Cloth Toilet Paper...please explain!

[inchwormz]

Okay, so in light of the recent discussion I have a few questions! I cd, use cloth mama pads, don't buy paper towel for the kitchen...but it never even crossed my mind to go cloth for tp! I think part of my hesitation would be that I bf my dd and so the poop just kinda smears off in the wash and I havn't had to deal with real solids yet. Now, of course us adults don't have the same kinda poop! So my questions,

How do you do it? Do any of you NOT use the minishower? Where do you store the tp both before and after?

I'm thinking this could be done, but only with a mini shower and lots of TTO to contain the smell. Also, I'd have to have some paper tp on hand for guests becuase I only have one washroom and most of my friends/family think I'm wierd already so this would probably just be overkill! Okay, so please enlighten me with how this might work!

BTW, someone had mentioned that their dh wouldn't go for it. I don't plan to ask! :LOL If I decide we can do it, I do the grocery shopping (and laundry!) so it would just be one less thing on my list to buy!

Thanks!

[DandK]

We don't have a mini shower. What we do is we have some wet cloth tp and some dry. For us it works just as well. You may possibly have some staining issues but you can fix that by using dark colored fabric and presoaking the tp before washing it. As long as you are doing a good wash they will still be hygenic. I do a load every other day. I start the washer on cold/cold with a little bit of detergent and about 5 or 6 drops of tto. Then I let it soak for a couple of hours before finishing the wash. When it's all done I run it through again on hot/cold. That way I'm sure that they are clean.

We haven't been doing cloth tp that long but we are having no problems. The kids are still not full time cloth but I think that's because their bathroom is also the one guests use so there's always a roll of tp in there and they just grab that out of habit. DH was a little reluctant at first even freaked out when I purposely let our bathroom run out of regular tp. But once he tried it he seems fine with it.

Before use our tp is stored in a drawer next to the toilet. The kids' tp is stored in an old wipes box. After use ours goes into a hamper with a lid that is only used for cloth products; wipes, diapers, momma pads. The kids have a wetbag hanging in their bathroom.

I would definetly give it a shot. Try using cloth for a few days and then try the regular tp again. You'll definetly feel the difference. For us it was just a logical choice after switching almost everything else to cloth or nondisposable.

[alexisyael]

Cloth TP rocks! (My dh calls them my "vag rags" and doesn't use them. But we go through so little TP with him that I think that's fine).

My system is so easy: rags are kept by the toliet in a little basket. After I use them, I rinse them off immediately (if I've had a BM). I just rinse with hot water and sometimes a little soap. Then they go in the washing machine. (Well, they used to. Now I'm a new house where the washing machine is in another room, so I'll be using a sealed container to store them in until I do laundry. Unless I hate that method and then I'll just walk them to the washer...)

Sometimes I don't use cloth for BMs.

There's a very cool toliet seat that has an attached bidet...someone gave me the link in another thread, and I think we're going to buy that eventually.

Good luck!

[koofie]

I just keep a stack of Ari's old washies in the BR, and either use it dry or wet it slightly. For a BM, I either wet it, use a natural oil on it (it works!) or use some of my beloved Northern Essences Family Wash foamy - you can also use the diaper wipe foamy stuff. If is great for minor hemmoroid issues left over from being pg - I usually am never uncomfortable anymore.

I love cloth so much more that even the softest TP!

To clean, I just throw it in the laundry or rinse it w/ soap and throw it in the laundry if needed. I am living w/ my mom who is not impressed with the idea, but in my own house I think I would have a pretty little ceramic crock to put the dirty wipes in and a cut basket for the clean ones.

[anniegirl]

I think I must be one of the few whose dh uses cloth tp; actually he started doing it before I did, LOL! :LOL

We keep our diaper pail in the bathroom and just toss the used ones in there. There is a wire basket on the back of the toilet with clean ones along with a spray bottle of homemade wipe solution. I haven't noticed any staining or anything, it all seems to come out clean. But adult poop doesn't seem much worse to me than my 18 month olds poop, so it makes sense.

I'm dying to get a minishower but am waiting until we move to get one, that will make the whole process that much easier I think.

[umefey]

Hmm. I think that we might need to try this too..

