TP and other... "stuff"...

[KayJay]

Ok, so I'm realizing just how ignorant I am... If I were to stop buying toilet paper and "feminine products" from the store, what the heck would I use in their place?

[tiffnzacsmom]

femine products can be bypassed, if I am home I have some that I made that are washable and there are The Keeper and Diva cups, there was a big discussion just a week or so ago here so you might want to do a search. Not sure about TP though.

[bare]

I haven't bought a roll of toilet paper in three or four years. I use a handheld bidet and even broke down and bought a portable battery operated one for when I'm away from home. Man, I've saved hundreds of dollars!

[Fla Gal]

Here's the link to a site that tells you about Glad Rags, The Keeper and the Diva Cup. http://www.gladrags.com/

There are instructions here that explain how to make your own cloth sanitary pads. http://hillbillyhousewife.com/sanitarypads.htm

The TP, I'm not sure of either.

[mom2girls]

I use cloth pads for my period I just put them in an old diaper bucket and wash them in the washer I know of people from Mother Earth news that do not use TP, they use rags and they also use a diaper pail.

[culpeper]

In my youth, in the country, we had those awful outside dunnies, either a deep hole dug in the ground with a seat thing over it, or a can which was collected every week and replaced. Visiting neither was a pleasant experience. We used newspaper, which was neatly cut into suitable sized squares, tied up in wads and attached with string to a nail in the wall of the outhouse. A pile of magazines on the floor acted as an emergency supply when the squares ran out!

Newspaper is NOT suitable for modern flushing systems, as it blocks the drains quicker than blink, so don't even think about using it. Not good in septic systems, either.

These days it's easy to buy toilet paper which is made from recycled paper. Also unbleached toilet paper.

I can think of more pleasant ways of caring for our environment than replacing toilet paper!

[Ramblin Wreck]

Originally Posted by culpeper

I can think of more pleasant ways of caring for our environment than replacing toilet paper!

Amen.

[KayJay]

Thanks for all the replies! I agree with you culpeper, and I don't think I will be giving up my tp lol.

[patnewmex]

Yup, I'm with the not giving up tp group. There are more ways than that to save the planet. Besides, paper is one of the few RENEWABLE resources and bidets use up precious water! I have to pay for every gallon I use here in NM.

[comfortablynumb]

in some countries they use their hand, which explains why they dont shake hands to say hello.

the romans used a sponge on a stick, and kept it in a bucket of vinegar water.

poor proplr shared a communal sponge onna stick.

since I can get 12 rolls of paper for 2 bucks at the cheapskate store... i'll keep using TP, thank you.

[moonwolf]

before TP, apparently corn cobs were used

[FarmGoddess]

Nice wide leaves?

[SweetSarah]

OK, I've heard it said about a hundred times. But what in the heck is a diaper bucket??

[Alice In TX/MO]

When we used cloth diapers, after the soiled one was removed from the baby, you dumped any solids in the potty, rinsed the diaper, then placed it in a covered pail/bucket in the bathroom or near the changing station.

At the end of the day, the accumulated diapers were removed from the pail and washed.

[KayJay]

Originally Posted by moonwolf

before TP, apparently corn cobs were used

..... not on my butt! lol

[moonwolf]

Originally Posted by KayJay

..... not on my butt! lol

lol. Here's the 'straight dope' on using corn cobs.

http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_373.html

[omnicat]

in some countries they use their hand, which explains why they dont shake hands to say hello.

those countries also have a handedness rule. Right hand ONLY for eating - because the other was for toiletries. My brother spent two years in Africa, and had to work hard to remember to eat with his right (he's a lefty).

Lamb's ears work great for tp - softer even than TP! But most of what people used to use in the summer (leaves and such) are NOT for modern plumbing! In the winter, they generally used a small cloth - one per customer - and washed them out.

[Hears The Water]

Ok, so I guess I am going to be the gross one here. Not the first time and probably not going to be the last. *grin* More than once we have run out of TP and did not have enough money to buy more. Recently I conducted an experiment. I decided to try squares of flannel. I cut some flannel I had lying around in to a square the size I thought we would need and stacked them on the back of the toilet. I put a bucket in the tub and instructed the kids to make double sure not to drop the fabric into the toilet or they would be the ones fishing it out. As we used the flannel squares we put them in the bucket and when the clean squares got down to a certain number I would wash what was in the bucket. Usually every other day. When I washed the squares I used HOT water and either bleach or vineagar as an additive. I did save back one half a roll of toilet paper for guests because I was NOT going to wash anyone else's dirty flannels! It worked pretty well but it did make extra work for me and probably cost as much as TP costs just to make the hot water for the laundry and the heat for the dryer (wich I don't have now so that cost is now a moot point). All in all I think we decided that in the case of an emergency we would survive but that we do prefer our TP on the roll. But someone that was really into self sufficiancy would probably do quite well with it. Just sharing my experience with you.
God bless you and yours
Debbie

[comfortablynumb]

call me a sissy, but i would have a hard time washing human feces out in my washing machine I used to wash my clothes.... in that "bulk" or in diaper bulk for that matter.

my mom said she used cloth diapers and it was "normal" [50/60 era babies] BUT! she had a seperate washer to launder the diapers in.

I know, that hot water and soap does NOT kill fecal coliforms. bleach will, but only if it sits in bleach water and only if the bleach is in proper concentration.

I imagine since yall are still breathing, it must not really be that big a deal...

thats why I have dogs.... no diapers.
train your 6 month old to crawl out oon the lawn and go poopie, people will have a fit if the kid doesnt have a tail.

[culpeper]

Diapers are 'nappies' in my part of the world. I've never used a disposable nappy on my kids - but that was a long time ago. The solid matter is disposed of into the toilet, and the soiled nappy is then placed into a bucket of water to which has been added a disinfectant solution which kills all germs. Every morning, the water is tipped out into the toilet, and the nappies go through the washing machine. No problem at all. If your machine works properly, there are no worries about using it for washing everything else as well.

People did this for generations with no ill-effect, and some people who care for their environment are still doing it - with the same lack of ill-effect.

The problem these days is that there are mountains of disposable nappies full of - - - - to find spaces for on the planet.