[lovemyfamily6]

I think we're ready to do this. I'm not using cloth diapers, so I don't currently have any diaper laundry/pail/or anything.

I'd like to order from a cloth diaper store. I was wondering about something like the Kissaluvs wipes for toilet paper. The description says they're terry on one side and smooth on the other.

For tissues, I was thinking of using some Cottonbabies flannel wipes. I figured they would be soft and they're 8x8. I measured our tissues and they look to be about 8.5x8.5.

I would buy a small lidded step can for the tp. What kind of liner would I want? We have the Simple Human can that has a removable plastic liner, so I wonder if I could just not even use a wet bag for it and just wash it each time I did the tp laundry? It would probably be easier to have a bag though.

What do you store the clean wipes in? We don't have any storage in our bathroom. It's a pedestal sink and a toilet. No shelves or cabinets.

What do you do when you need to wipe from #2? Do you get the wipe wet? Or do you keep them already damp in a wipes box? I'm thinking for my kids. The big boys are 7.5 and twins are almost 6. They're totally on board. My oldest said he wants us to be the greenest family in our city.

:

For the tissues, can those just go in our regular laundry or do they need their own special wash?

Is detergent a concern with cloth tp like it is with diapers? Or is pretty much anything okay?

How many wipes for tp and wipes for tissue should we try? I'm the only girl in the house with dh and four boys. They generally poo twice a day though.

If anyone has any tips, suggestions or ideas, I'd love to hear them. And if you think there is something better than the two things I was thinking of buying, please let me know.

 

[lovemyfamily6]

Just a bump. My son was asking tonight when we can start this.

 

[poiyt]

I will answer the questions I can

1) You can pretty much use anything. Cut up old t-shirts even. I, before I bought actual family cloth, I used those cheap wash cloths you get for babies (like 10 for $1) and they work just fine.

2) I dont use tissues...my husband wont let me....yet...

3) It would bu MUCH easier to have a wet bag. You could contact an etsy mama and they would probably be able to make a custom sized one for you...You dont want to be touching the stuff (I would guess) so being able to dump it and and the bag would be good.

4) We have a drawstring type bag that we hang from the where the toilet paper would normally sit (on that tube thingy)...we just throw them in there out of the wash...no folding, no nothing.

5) For #2 I just get it a little damp in the sink when I need to..and thats that. If you cant reach the sink from the toilet Id use a peri bottle and just squirt water on when needed.

6) I would want a sensitive no additives detergent - these are touching sensitive areas. I do wash mine with diapers so Ive never had to worry about this..

7) I have 48 wipes and with myself, my husband (my daughter doesnt use them yet) we go through it in 4-5 days..so it depends on how often you want to do laundry...

HTH!

 

[EnviroBecca]

I don't do cloth toilet paper, but for the hankies: Yes, 8"x8" flannel is good. I put them in a zippered mesh bag (from Target laundry department) so they don't get lost among bigger things, and I just toss that bag in with a load of regular laundry, which I wash in cold water.

If somebody's been sick and the hankies are really gross, I pre-soak them in hot water and Oxi-Clean, rinse thoroughly in hot water, then launder as usual.

 

[AngelBee]

We have used these before and like them.
http://www.little-lions.com/page31.html

Also check out
http://footprintsbaby.com/index.php?...products_id=27

http://hyenacart.com/smallwonderswipes/index.php?c=9

 

[Dakota's Mom]

You could get a yard of two of hemp jersey and then cut it to the size you want. For family cloth, most of mine are about 5 by 5. But some are a bit bigger if it was the end of the row or if it was leftover from another project. "Tissues" are cut to about 8 by 10. But I have some that are so many different sizes because it was made with leftovers. I use hemp jersey all the time making sandwich wraps and snack bags, so those leftover pieces get cut to whatever size I can. I just want them square or rectangular and not just jagged pieces. Mama cloth is usually hemp fleece although sometimes I use small pieces of hemp jersey as well. I usually cut them round. That way I can fold them under and pin in place.

The best part about using hemp jersey or fleece is that you don't have to hem it at all. It doesn't fray. Just cut it to the size you want and prewash it. Hemp is not very absorbant until it has been washed a few times.

I have a wet bag that I hang on the back of the bathroom door. Every week when I do laundry I just throw the contents of the bag in with the white clothes. Then I wash the bag with dark colors. The only thing you have to watch out for is when you are folding the clothes. The first few weeks my husband was complaining about finding mama cloth inside his t-shirts.

Kathi

 

[poiyt]

wow...this is the 3rd thread on family cloth..and mine MUST be teeny...mine are 2x2..and I love them that small..its all I need...

why bigger...?

 

[lovemyfamily6]

Quote:

Originally Posted by poiyt wow...this is the 3rd thread on family cloth..and mine MUST be teeny...mine are 2x2..and I love them that small..its all I need... why bigger...?

Isn't 2x2 the size of a little gauze pad? Even one tp square is bigger than that and there is no chance I would feel dry after wiping with one square of tp!

