So, Um, "Family Cloth" Reusable Toilet Paper Exists Would You Try It?

[underpants]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.popsugar.com/moms/What-Family-Cloth-Reusable-Toilet-Paper-44666077/amp

Well, I'm not exactly sure how to approach this one, so I'm just gonna go ahead and dive right in. Reusable toilet paper is a thing that exists out there, and needless to say, people are getting pretty darn riled up about it. Here's how it works: instead of regular ol' TP, you use cloth wipes — or "family cloths," as some refer to them — to wipe your nether region before dropping the used and abused rags in a bucket next to the john, laundering them, then reusing them.

But on second thought, Lysol does exist, and I will admit that using a soft towel to wipe my derriere sounds way more pleasant than that cardboard-like, one-ply TP I resort to buying when my finances are strapped. And speaking of finances, family cloth is touted for its cost-efficient nature, as stocking up on a wad of wipes one time and then reusing them over and over is clearly way easier on the wallet than purchasing a 10-roll pack of toilet paper every few weeks. That sh*t adds up, man.

Now, would I realistically ditch my beloved Angel Soft in favor of reusable butt cloths? Probably not — because I live in a tiny New York City apartment, and my bathroom has zero room for a family cloth pail. But alas, there are some pretty strong proponents of the eco-friendly tushy wipes, exhibited by the fact that Etsy is flooded with various iterations, including patterned family cloths galore and some that even come in roll form with nifty snaps to connect each square.

[nini]

1. yea.. I used cloth diapers when my son was a baby

Last edited Fri Mar 16, 2018, 03:30 PM - Edit history (1)

It takes a bit of work but I would use it. Hot water laundry and there you go.

I have my own washer and dryer in the house though. If I didn't probably not sad to say

[EllieBC]

13. Yup. A lot of people don't realize how much hot water

you need with cloth diapers. They think you can use cold or warm. If you want your kid to have yeast infections I guess that works...

[Sophia4]

24. I had a baby with severe allergies -- eczema runs in my family -- so I had to use

cloth diapers. They are a lot of trouble. They have to be washed in really, really hot water and maybe with a touch of bleach, but sometimes they are necessary. In and of themselves if carefully washed, they do not cause yeast infections.

[EllieBC]

26. They shouldn't cause yeast infections.

I cloth diapered my first and gave up halfway through with my second and the third has worn disposables because my laundry pile is too much.

But I remember on forums people saying that not washing the diapers in hot water could lead to rashes and yeast.

Eczema is rough. 😞

[Sophia4]

30. Really rough. I get it too.

So if I am not in a good mood on DU some days, you will know why. It's really rough.

[crazycatlady]

2. No

It might be nice feeling wise, but I really don't want a pail of cloth covered in bodily fluids in my bathroom.

(I also don't have kids so rarely had to deal with diapers).

[Takket]

3. How do I put this gently....

HELLLLLLLLLLLLLSSSSSSSSSSSS TO THE NO!

[smirkymonkey]

34. That would be my response as well.

[Docreed2003]

46. This...

[KWR65]

63. Paper is not the problem. Plastics are the problem.

There is more then enough wood in the world to meet all of our demands. Wood degrades, but plastic does not. I have never understood why people are fine with plastic but worried about the renewable resource that comes from trees.

[Squinch]

4. I don't use paper towels but I draw the line at toilet paper.

[dameatball]

5. Sorry, but whoever invented this has not seen my family.

(Uncle Elmer, this may not mean you.....maybe)

[EllieBC]

6. If it has to be cleaned like cloth diapers do, it is not that enviro friendly.

You have to use a full washtub (with not a full washtub of diapers), a cold water prewash, then a HOT water wash, 2 rinses, then a hot dry.

I assume to keep it actually clean and not a bacterial mess you will have to do the same.

Also, no way just because I do not need more disgusting messes to clean.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

31. agreed; enviro neutral at best

Easy to grow trees; culls go for pulp.

Cloth diapers are hard on the environment, too. The only friendlier part of them compared to disposables is the lack of plastic. Surely that's correctable.

[mr_lebowski]

7. Pretty sure if I WAS to go this route I'd insist on my own pail ... and they'd be laundered ALONE.

I'm honestly not altogether sure it's all THAT more eco-friendly of a route ... washing machines use a lot of water, and a fair bit of power to operate. Then you probably dry 'em in the dryer ... a bunch more power.

Considering people use cloth diapers for baby, this is surely no more disgusting of a concept overall ...

[marlakay]

60. I used cloth diapers for both my girls

First child they didn’t have disposable ones yet, second first disposable ones had no elastic so were useless.

But I agree with you if i ever did such a thing i would want my own pail, but you can dry in the sun or a dryer rack to save electricity.

