Leggi questo post in: Italiano
I started working on this post about ten days ago, when we started locking down here in Italy for the health emergency, and people were starting to get worried in other parts of the world. My friends in the United States and other English-speaking countries kept telling me about how people were in a total panic because there were no more toilet rolls left in stores. So I decided that the time had come for me to write about something controversial, but interesting: DIY cloth toilet paper.
Since then, the emergency in the US has escalated and I’ve been seeing lots of pictures of empty toilet paper shelves like these:
If you follow me, you probably know that I am a huge proponent of virtually all reusable products that are alternatives to disposables. (Which is an interesting way to put it, seeing as it is actually disposables that were originally alternatives to the classic reusable products.)
I actually created Cucicucicoo back in 2009 as a place to write about washable and reusable cloth diapers and menstrual pads, among other products. (Read all about the origins of this website and what “cucicucicoo” means!) I later created patterns and tutorials to help others make the jump to cloth:
- cloth menstrual pads
- cloth nappies (I am currently working on this pattern, which is a BIG one!)
- cloth baby wipes
- cloth nursing pads
- wet bags (those are waterproof fabric bags that are very useful when using cloth products outside of the home)
- makeup remover pads (that tutorial is included as an extra in my baby wipes pattern)
- cloth napkins and hankies (those are two other tutorials that I’ve been meaning to make and they WILL be published at some point!)
- reusable produce bags
- reusable shopping bags (there are a few tutorials for those on this blog, such as my bag made from an umbrella, my no-waste bag from a sheet, and my no-sew T-shirt bag)
- furoshiki reusable fabric gift wrap
So it makes sense for me to write about DIY cloth toilet paper now that so many people are in a panic over the current loo roll scarcity.
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Watch this video or continue reading to find out WHY you should consider using cloth toilet paper, HOW to make it quickly, easily and FREE in your home right now, and how to wash it!
Basically, cloth toilet paper is a piece of fabric that you clean your butt with, then wash and use again. Simple.
A lot of people get really upset about this idea, as if their common decency were offended, which I don’t quite understand. There are actually a lot of people who chose “family cloth,” which is what you call it when the whole family uses cloth toilet paper for their own moral and health reasons.
So, what are those compelling reasons to use fabric toilet paper? Here are a few:
- Disposable toilet paper contains chemicals. THOUSANDS of chemicals. The most notable one is chlorine bleach. And that stuff messes with your body. Just Google it and you’ll see.
- Disposable toilet paper is made from trees. And you just use it once. Which is a waste. Any sort of reusable cloth product is, as the name says, reusable, so even if it IS made from natural resources, you’ll use it a bunch of times. AND if you’re repurposing fabric to make it (as I’ll show you in a sec), you’re not using up any new materials at all.
- Disposable toilet paper is found in stores. Well, duh, obviously, but do you know how awesome it is to be self-sufficient and not be tied to regularly buying certain items? I loooove the fact that my days of realizing at midnight that I don’t have any diapers/pads/bum wipes left and having to run out to find an open shop and get some are long past. Same goes for toilet paper. If every supermarket in your town is out, you’ll be totally fine while everyone else is freaking out.
I am an honest, transparent person. I tried cloth toilet paper a little when I was cloth diapering my second child, but my husband was horrified and wanted nothing to do with it. So I stopped. But, that said, I have been using other cloth products for the past 13 years, despite anybody else’s objections, so just hear me out.
I’m not saying that you should permanently convert to using washable toilet paper, unless you want to, which would be great! But do consider it if you can’t find a single toilet roll within a 20 mile radius of your home. You do have an alternative to using your hand, or some equally unhygienic solution to clean your dirty butt.
And, as every day more and more cities are locking down and prohibiting citizens from going out, I’m showing you how to make your own DIY cloth toilet paper for FREE with stuff you can find in your home, without having to sew. Oh, yes! Let’s get started!
Print out these instructions!
Scroll down to the end of this post and click “Print”.
Materials:
- fabric
- scissors
- ruler
- permanent marker* (optional)
Let’s get a little more specific. I suggest using jersey fabric because it doesn’t fray in the wash. So my favorite fabrics for this project are old cotton jersey T-shirts and bedsheets. But feel free to use any fabric that is a natural fiber (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.). Synthetics don’t absorb and are just better not to rub against your delicate parts.
You can purchase fabric at a shop (in which case, I suggest using 100% cotton flannel), but at the time of this writing, when we’re forced to stay home and shops are closed, you have no choice but to use what you already have at home. This is a great way to use up old, ripped and stained clothing. It doesn’t need to look good; it’ll just get stained anyway.
As for scissors, use your sharp fabric shears* or a rotary cutter*, quilting ruler* and cutting mat* if you have them. If not, just use the sharpest scissors you have at home.
