables that I love to buy but hate to clean.
13
2009
Shirley…that works too
I just wouldn’t want to be manually dumping poopy water somewhere! Let me know how it goes…
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