Cloth for everything

I was always slightly bemused reading blogs and articles by those who had gone "paper free".  I understood exactly what they had done and why, but it still seemed like a huge jump from normal to a little bit strange.  No toilet paper, kitchen towel or even femine hygiene products.  The Big Chicken was less amused, more terrified.

Kitchen paper:  This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.  We used a lot of kitchen paper, endless reems of the stuff.  It was so quick and easy to rip off a sheet and wipe up whatever had spilled.  We use cast iron cookware a great deal, so there is a lot of seasoning done with coconut oil.  Doing this with resuable cloth did seem a little bit of a challenge.  I had recently bought some cotton/flannel sheets from our local charity shop and began to cut paper-towel sized pieces and pile them up.  I have seen many posts of folks who actually stitch them and even apply poppers to hold them together in a roll.  While I have a sewing machine, this was a step too much for me.  I found that the flannel sheet was perfect as it didn't fray.  So now instead of paper towel, we have a crock full of reusable cloth.

I keep a bucket under the sink with water and detergent in it.  When we have used a cloth, we simply drop it into the bucket.  Once or twice a week I empty the bucket and then soak and boil the cloths.  Then they go through a normal dark wash with our usual laundry.

Toilet paper:  This is something that most households go through a lot of.  We certainly do, along with wet wipes for the younger visitors.  I had used cotton sheets to start with but they did fray and were not as soft as I would have liked.  The flannel sheets came out again but this time I cut smaller squares, closer to the size of one sheet of toilet paper.  I have two garbage cans in my bathroom.  They are repurposed pots.  The silver one is for regular garbage and the blue one, filled with water and some soap, is for our reusable toilet paper. 

I also keep a small spray bottle with some water and aloe vera in it.  When the cloth is sprayed, it becomes a wet wipe.  I empty this pot three or four times a week and transfer the cloths into a vinegar, baking soda and peroxide solution.  These cloths are also boiled before going through a usual washing cycle. 

 

Femine hygiene products: This was a switch that I wish I had made years ago.  I again read about cloth feminine hygiene products and decided to get a few to try.  I personally like Gladrags.  I was totally convinced within the first day of using Gladrags.  They are so comfortable and very easy to clean.  I keep a third pot filled with water and detergent in a bathroom cupboard during these times.  I empty this pot each day and put the napkins into a bucket to soak.  They are boiled and then washed either in the washing machine or by hand. 

Reusable cloth has been much easier to adjust to than I thought it would be and I would encourage anyone who is hesitant to give it a try for a week or even a month and see how you feel at the end of that time. 



Frugally Sustainable Blog Hop #64