I don’t think I would unless i had to!

[Blue_true]

90. When I read stuff about baby diapers, I realize why I am single and childless.

If I got married and had kids, my wife would have gotten put up for homicide, of me. I can barely stand to handle my own poop, there is no freaking way that I would touch my child's poop. Nor would I touch spitup from the child.

[FSogol]

8. In places in South America, the sanitary systems cannot handle tp, so they put a trash can

in each stall for the used tp. Pretty terrible, but everyone there is used to it.

[lamp_shade]

40. In some places it costs 1 sol to buy a wad of tp.

In Peru anyway. I was there last year.

[FSogol]

41. and they give you hand-written reciept when you buy it.

[crazycatlady]

66. I used to babysit for a kid who would not flush TP

Sometimes you saw shit stained TP in the bathroom trash can, other times he carried it around the house proudly (something about little boys being obsessed with poop).

Not the cleanest habit, but then again that wasn't the worst this kid had done.

[Hekate]

76. Likewise Crete, which is much like SoCal in appearance. We were instructed to deposit paper ...

...in the wastepaper basket by the toilet, due to low water flow.

[Dennis Donovan]

9. No...

It seems the older I get, the more TP I use. At the rate I use it now, I'd need a 55 gal hamper next to the john.

[Binkie The Clown]

10. In ancient Rome they used sponges dipped in salt water.

And since your "beloved Angel Soft" is a Koch Bros. product, I think I would try it out before I pass judgment.

[Vinca]

11. No. It sounds totally disgusting.

I can't imagine doing a laundry load of "family cloth" and then doing bath towels, dish towels, etc.

[packman]

12. NONONONONO and some more NONONO's

[northoftheborder]

14. That's where I draw the line.

Sorry, but my first two children were in the cloth diaper era. NOT going back there. I'll give up many things for the environment but not T.P. Also, my very low water use washing machine would NOT work well to clean such laundry. You would have to go through at least two pre-soaks, then use very hot water. Maybe not so environmental after all.

[Kirk Lover]

15. How absolutely revolting. No and never. I use non flushable baby wipes and I'm not stopping.

I'm passing on having a shit pail handing around....besides I already have that covered with the litter boxes.

[alarimer]

16. No way in hell.

People are dumb.

[TheBlackAdder]

17. "Wipe your ass, treat STD pustules and let your children use as an eye makeup remover-over and over"

[karynnj]

18. Think about cloth diapers, which have substantially more body products on them

As to cost effective, wouldn't it depend on how expensive they are and the extra laundry costs? Not to mention, given you live in a city appartment, washing them adds more to carry to the laundry. Not to mention, until it is more common, imagine the reaction of guests to your home. (It does remind me that a few high end restaurants have cloth towels vs paper one of hot air.

[Liberal In Texas]

19. Not after having twins with cloth diapers.

Had to have a diaper service...and the smell before they were picked up....yech!

[Blaukraut]

20. Sure, but only for pee. The other stuff still needs regular disposable paper

However, there is nothing wrong with washing your privates with a soapy washrag AFTER dry wiping if you don't want to add wet wipes to an already bogged down sewer system.

[Freddie]

36. Yeah, maybe for #1

NOT for #2, thank you very much.
My husband is a "tree hugger" but I think this is a step too far even for him.

[3catwoman3]

45. The current recommendation for the wet...

Last edited Fri Mar 16, 2018, 11:41 PM - Edit history (1)

...wipes is to put them in the trash rather than flushing them.

[Docreed2003]

51. We learned that the hard way in our last house

Our son was toilet training and using wipes that stated “septic safe”...yeah that was some BS because we had our septic line back up into our basement thanks to a clog of wet wipes!!

[Bettie]

21. I can only imagine the pandemonium

in our house if our dogs found pails full of rags covered in poo and other such things.

It would not be good. Not at all.


Also, just no.

[3catwoman3]

44. Your comment about your dogs...

...has me

[Docreed2003]

47. Our greyhounds already like to poke their heads in and say hello when we are in the toilet

I’m sure the male would have a field day with poop covered towels in the bathroom...ugh.

[annabanana]

58. Hahahahahaha!

I have a "dirty dog" too!

[Demovictory9]

70. .😀

[Codeine]

94. Like kids in a candy store

but disgusting and terrifying.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

22. Just get a heavy duty bidet. Or jump in the shower (correctly positioned body sprays are wonderful)

[Sophia4]

29. Good ideas.

[ProudLib72]

59. Finally, someone with some sense!

Immediately after reading this I thought of a bidet. I have always loved the idea. Sure, it's kind of weird at first, but it makes a heck of a lot of sense. And in the absence of a bidet (who has them in the US anyway?) I choose the shower for emergency situations.