Make DIY cloth toilet paper:
1. If you’re using T-shirts, cut them open along the side seams (shown by arrows above). Cut off the sleeves and cut them open along the bottom arm seam.
Cut away and discard any vinyl printed designs on the shirts, like the Pink Panther on the one above.
2. Lay your fabric out flat. (The fabric in these pictures is a repurposed jersey bedsheet.) Cut out a rectangle.
You can use a ruler and permanent marker to mark off the shape or make a cardboard template to cut around. Or you can just eyeball it, which is relatively easy with striped fabric. These do not have to be cut out perfectly.
I suggest either a 6 x 6″ (15 x 15 cm) square or a double size, 6 x 12″ (15 x 30 cm) rectangle so that you can fold it in half for extra absorbency/hand protection.
I already mentioned that I prefer using jersey because it doesn’t fray. You can use other fabrics (for example, as shown above, regular cotton bedsheets or bathroom towels), but just be forewarned that they might fray in the washing machine.
You can just ignore they frayed bits, but I suggest you either sew a zigzag or overlock stitch around the cut edges before using them or cut them out with pinking shears*, which are zig zag scissors for fabric, which reduce fraying.
I suggest cutting around 50-100 pieces so you don’t have to wash them too often. You can always make more if you find you need them. If you have a big family, you’ll probably want more.
How to use cloth toilet paper:
So now that you’ve cut out a bazillion little fabric squares of DIY cloth toilet paper, it’s time to actually use them! Some people are super fancy and put plastic snaps on the short ends of each little square, that way they can actually snap them together to form a long chain that can be rolled up and put on the toilet paper holder. I don’t like that idea because that means more plastic, more money and more time, both to make them and to use them. (Seriously, who has the time to snap together a gazillion pieces of fabric?)
The short time that I used washable toilet paper, I just kept the pieces in a little basket in the bathroom. You could also put them in a cute fabric drawstring bag that you hang from the toilet paper holder, or just keep them in the linen closet. Whatever works for you.
When you pee, obviously just wipe yourself with a dry fabric square of cloth toilet paper. Pretty easy, right?
When you poop, you can use the fabric dry, or you can get it wet in the sink and clean yourself, then use a dry one to wipe your bum dry. Some people use special baby wipe liquid, but when I was cloth diapering I found it just as good to use good old fashioned water. Another thing you can do is keep a spray bottle with water near the toilet and spray yourself before wiping clean. Just do whatever works best for you.
How to wash cloth toilet paper:
When you’re done cleaning yourself, throw your dirty cloth wipey in a little bucket like this one.
People are often concerned about smell. Do remember that cloth toilet paper is nothing like cloth nappies or diapers. Babies do all their pee and poo INSIDE the diaper, so obviously those things stink in a bad way. We fully functioning adults do our stuff in the toilet, so it’s a relatively small amount getting on the fabric, so they smell less. However I do still suggest using a bucket like mine, with sides that snap shut, in order to contain any stinkiness that there may be.
Some people put water in the bucket where the dirties go with the idea that it helps to remove the gunky stuff, but I highly discourage doing that. That actually makes it smell worse and it’s a lot more of a pain in the butt to clean it all out afterwards.
When the bucket is somewhat full, or after 2-3 days, dump it all in the washing machine. Use your regular laundry detergent and add some cheap white vinegar*, which helps disinfect a little bit and deal with stinkiness. Set a long and HOT washing cycle with a pre-rinse. Then, you can line dry it all or pop it in the dryer at a HOT setting, which helps even more with killing off germs. Then just shove the clean wipes back wherever you chose to keep them, whether it’s a basket or bag, until you need them next. No need to iron or fold.
That might sound like a lot of hassle, but it’s really not that bad once you get into the rhythm of doing it.
Some people claim that the environmental harm done in those extra loads of laundry negates the good that reusable toilet paper does. While I don’t agree in the case of something like disposable nappies or menstrual pads (because those are full of plastic and really terrible chemicals, which have a truly horrific effect on body and environment – read more here about the harm in disposable diapers), I really don’t have the scientific evidence that using cloth toilet paper is better for the environment, though my opinion is that it is better. Either way, I’m just putting this out there for you to decide if it’s the right decision for you, or not!
And, remember, this doesn’t have to be a permanent decision. You can always try using family cloth and see how it goes. It might just be an emergency alternative for these dark times when the bath tissue aisle of every supermarket is empty. Or you might just find yourself a cloth toilet paper convert! You’ll never know if you never try it!
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How to make DIY cloth toilet paper
Learn how to make DIY cloth toilet paper for emergencies when there are no more toilet rolls left in the supermarket. No sew family cloth is zero waste, ecologically friendly and costs nothing when you repurpose old sheets and T-shirts!
