Most of us know the benefits and are religious users of reusable shopping bags, cloth napkins, dishtowels (instead of paper towels) and on and on. But only a handful of us eco-eccentrics have taken the next logical step into cloth toilet paper.
Recycled toilet paper is great and we keep some on hand for guests. But it still uses an awful lot of resources to produce the roll of toilet paper each person will go through every two weeks. The benefits of cloth toilet paper are numerous, including:
- Economical. They can be made from old materials to cost you nothing or if a special pattern of fabric texture is desired can be purchased for under $5. And as they last for years, it’s the last purchase you’ll need to make!
- Easy to make. Whether you’re using old material or new, they are easy to use and can require little to no sewing depending on the fabric.
- Sustainable. No factory production, shipping, stocking, driving to the store when you’ve run low. No special soaps are required and no separate washes are needed.
- Enjoyable. Once you’ve tried cloth wipes you’ll never go back.
Cloth wipes fall into the same category as cloth diapers and my hope is that one day will be just as accepted. I promise it’s not as gross or as difficult a system as it would seem to be. If you’re thinking this is something you may try, keep reading. (If you’re totally grossed out, bookmark this page and come back to it once the idea has sunk in!)
First Step
If you are unsure how this will go, don’t bother buying fabric just yet. Instead find an old shirt that has seen too many days and cut it into squares about 4×4 inches. Jersey tshirts actually make fantastic cloth wipes (they are absorbent and generally soft), so many people stick with this option. They also do not fray and therefore require no sewing, which is perfect for those of us who can’t tell a bobbin from a backstitch. You can also opt for old rags.
Start with only using cloth wipes for urine. Urine is sterile and easiest to wash. This will give you a general idea of how you like using cloth and what system works best for you. After you’re sure, you can try the system with poo. Some people only use cloth for #1 and that’s great! Do what makes you comfortable!
Making Cloth Wipes
If you’re like me and what to add a little pizazz to your bathroom, you can choose to purchase a patterned fabric. I highly suggest choosing flannel. Not only is flannel absorbent, it’s also softest. Fleece, while very soft, is not as absorbent and we don’t like it as much as the flannel. Flannel will need some stitches around the edges to prevent fraying. (Or you can allow it to fray naturally but this may cause your TP to fall apart sooner.) A Serger is nice if you’re so inclined, but a simple stitch is all that’s necessary. Another option, although more expensive, would be to buy a stockpile of inexpensive cotton washcloths or cloth handkerchiefs.
Storage
We keep our stack of wipes near the toilet (duh). We also keep a wet bag nearby for storage of used wipes until washing. Some people that use their wipes for #2 find the use of a bucket with a vinegar/water solution handy. We haven’t found it necessary. In one bathroom, our wipes are kept in an old container, which I don’t suggest, as cleaning that thing is a real pain. The wet bag, however, can be thrown into the wash. Easy peasy!
Using the Wipes
Um. I’m sure you guys can figure this one out, but just in case: Each wipe is only used once before they are washed!
Washing
This is what everyone wants to know, right? 
Washing cloth wipes is very simple. It’s really no different than washing underwear. They can be washed in cold, warm or hot water although most people choose the latter two options, especially if anyone has been sick. They do not need to be washed in their own load. However, we don’t mix them with things like dishcloths, napkins, dishtowels, etc. They tend to go in with socks or Justin’s work clothes. Some people soak them first or use extra detergent or a heavier load. We haven’t found any of that to be necessary. They can be line dried (which gives the added benefit of sun sterilization) or thrown in the dryer. If you already use cloth diapers in your home, they are easily worked into that system.
If you’re still worried about germs stick with wipes for urine only (or remember that not all germs are bad and more e.coli germs can usally be found on our toothbrushes than our toilets!).
I’ve gone into more (embarassing, funny, gross) details on my blog but I’ll save you the trauma. 
You are, of course, welcome to ask me any questions by posting a comment below.
