How frugal are you willing to go? How about cloth toilet paper?

[c]

I read this thread and I have to say I'm very tempted to give this a go. The cloth looks like it is very comfortable, more so than regular TP.

[Perpetual_Student]

COME TO THE DARK SIDE!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/crystalskye?ref=seller_info

This is the store of the woman I bought from.  She is a very fast shipper.

[PJ]

I can't believe that I'm making my 2nd post on the site in this thread, but since I'm not overly shy and I've been doing this for a while, I guess I might as well! 

I've never been particularly fussy about my toilet paper, so when I got the idea to try using cloth, I just went with some old clothes that were going to end up in the garbage anyway.  I cut them into small squares, a few minutes work, and put a basket in the bathroom to hold clean ones.  I've never figured out a good place to store a basket to hold the used ones, so just walk them to the bedroom and put them straight into the laundry hamper.  I use the cloth tp for #1 only, so don't have to worry about rinsing or anything.  I don't produce a lot of "whites/bleach load" laundry, so the cloth tp helps me get closer to a full load with no significant additional use of resources, especially as I hang to dry most of the time.  One problem I've found with using unhemmed cloth of various types is the edges on some material frays and tangles in the machine, so sometimes I have to pull apart a big bunch of tangled cloths and trim off a bunch of loose threads.  Pros and cons of various types of cloth:  t-shirt type material doesn't fray, but it's rougher and tends to roll up a bit, whereas old worn out flannel pajama pant material makes lovely soft tp but frays a lot!

[Perpetual_Student]

Hey PJ, it sounds like you know what's up!  Welcome to the forum :)

You made the exact points that led me to choose serged flannel.  I didn't want to fuss with annoying T-shirt squares rolling up all over the place, and everything I read about flannel told me that even when cut with pinking shears, it tends to fray like crazy.

[Adventine]

Why this buying of cloths? Surely you have half-worn out face flannels (washers?) or really old towels, or worn thin or torn underpants that could be pressed into service? 

But those things would be really rough and abrasive on some of the most sensitive areas of the human body... Not fun. Not fun at all :|

That's about the most wimpy thing I've read on this forum. All you need is absorbency and natural (not synthetic) fibre, i.e. cotton. We're taking about patting dry, not rubbing. And, to avoid any confusion, just use a different colour from your face washer.

I'm so hurt by your comment, I will make a sad face! :(

But seriously, since cleaning up that particular part of the human body is such a personal topic, I think we have room in this forum for all opinions about what is and what is not comfortable. :)

[Perpetual_Student]

Adventine, I also prefer not using rough terry on such an area.  But for those with iron nether regions, I say good for you!

To each their own in this regard.  It's definitely a personal issue :)

[N]

Some of us use cloth wipes. We have a little waterproof bag that hangs on the back of the bathroom door, and used ones go in. Clean ones are stacked in a basket on the back of the toilet. Sometimes I put my cloth menstrual pads in as well. If there is any other "bodily fluid" cleanup rags or diapers they also go in. We still have two young kids so those types of things happen sometimes. Ive been using cloth wipes since we had a baby and used cloth diapers with her. Made sense to me. I would sometimes buy baby washcloths (or use the ones I got as gifts). and there is a nice company called Decent Exposures that makes cloth wipes (as well as lots of other lovely things) google them. I dont like fleece because it doesnt really clean that well. Flannel is nice. I have also sewn old sheets. A friend of mine swears by those micro fiber towels in the auto accessories section. she cuts them up into squares. I believe she got all 3 kids and her DH to use cloth exclusively!

N

[Zaga]

There have been several mentions of cloth menstrual pads.  I use these and love them!  I haven't bought anything disposable in over 4 years now.  I just wanted to add the suggestion for menstrual cups.  Look them up on Wikipedia, all I can say is they are awesome and save me a lot of money and hassle!

[Perpetual_Student]

Good on you startingfromthestart!  I am still trying to get Mr. PS on board.  I think when the TP runs out he may see the light.

Zaga, I don't use pads/liners of any sort ever (just hate that diaper feel) but if I did I'd take a look.  Already on board with the cups.  There has been much cup discussion on a few other threads!  You are right, they are great.

[Jerry]

Our family uses bidet. We were used to TP before that but if you think about it bidet is the best option. You don;t clean your body with dry newspaper, you take a shower. Then, why should TP be a good option for the undercarriage?

I liked the bidet quite a lot and my wife liked it so much that she said that "this is the best thing I have ever bought!". Mine only costed $39 from amazon and in the first 3-4 months, it already saved me more than that. Not to say the enevironment benefits of using bidet and health benefits (prevents Hemorrhoids from personal experience).