Materials
- Fabric, preferably repurposed jersey bedsheets or T-shirts (but other fabric made of natural fibers is ok)
Tools
Instructions
I suggest using jersey fabric because it doesn't fray in the wash. So my favorite fabrics for this project are old cotton jersey T-shirts and bedsheets. But feel free to use any fabric that is a natural fiber (cotton, linen, bamboo, etc.). Synthetics don't absorb and are just better not to rub against your delicate parts.
You can purchase fabric at a shop (in which case, I suggest using 100% cotton flannel), but at the time of this writing, when we're forced to stay home and shops are closed, you have no choice but to use what you already have at home. This is a great way to use up old, ripped and stained clothing. It doesn't need to look good; it'll just get stained anyway.
- If you're using T-shirts, cut them open along the side seams (shown by arrows above). Cut off the sleeves and cut them open along the bottom arm seam.
- Cut away and discard any vinyl printed designs on the shirts, like the Pink Panther on the one above.
- Lay your fabric out flat. (The fabric in these pictures is a repurposed jersey bedsheet.) Cut out a rectangle.
- You can use a ruler and permanent marker to mark off the shape or make a cardboard template to cut around. Or you can just eyeball it, which is relatively easy with striped fabric. These do not have to be cut out perfectly. I suggest either a 6 x 6" (15 x 15 cm) square or a double size, 6 x 12" (15 x 30 cm) rectangle so that you can fold it in half for extra absorbency/hand protection.
I already mentioned that I prefer using jersey because it doesn't fray. You can use other fabrics (for example regular cotton bedsheets or bathroom towels), but just be forewarned that they might fray in the washing machine. You can just ignore they frayed bits, but I suggest you either sew a zigzag or overlock stitch around the cut edges before using them or cut them out with pinking shears, which are zig zag scissors for fabric, which reduce fraying.
I suggest cutting around 50-100 pieces so you don't have to wash it too often. You can always make more if you find you need them. If you have a big family, you'll probably want more.
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How to wash reusable cloth toilet paper
Washing and caring for reusable cloth toilet paper is a lot easier than most people think!
Materials
- Laundry detergent
- White vinegar
Tools
- Washing machine
Instructions
How to use cloth toilet paper:
Keep your cloth toilet paper in a little basket in the bathroom, or in a fabric drawstring bag to hang from the toilet paper holder, or in the linen closet.
When you pee, obviously just wipe yourself with a dry fabric square of cloth toilet paper. Pretty easy, right?
When you poop, you can use the fabric dry, or you can get it wet in the sink and clean yourself, then use a dry one to wipe your bum dry. Some people use special baby wipe liquid, but when I was cloth diapering I found it just as good to use good old fashioned water. Another thing you can do is keep a spray bottle with water near the toilet and spray yourself before wiping clean. Just do whatever works best for you.
How to wash cloth toilet paper:
When you’re done cleaning yourself, throw your dirty cloth wipey in a little bucket like this one. Some people put water in the bucket where the dirties go with the idea that it helps to remove the gunky stuff, but I highly discourage doing that. That actually makes it smell worse and it’s a lot more of a pain in the butt to clean it all out afterwards.
When the bucket is somewhat full, or after 2-3 days, dump it all in the washing machine. Use your regular laundry detergent and add some cheap white vinegar, which helps disinfect a little bit and deal with stinkiness. Set a long and HOT washing cycle with a pre-rinse. Then, you can line dry it all or pop it in the dryer at a HOT setting, which helps even more with killing off germs. Then just shove the clean wipes back wherever you chose to keep them, whether it’s a basket or bag, until you need them next. No need to iron or fold.
Recommended Products
Some of these links are affiliate links which help fund Cucicucicoo. All opinions are my own. Please read my affiliate link disclosure for more information: http://bit.ly/31MOdJY
Finally, it’s time has come. Sadly all it is taken is panic buying. for some. My Grandmother would have snorted in disgust with the toilet paper thing. She always did use cloth – I admit I thought the idea yucky, just yucky as a teenager.. But I have some faded thrift material and the yucky is no longer a factor! You and those around you stay safe.
Zuzanna in northern Canada
Our grandmothers were so wise, right, Zuzanna? Today’s generations are so pampered at just using and throwing away and don’t even realize that these commodities are really very recent and that people have done without for millennia. And the thing is, once you get beyond the “ick” potential, you realize how much better the old ways often were. Like when I have to blow my nose with a regular tissue, it drives me nuts how it disintegrates in my hands and sticks to my nose. Yuck! Cloth hankies never do that! You stay safe, too!!
So glad you’re sharing this. I’ve used cloth tp before and am about to start again. I kept a small enamelware bin with lid that looked like a tiny old fashioned diaper pail for used ones. It was easy to clean out so nothing ever smelled like plastic bins might. If people are very squeamish, just save the paper TP for poo and use the cloth for peeing.