What is the best type of fabric to use for them?

[alexisyael]

My dh used cloth wipes when we had a bidet. But I don't think he knew you could use them without... he just found out, so we'll see what happens. :LOL

[koofie]

Originally Posted by umefey

Hmm. I think that we might need to try this too..

What is the best type of fabric to use for them?

Personally, I like sherpa, but like baby washcloths it is really your preference. If you don't know what you and your family likes best, try to get a sampler pack of baby wipes or a "leftover" pack from a WAHM who has some seconds on her site and try them.

[Benji'sMom]

Even when a baby starts having solid poop, only a (relatively) small amount gets on a wipe. We don't minishower our baby wipes. So it's the same thing with adult wipes, it's nothing that my washing machine can't handle. (I throw them in the diaper pail and wash with the diapers.)

[DandK]

I went and bought a bunch of flannel at a $1 a yard. Cut them into squares and sewed them together 2 ply. No complaints so far. I don't have a surger so I just did an overlock stitch and not much raveling to speak of.

[AmyY]

Subscribing - I was about to write the OP's post! :LOL Do any WAHMs sell cloth wipes specifically for TP?

Thanks for the thread!

[LadyMarmalade]

I have a friend who uses FBWs (flannel bum wipes) and they're just made of terry towelling. She has a dry stack in a pretty little basket on top of the toilet with an information sheet for guests (I can't remember exactly what it says, but I can try to get the general idea if anyone is interested - basically spells out why they use FBWs, how they're washed so they're hygienic to use, how to use, where to put them when finished etc). She has two sealed buckets in the corner near the toilet, one for 'front' wipes, one for 'back' wipes. She keeps a soaker solution in each bucket which she changes each day. Since the FBWs are much more effective than tissue TP you only need one to wipe yourself after most trips to the toilet, or two if it's ... erm ... sticky (whereas you'd use half a roll of regular TP after one like that). I can't remember exactly what's in her soaker solution - essential oils, vinegar ... something else. I'll find out if someone wants me to. As for washing, she rinses and does a usual load, then hangs them out to dry on the clothesline (sunlight bleaches any colour out).

[nathansmum]

I used to use cloth tp while pregnant, but haven't since I had my dd. I made a bunch of wipes from old flannelette sheets cut into squares. I only used them for wee not bm. I'd just put them into my nappy bucket and then in the wash with them. Because I only used them for wee, I'd use dry cloths - this reminds me to get back into it, I got out of the habit with all the after birth bleeding.

[kamesennin]

Originally Posted by AmyY

Subscribing - I was about to write the OP's post! :LOL Do any WAHMs sell cloth wipes specifically for TP?

Thanks for the thread!

I wouldn't bother paying money for anything that you use to wipe your butt, but that's just me. :LOL Ok, I guess we buy some TP so that's spending money... Seriously, it's really easy if you are cheap like me, just cut up an old t-shirt into squares (big enough so you can fold them over so you don't get your hands wet) and there you go! You don't even need to sew because t-shirt material doesn't unravel. ANd you can use black so it's less conspicuous (sp?). My DH won't have anything to do with it, BTW. Started with cloth wipes for me when 9 mo pregnant and peeing every 20 min, sometimes I would use a whole roll of TP in one day, just from peeing. Not anymore, yay!

[koofie]

Originally Posted by AmyY

Subscribing - I was about to write the OP's post! :LOL Do any WAHMs sell cloth wipes specifically for TP?

Thanks for the thread!

doodlebottoms used to make a family wipe that was from sherpa and really nice - i think you can still buy the baby wipes (same thing I think) at www.diaperware.com. Also Hidden Pearl Creations makes family wipes, but I have not tried those.

[charliedacia]

Does anyone have the link to the toliet seat with the built in bidet? That sounds really cool!

[alexisyael]

I found it for you!

http://www.totousa.com/toto/chloewashlet.asp

[charliedacia]

Thanks for the link! I did not see a price on there. I wonder how much they are/

[alexisyael]

google search the chloe washlet and I'm sure you'll find a price

[inchwormz]

Thanks to everyone who replied! I can't believe of all the things I do this never crossed my mind. At least I have a better understanding, and I may just give it a shot!