So, have I convinced anyone to try cloth toilet paper? ;)
QUESTION: What do you mean by “wet bag”? Like a cloth bag that is wet just placed by the toilet? Or what? How long can that sit there with wipes in it before it needs to be washed? A day or two or a week or what?
TOTALLY not sure if I would try this but thinking about it a very teeny tiny little bit.
I always thought that 4×4 was a bit small. The kiddos like 8×8 the best.
Thanks for the details – pee-cloths are getting pretty high on my to do list. Gonna swing by your blog for more details – we’ve got two on the Keeper here…
I don’t find 4×4 to be small but it’s really just a matter of preference. I wanted to have as many wipes as possible and don’t find we often need more than one.
~Tara
How do you handle when the plumber who comes to fix your toilet (my toddler son decided to flush every single toothbrush) decides to call the Board of Health on you? I answered all their questions (yes, of course I wash them in the same washing machine – how many people have multiple washing machines? No, I do not have my hot water tank set to 180 degrees,) and they said they would get back in touch with me. A month later I haven’t heard anything. I sent them to Crunchy Chicken’s website where I first heard about them some time ago.
You’re kidding?! I think I’d file a complaint about the plumber! There is really nothing they can do though. They simply have to follow up on calls like that. I probably would have told them we have a sensitivity to the chemicals used to make toilet paper and ask them if they call the mothers of babies who wear cloth diapers. :/
~Tara
i had been coming across a variety of blogs talking about cloth wipes for over a year and 6 months ago i bit the bullet and tried them out – and discovered that i love them! i started using them for only #1 but eventually got around to using them for #2′s too! and with not too much coaxing have convinced my hubby to try them as well. it is much easier for us as there are only the two of us in the family and i can well appreciate that some out there with families of 6 might feel overwhelmed by the idea. i am commenting here to say that i think your advice of test-trying cloth wipes with only #1′s at first is great advice – and this is a great post!
one last thing to add and it is my own personal experience – i find that for #1′s i like to use a slightly-dampened cloth and for #2′s i like to use a more dampened cloth. again – each to his own.
thanks for sharing such an informative post and here’s hoping that others will be more willing to try out cloth wipes based on your post!
The other day I caught a glimpse of the words “cloth toilet paper” on a blog, perhaps yours. So this subject has been rolling around in my subconscious for a few days now. I’m glad you posted it here.
As the only female in my household, it’d be easy to switch to (pee) cloths without alerting the suspicions of my husband or son. Now I know what I can do with all those baby washcloths I saved; I knew they’d come in handy some day and they’re the perfect size, about 4″x4″. Better still, my stackable laundry unit is IN the bathroom (we only have one: bathroom AND washer).
Loved this post.
My husband has been supportive of some of my green initiatives, and merely put up with a few other ones (the worm farm in the baement was a hard sell, believe me!). But I think he would literally have a stroke if I moved to fabric wipes, lol.
I have wanted to try this for quite a while, though… how easily do you think I could discreetly hide the evidence?
LOL Irma! My husband ranges from “supportive” to “look the other way and sigh” too. And I haven’t told him about the vermicomposting I’m planning, I’m just going to bring it home when he’s out one day and hide it in the kitchen.
As for hiding cloth wipes, why not disguise the clean ones in a kleenex box? The used ones might be a bit harder, but maybe a bag hung behind/beside the toilet with a suction cup hook?
Guys are so funny about some things:) My daughter and I have been using cloth wipes for a few months now, although we haven’t worked up to poo yet.
My husband is fine with the cloths, he’s kind of like TechChik’s husband. He didn’t complain too much when I got my worms.
As for the cloths, I just put a bag in the bathroom and it took about 2 months before he said what’s with the bag. I told him he couldn’t have a problem with it because we’d been doing it for some time and he’d not even noticed. Worked for me anyways:)
I think some people are turned off by the name Family Cloth actually. Just my opinion.
I’m glad you posted about this.