[chowder66]

64. Let me introduce you to GenieBidet. I bought one a little over a year ago and love it. Super easy

to install, this style is thin so no need for extra bumpers to lift the seat to level out. Excellent power. The only thing is that it doesn't have heat but that's okay because I have no way to plug one in that does offer heat .


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01INP9O7S/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[ProudLib72]

65. Oh, I like the looks of that

You got the cheap (attachment) one?

[chowder66]

68. Yep. It's really flat and not as obnoxious as some of the other ones.

It's good for ladies and gents. It hasn't really made much of a dent in TP use though. A little less but you want to start with tp, then use it. You can use a 'designated' towel to dry off with. I just use more tp.

I had to get one since my new toilet hates just about every kind of toilet paper. The only thing is that you may have to sit back a bit unless you want the bottom of your shirt soaking wet.

You can put a piece of saran wrap over the toilet, lid up, to test the jets and to see where the stream hits but you can also control the flow with the little handle so start slow and build up.

They make more expensive ones that you can plug in for heat and some of those have dryers which would be really nice to have.

[handmade34]

23. yes, of course

and have used them... toss up on what is more environmentally friendly (I will always opt for helping the environment)

no different that using diapers and once a routine is established, it is no big deal





https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/feb/26/toilet-roll-America

Americans love toilet paper. Given how fond we are of the stuff — we spent nearly $9.5 billion on our rolls in 2014, and we tend to use it more than any other country in the world — most of us aren't intimately aware of what it takes to produce it.
Toilet paper may disguise itself with softness and fluffiness, but it's still paper, which means it comes from trees. A lot of them.
According to environmental research organization Worldwatch Institute, citing the World Wildlife Foundation, global toilet paper production wipes out about 27,000 trees per day, which comes out to almost 9 million trees per year.


quote:

"The problem......our luxuries have become too necessary and our necessities too luxurious"

[octoberlib]

25. Absolutely not.

[Sophia4]

27. So . . . . I was born in the Midwest, and a trip to grandma's house meant using the

outdoor toilet. Newspaper instead of toilet paper.

It worked. I have no idea how they cleaned out the outdoor toilet, but they did. If you are used to shoveling cow and hog manure all day, you wear boots, and you change your clothes before entering the house, and you live quite well.

We also used big pans or bowls specifically designated for the purpose in the night.

Indoor toilets are a luxury of modern times.

I have read that the French used to throw their personal trash out the window. Maybe they yelled, "Look out below." I don't know. And I am just repeating a rumor.

I have heard that in some countries, people have a bowl with water and wash themselves after using the toilet facilities. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Anyway, this is an aspect of life that people don't want to discuss, but it is important to everyone as any woman who has raised a baby to adulthood (myself included) knows.

[underpants]

33. Sears catalog

So my stepfather tells me - were very popular for that very reason.

My wife's grandmother didn't have indoor plumbing until the late 70's.

[Docreed2003]

50. There was a lady that lived on the farm next to us

That would often “babysit” me as a kid whenever my grandparents weren’t able to. Her house was a gorgeous home built in the 1800’s with tons of craftsmen touches, but it had no indoor plumbing. She had an outhouse and used chamber pots at night. The outhouse was stocked with Sears and JC Penny catalogs. This was in the mid/late 80’s!!

[Sophia4]

84. Wow!

[Sophia4]

83. True.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

42. Modern plumbing is a wonderful thing.

I have a little construction company and we do a little bit of plumbing for new and remodel bathrooms and kitchens.

I've really come to appreciate the art and science of a well designed and built plumbing system.

One of the plumbers I know refers to plumbers as "turd wranglers"

When you think about millions of people in cities like my Chicago, all visiting the restroom after lunch in all the homes and offices and high rises -- all nice and tidy. No disease.

[Blue_true]

95. Modern plumbing.

Had a dramatic impact on disease and virus control. Maybe that plumber should call himself the "Disease Cop" instead of turd wrangler, though I admit, turd wrangler is catchier.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

99. One guy on a website I peruse has a sigline

Plumbers: protecting the health and safety of the nation

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

78. It wasn't just the French who threw their personal trash out the window.

Everyone who lived in a city in Europe did that for centuries. It took a very long time for sewer systems to be installed. We don't know just how lucky we are.

[Sophia4]

85. Think of the diseases!

[Codeine]

96. Yep, a big part of the push to modern sewage and plumbing

came from understanding the role that human waste played in outbreaks of cholera in cities.

[Blue_true]

91. I lived in the deep, deep country as a boy.

For a while, we had an outdoor toilet with the catch in the ground. We did not clean it, but my Mom dumped baking soda in during the summer months.

