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Family Cloths: Reusable Toilet Paper

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D

Devolution

Member
wr00xRe.jpg
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Never really heard about this till now.

There aren’t many of us who would truly balk at the thought of using washable cloth diapers for babies and toddlers, but the thought of wiping away our own excretions with strips of flannel cloth and then washing them later seems to be an entirely different story. Most people seem to go a bit green and twitchy at the mere thought of these cloths, so actually using them would be out of the question — despite how much better they are for the environment (and our bodies) than toilet paper is. Have we always been so squeamish about our bodily functions? Would switching over to washable fabric wipes really be that disgusting? Most pro-cloth websites do a good job of dispelling the hideous imaginings that many may have about whether the practice is sanitary or not, and advocates have described a variety of methods that they use for keeping things clean and tidy.

It appears that the standard method of using these cloths is to keep a pile of clean cotton flannel strips near the toilet (apparently a facial tissue box is great for storing them), and something akin to a diaper pail with a lid nearby for the soiled wipes. Apparently these pails are half-filled with solutions made with either vinegar, peroxide, or essential oils to stave off bacterial growth and unpleasant odors once the used cloths have been tossed in, so that pail can just be up-ended into the washing machine every other day to swished everything clean again. That doesn’t sound terribly impractical, but it does seem to add up to more laundry being done, and that’s another source of wasted water.

Pros and Cons

Let’s take a look at some of the positive and negative aspects of these washable wipes.

Pros:

They’re reusable and eco-friendly
They can be made from old sheets and t-shirts, so no purchase is necessary
Using them reduces water waste/pollution from the paper industry
No trees get chopped down to create them
They can last for years before being replaced
They’re softer and more gentle on skin

Cons:
There’s that “ick” factor, and it’s a significant one
Textural differences might be an issue (both clean and soiled)
If dropped in the bowl, they have to be fished out so they don’t clog anything
They need frequent laundering
Not all stains will disappear in the wash, so they’ll get manky-looking over time
Cross-contamination in case of yeast infections or illness if not washed properly
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http://inhabitat.com/family-cloths-gross-or-great/

Wouldn't you need separate loads and bleach for these things?
 
R

Ripclawe

Banned
They need frequent laundering
Not all stains will disappear in the wash, so they’ll get manky-looking over time
Cross-contamination in case of yeast infections or illness if not washed properly
Click to expand...

Its like we are going backwards in culture/time and society with this nonsense.
 
D

dorn.

Member
How is that better for the environment? Pretty sure washing cloths at high temperatures uses up more energy than using woodpulp?
 
S

StalkerUKCG

Banned
This is pretty common in my family, been using since I was old enough to go to the toilet on my own. Don't even see the issue.

not in my fucking lifetime, disgusting, bork!
 
M

Madness

Member
I'd rather take a shower than reuse toilet excrement cloth. That's the most disgusting thing ever. Fuck the environment if I have to use something to wipe my ass that someone used before even if it has been laundered.

I can't even imagine the look on my mom's face if she had to wash this crap(literally) everyday as I was growing up. Now that I do my own laundry, I would never do it either.
 
PSYGN

PSYGN

Member
Might as well just go with a bidet at that point. I've never used one but it makes sense to me. If someone smeared shit on my arm I'd wash it off with water and not toilet paper or reusable toilet paper. In fact I was looking at some good ones on Amazon. They don't seem expensive and you end up saving money in the long run. I'm still hesitant, though.
 
C

CornBurrito

Member
PSYGN said:
Might as well just go with a bidet at that point. I've never used one but it makes sense to me. If someone smeared shit on my arm I'd wash it off with water and not toilet paper or reusable toilet paper. In fact I was looking at some good ones on Amazon. They don't seem expensive and you end up saving money in the long run. I'm still hesitant, though.
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I'm a bit confused with bidets. Do you just let the water shoot at your bum and hope everything washes off from the pressure? Or do you also use your hand to kind of... help it along? Because then you have shit water dripping all on your hand.
 
M

Madness

Member
Wtf, why am I getting ads on GAF for cloth diapers and Shop Diaper now?

CornBurrito said:
I'm a bit confused with bidets. Do you just let the water shoot at your bum and hope everything washes off from the pressure? Or do you also use your hand to kind of... help it along? Because then you have shit water dripping all on your hand.
Click to expand...

You can let the water do the work, use a wipe or toilet paper to check after, or use your hands as well and wash them with soap after.
 
S

Stet

Banned
What do you think they wiped with on the Flintstones? A rock? A small trained animal on a stick who licks itself clean and then with a shit-filled mouth exclaims in perfect English that it's a living even while flecks of fecal waste fly from its lips and teeth?
 
E

evil solrac v3.0

Member
constantly using water and detergents to wash these shit cloths is worse for the environment than using toilet paper, do the math flannel poop lady.
 
A

akira28

Member
oh god I just looked at that bucket....of slightly brown fluid and limp dirty rags *urp*


no way in hell. Only if the entire world declared war on the US and we somehow couldn't get toilet paper anymore.
 
C

captmorgan

Banned
Well on the pro side when your sitting on the toilet you could look through the poop towels and try to see pictures in the man made "ink bloats"
 
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