What are these wet bags? I might try cloth wipes for pee first but I need a container that will hold in the smell. I can smell pee as soon as I walk into a room (although this is usually cat pee and so a stronger smell), plus our dog will try to get into the container if she smells something. Is there a good source for buying wet bags?
@TechChik
Or one of those plastic wipe boxes? You could even fold them like this video shows (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHEBiy-8Yx0) so that they would pop up out of the dispenser.
You could also remove certain items from the bathroom when less than supportive or somewhat questionable folks visit. We always have some toilet paper in the house and just explain that we have to keep it put away or the kiddos would have a blast unrolling it. That seems to get a laugh and explains the lack of prominence.
As for the plumber – I’d probably also let them know that I wouldn’t be hiring them or recommending them again. I fail to see how it is any of his business or the health depts. It’s not like the underware of all the adults in your community are free from these sorts of things. Do those people have a second washer and their water heater turned up to 180 degrees? What about the folks who use disposable diapers and put untreated sewage in our landfills which can contaminate our groundwater? Why isn’t the health dept calling them up?
Thanks for the support about the plumber. Unfortunately, I have no choice about who comes since it is the landlord’s maintenance department that handles that. I’m hoping that the man from the city board did a bit of reading on it and realized how silly it was to be worried about. The fact that he never called me back makes me feel better.
On another note, I can say that as a family of 7, I have found that the easiest way to deal with the dirty ones is to throw them straight into the washer which is right outside the bathroom door. We have to wash a load every day just to keep up with regular laundry and they are small enough that they don’t contribute to the bulk significantly. I can’t imagine cutting up enough to last my family for a whole week. There would be no room to sit on the toilet with that many wipes in there. lol!
Hi Tara…
Why nothing. It would save both resources AND money—-because toilet paper is getting really REALLY expensive for what it is!
Glad to have you here.
Been playing around with this idea myself. For at least number ones since I am not sure if I am ready to mess with number two yet. However, I often pee in a bucket and use it in my compost pile along with the paper I wipe with. What would be the difference in not throwing away the paper and just having the liquid compost additive
BTW…my good friends mother came from the Philippines as a young mother married to an American soldier. To this day she uses a small cup of water for her wiping. She keeps the cup by the toilet (discreetly on the floor of course) and most people don’t even realize until they ask or are told why it’s always there.
Thought provoking article—nice.
Grace and Elizabeth, a “wet bag” is a cotton bag with a polyurethane lining (PUL) used to hold “wet” things (not that the wipes can really be considered much wet). It keeps it water resistent but is easy to throw in the wash when needed, unlike a bucket.
~Tara
i found what used to be a cookie jar at a local thrift shop – it now sits next to our toilet as our dirty wipe container
we use wipes for both #1 and #2, and haven’t yet had a smell (slight odor when you open the lid to deposit the cloth, but really not much at all) – in fact, when we started this i used to add a drop or two of tea tree oil to the bottom of the jar, but have since found it’s not needed
i usually wash the wipes on hot, but only because they’re combined with the rags we use for our goats (washing udders) and for other various house and livestock messes (we don’t want to take a chance of cross-contamination for us or them)
we wash about once a week, with dr. bronners soap, and either line-dry if the weather permits or use the dryer if not
everything comes out clean and fresh-smelling
i take the opportunity to give the jar a quick wash whenever i empty it to wash the wipes
not a big deal, and we haven’t bought toilet paper in months, except for when guests come (or the couple of times we were both crazy busy and hadn’t had time to even throw in a load of laundry)
Interesting Monica. You say she uses a cup of water? I wonder how she does it. You think she splashes it up, just sitting on the toilet? I’ve always wanted a combo toilet/bidet, but think our guests would FREAK. Maybe I can get it installed in the ‘boys’ bathroom. My DH wouldn’t mind that, I don’t think.
I’d like to try cloth wipes for at least #1. With two very small bathrooms, I’ll have to find a spot for my container. But…it just may be doable.
Great article Tara!