BellaOnline Forums Money Frugal Living Toilet Cloth

I am experimenting with using reusable cloth wipes for the toilet, and i have to say I am loving it.

At this point I really just use the cloth for peeing, and I will admit it's a pleasure to use such soft and absorbent materials. It makes TP seem scratchy and like i do not get as clean. The cloth, on the other hand, is luxurious.

I am using around 6x6 squares of cotton flannel that I have cut from old flannel pajamas, baby blankets and sheets. I find these at the thrift stores, wash them, cut them by hand, and use these soft wonderful wipes. I use them once and then toss them into a little steel trashbin i have that opens with a foot pedal. When it's full, I wash the lot of them in cold with a little bleach. There is no smell from the bucket and it's very discrete. There is nothing icky in fresh urine - it's mostly ammonia, which is used as a cleaning fluid everywhere.

If you use a pinking shears, they don't even fray. I don't care if they fray, so i use whatever is at hand.

I keep TP for guests, and for pooping. At least for now.

This experiment is still in the testing phase, but i thought I would start to share it here. Other people who do this call the toilet cloth Family Cloth, or butt wipes. I prefer the term Toilet Cloth, myself.

I think I'll experiment with these too Jilly. We have a septic system and this would sure save on that too. I buy the cheap bundles of wash cloths at WalMart so an extra bundle for toilet cloths would work fine since the closest thrift store is 40 miles away.

Good idea Jilly..(especially since you say that it is not malodorous)..... I am going to try it too, would be great for the environment and good for the wallet too - in a small way though!!

If I remember my history correctly something similar was used in high-status buildings (Castles and manor houses) from the Norman Conquest throughout the Middle Ages

Ian, that is fascinating about the Norman days! It really does make sense. Better than corn cobs and newspapers for wiping!

Jenny, yay you! I've used washcloths as toilet cloths and they are just fine. The terrycloth feels nice and absorbent. It's not as smooth as flannel, so i would wipe less hard. More like dabbing.

Molly, that's great! Let me know what fabrics you are experimenting with and what you use as a used cloth bin.

FYI all, in more materials: fleece is soft but not really absorbent. I think cotton tee shirt materials would be great, though. When I run out of flannel to cut up i will try some old tee shirt squares. Is jersey and tee shirt material the same thing?

In the castles it used to be linen if if remember corectly. These days perhaps fine hemp cloth? As soft as cotton, but far more durable.

Linen sounds good. It's absorbent and soft enough. Not as nice as cotton, I think. I need to look for a linen shirt at a thrift store, cut it up, and report on it.

When did cotton become commonly used in clothing?

As for hemp, well, that would be a luxury cloth, like the new 'cotton' bamboo (trust me, it feels amazing!).

OK, i totally have an assignment now. Used linen, hemp and bamboo clothes to cut up for toilet cloth! I like shopping for entertainment (but only in thrift stores).

My wife and I both like looking and buying in charity (thrift) shops - especially on holiday!!

As to the rise of cotton as a common cloth that would be connected, in the US, with the invention of the cotton gin in the late 1700's. This later became one of the roots of the American civil war with the nascent industrialisation in the southern states.

The cotton barons also saw to it that hemp was criminalised in the early part of the 20th century as it was stronger and more durable than cotton or other fibres and threatened the base of the their wealth.

The durability of hemp and the high silica content of bamboo fibre should make them ideally durable for use as reusable wipes. I will be following your experiments with interest.

AHHH. I found a lovely smooth cotton shirt that I cut up into toilet squares. I love these so much more than the flannel and jersey material. It's like a brushed 100% cotton.

I am also realizing that i like my squares on the big size, so they feel more than adequate in my hand. The little ones are kind of lame and I think i will slowly use them up for cleaning dirty things, like cleaning off the dipstick when checking my car.

But this is what experimenting is for - to figure out systems that work for me. I don't mind making mistakes - this is how people learn. Then we tweak things until they are exactly where we want them.