[shanti]

28. Nope n/t

[rollin74]

32. hell no

[Lars39]

35. I wouldnt ever say no way,

but it is time intensive. And snaps? Nope!
My DIL is using cloth with grand baby. She uses an RV washing machine just for diapers. Pure genius.

[LeftInTX]

37. Hell No!!!

I did cloth diapers for one of my kids. Dunked the diaper in the toilet afterward. I can't imagine a whole family dunking their cloth wipes in a toilet every time they poop. Grown up poop also stinks much worse than baby poop.

That is just smell to hell....

[Daphne08]

75. I did this for my oldest son. That's what we did back then.

Fortunately, Pampers had hit the market by the time my youngest was born.

I never would want to go back to swishing dirty diapers in the commode then throwing them in the diaper pail (which was stinky even with those little deodorizing cakes in the lid).

Also, I always suspected the diaper rash my oldest son suffered from was a result of those cloth diapers - no matter how hot the water was in the washing machine.

Disposable diapers are such a blessing for so many reasons.

So is toilet paper.

[njhoneybadger]

38. I just use my hand,it works for me

[Adrahil]

39. NOPE.

NOPE

[3catwoman3]

43. No. Nein. Non. Nyet.

Hell no.

[TrishaJ]

48. Well... my mother and grandmothers

washed cloth diapers....

[Solly Mack]

49. My husband doesn't feel good about wiping unless his entire arm is encased in toilet paper*.

I shudder to think of the size cloth he would need to feel clean after a wipe. We'd need a very large bucket - and even then.


*Mild, very mild, exaggeration.

[Demovictory9]

69. Lol

[Solly Mack]

86. It's true.

I should buy stock in TP. I really should.

[Demsrule86]

52. No no and no!!!!

[Iggo]

53. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. No.

[jberryhill]

54. I scrape the corn cobs off on the barb wire fence, like everyone else

You dry out the corn cobs, bang them on the fence post to shake off the big stuff, scrape them on the wire, and they are good to go.

[rock]

55. First time or subsequent time?

[Codeine]

56. Yeah, FUUUUCK that shit.

On the list of nastiest nastiness that ever nastied that is right at the motherfucking top.

[struggle4progress]

57. The buttons on the roll are a nice touch

[dchill]

61. No. Unsanitary out the wazoo.

[MicaelS]

62. Fuck no. Get a TOTO Washlet instead.

https://washlet.totousa.com/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIua7O_oTy2QIVjzqBCh3h6Ag0EAAYASAAEgImN_D_BwE

[Dem2]

67. I'll be getting a heated water bidet

https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/smartbidet-electric-bidet-seat-for-elongated-toilets-in-white/1045436499

It's not cheap up front, but my issue is TP clogging up my mail line to my septic tank, though these can be used anywhere and is a better solution to TP waste IMO.

[BlueSpot]

71. I've got this model

Absolutely love it. Never going back.

Not even going to consider using a product like being discussed here. That's just nasty.

[Dem2]

72. Your positive feedback

Last edited Fri Mar 16, 2018, 09:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Is helpful in my decision making process and timing, thanks.


edit:typo

[BlueSpot]

82. Glad I could help

I got mine this past fall. I did a fair amount of research including reading and comparing reviews and features. For all that it offers, it has (IMO) the best bang for the buck. It's a bit startling the first few times and you have to fiddle with the controls to get the "aim" right but, once you've got it dialed in, it's great. Wish I'd done it years ago.

[Codeine]

97. A friend of mine installed a bidet a few years back,

and one use convinced me to get my own. So much nicer than a dry tp wipe.

[ismnotwasm]

73. You would need a bleach solution to clean them

I’m thinking. Feces bugs are hardy.

[Hekate]

74. No. TP is one of the great advances of civilization. Also, uses less water in drought country.

[Beartracks]

77. Well yer just talkin' shit!

=========

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

79. No. And I'm someone who used cloth diapers for both of my sons

even though disposables had become common by the time the first one was born.

[BreweryYardRat]

80. No.

Neither will anyone else who owns ferrets.

[bullwinkle428]

81. RED LINE!! RED LINE!!

[Ninsianna]

87. Much of the world washes their nether regions, and then either air dries or uses TP

that's what the trash can in these bathrooms is for, not for the dry wipe thing that Americans have going on, which when you think about it is utterly disgusting.

[Iggo]

89. I would not be against the introduction of the bidet into American culture. (n/t)

[ornotna]

88. What?

That's just nasty.

[eShirl]

92. nope

I don't need eco- e coli.

[Codeine]

98. Eco-coli!

Too funny!

[Codeine]

93. I foresee a rash (if you will) of three year olds

with herpes.