 

[poiyt]

one square of tp is bigger than it. Its double layered - one layer of flannel one layer of organic bamboo...so I guess its thick (and oh so soft!) enough to not need to be big. On a weird note..one type of fabric seems to be good for #1's whereas another is good for #2..I never though fabric would make a difference...lol

 

[Llyra]

We use Kissaluvs wipes for TP, and for just about everything else like that. I have a huge amount of them, like 150, from when we had three kids in diapers.

For hankies, we use old flat diapers cut in half.

 

[PaulaJoAnne]

When I tested out using cloth, I just cut up an old soft T-shirt.
THey were about 4" square. THe reason for the smaller size, and the T, was for the few times I forgot what I was using and flushed it.
Trust me, it happens in the beginning LOL!
After a month or so, I cut up some brushed flannel into 6" squares, doubled them up, with the raw edges inside.
I then filled my basket that sits on the tank, and have been very happy with them ever since

:
DH was tickled that our TP usage went so low ( I only use them for #1)
He had lived on his own for over 10 years before we got married, and it puzzled him to no end, how he (we) no longer used just one roll per week

:

 

[russianthistle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovemyfamily6 I think we're ready to do this. I'm not using cloth diapers, so I don't currently have any diaper laundry/pail/or anything. I'd like to order from a cloth diaper store. I was wondering about something like the Kissaluvs wipes for toilet paper. The description says they're terry on one side and smooth on the other. For tissues, I was thinking of using some Cottonbabies flannel wipes. I figured they would be soft and they're 8x8. I measured our tissues and they look to be about 8.5x8.5. I would buy a small lidded step can for the tp. What kind of liner would I want? We have the Simple Human can that has a removable plastic liner, so I wonder if I could just not even use a wet bag for it and just wash it each time I did the tp laundry? It would probably be easier to have a bag though. What do you store the clean wipes in? We don't have any storage in our bathroom. It's a pedestal sink and a toilet. No shelves or cabinets. What do you do when you need to wipe from #2? Do you get the wipe wet? Or do you keep them already damp in a wipes box? I'm thinking for my kids. The big boys are 7.5 and twins are almost 6. They're totally on board. My oldest said he wants us to be the greenest family in our city. : For the tissues, can those just go in our regular laundry or do they need their own special wash? Is detergent a concern with cloth tp like it is with diapers? Or is pretty much anything okay? How many wipes for tp and wipes for tissue should we try? I'm the only girl in the house with dh and four boys. They generally poo twice a day though. If anyone has any tips, suggestions or ideas, I'd love to hear them. And if you think there is something better than the two things I was thinking of buying, please let me know.

Wow! It is really so very easy

It can seem complex, but in my mind family cloth is easier than actually buying tp.

I cut up t-shirt material (it doesn't run around the edges like flannel or reg. cotton) into rectangles the size of two sheets of tp.

I keep the f.c. in a little basket next to the toilet on the floor/on the back of the toilet). I have about 100 or so pieces. (It's just me, dp, ds, and baby on the way).

I keep the used f.c. in a large size nalgene canister with a lid. I empty it accordingly (into the cloth diapers...). I only wash f.c. w/ diapers or alone...not into mixing washes.

In the wash I use reg. biokleen, sometimes a few drops of tea tree oil or lemon essential oil with hot water. I put a bit of vinegar in the rinse. I hang dry them all (I don't have a dryer). I let the wash soak a bit, and I often let the rinse soak a bit. I have a small portable washer, so my small cycles are very small.

For tissues, I use old birdseye cloth diapers...not the prefold kind. I throw these in the wash with rags and/or towels.

I wet f.c. for #2 if there are any residuals left behind...don't like stinky bums

With a family of 6, you're going to be doing a lot of family cloth wash, so you'll probably want a big container so you don't have to empty it all of the time. I'd bet that you can do your load with just f.c. and nothing else. I don't think that mixing washes is a good idea due to the matter involved.

I don't think you need to 'buy' very much...I'd upcycle...it's just cloth for wiping bums...you don't need anything fancy. Go to your second hand stores and get some t-shirts (aka t-shits, haha).

 

[Leta]

For hankies, we use... wait for it... handkerchiefs.

You can buy them anywhere, they aren't expensive, and I think that our wooden boxes of hankies (one in the living room and one on the nightstand) look much better than a tissue box.

For butt wipers, we still have TP, but we go through so.much.less. We buy an 18 pack of 1000 sheet Scott Tissue about once a year. We use our old 1ply flannel wipes from when DD was still in diapers. I got them from Sewing Mom Just Accessories, and they are both inexpensive and wonderful. I don't fold them, I just stack them flat in a little wicker basket.

I think the stepcan vs. wetbag thing has to do as much with the layout of your bathroom as anything. In our case, our toilet and sink are rightontopofeachother, and our toilet is in the corner, so there wasn't a good place for a wetbag to hang. OTOH, a step can (with plastic bucket inside, from Goodwill, no less!) fit nicely under the sink.