Why am I not surprised that you’ve cloth TPed before, Allison? That’s awesome and your tip about using an enamelware container makes perfect sense! Thanks for the ideas!
I got a bidet and started using cloth TP about 4 years ago. Now when I have to use toilet paper in public bathrooms I just do not feel clean. I won’t go back to using TP at my house but I do have some for my son (who refuses to use the bidet or cloth). An easy method is to use old clean washcloths and throw them in a basket until wash day. They don’t stink at all. Just wash them on hot and it’s no different than washing and re-wearing your underwear.
That’s fabulous, Mea! Here in Italy every bathroom has a bidet. It took a while to get used to it, but now I’m like you when I go to the US: I feel gross and dirty! Using old washcloths is a great idea, too!
Apparently my windows 10 system with Brave Browser will not print this page up no matter whether I use the online print function or I highlight and click print. This is not helpful. Is there something I’m doing wrong?
Thank you for the article. I will bookmark it so that I can return to it in the future.
So sorry you’re having problems printing, Gregory! Actually, there are two separate parts to print out in this post (normally there’s just one): one for making the cloth toilet paper and another for washing and caring for it. What you have to do is to go to the top of the long box and click “Print” under the title of the box. It doesn’t print out the whole blog post, but the excerpt in that long box, which I’ve made more concise and compact for printing.
I don’t use Brave or Windows 10, so unfortunately I can’t tell if it’s a compatibility issue. Sorry!! But I’m glad that you found the article useful! 🙂
Thank you for your article. The problem is not the lack of supplyof toilet tissue as much as it is panic buying and hoarding. I always keep about a month’s supply in the house and then purchase when low. Reasonable. I do hope you and your family are able to stay well. Take care of yourself.
Oh, yes, Dianne, of course this is true, and the reason why there isn’t any TP in stores is because of that. However if factories are closed, or any part of the whole chain that gets toilet paper into our homes is interrupted, the result is still the same!
We’re doing fine, thanks! I hope you are too!! <3
I think I’d be using some bleach (assuming you can find any) in the wash instead of, or in addition to the vinegar. Don’t want the next load of clothes picking up any living fecal bacteria. I also think it’s time for the husbands take turns do the wash on ‘family cloth’ wash day. No reason the wife should always get the (literally) shitty end of things 🙂
Haha! James, that’s awesome! It’s true, though. Although I think in my case it’s because I’ve always been the one insisting on using washables when my husband would’ve much preferred to use disposables, so it’s already a lot if I can get him to use them. Trying to get him to do the washing would probably push him over the edge!
DANGER: Please DO NOT COMBINE BLEACH AND VINEGAR! The combination will produce a hazardous chlorine gas. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a32773/cleaning-products-never-mix/
Thyme and oregano essential oils can be safely used on fabric and skin (mixed in a carrier oil or glycerin), as these two herbs are natural disinfectants.
Here’s to healthy, natural families!
Thanks for this tip, Amy! I didn’t know that about vinegar and bleach. I have also heard about thyme and oregano oils, as well as tea tree oil. Any ideas of how much to use and in how much glycerin or carrier oil?
Hi Lisa, For an all-purpose base:
~3 parts witch hazel (anti-microbial, astringent, & anti-inflammatory)
~1 part glycerin
~Approx. 10 drops essential oils per tablespoon of witch hazel.
Other outstanding essential oils for cleaning are frankincense, peppermint, cinnamon bark, sweet orange, lemon, and juniper berry.
Modifications: add a bit of vodka for a spray; more glycerin for a hand sanitizer; castille soap for washing.
Precautions: Because essential oils are highly concentrated, please research and use care. Some chemical types of thyme oil are considered a “hot oil” and so not kid safe, but I use wipes made from thymol, which are kid and pet safe, as well as wonderfully effective (though a little too harsh for the paint on my walls). Lemon oil corrodes plastic, so the tubing in spray bottles will likely disintegrate.
I hope this helps! Thank you for all your good work!
Amy
Oh wow, Amy! This is amazing information! Thank you so much for this!
You’re very welcome.:)
Thank you for NOT doing another article on how to make a face mask, which would only be useful for a short time while your idea can be a permanent change for the better. Sadly, my husband would never use cloth wipes unless it was impossible to get toilet paper so I’m going to keep this excellent article in mind if that happens, then I can talk him into installing a bidet.
For a long time, I’ve been using old rags for cleaning up kitchen messes and general house cleaning which work better than buying and using expensive paper towels that disintegrate and leave lint behind.
I always used cloth diapers and wash cloths instead of disposable diapers and disposable wipes for our children and that’s what I’m happy to say they’re also using for our grandbabies.
Keep up your good work!
Warm regards from Florida,
MaryJo
My husband is the same, MaryJo! I also insist on using old rags for cleaning up and washing a lot of things, and they’re perfect! (Actually, that’s another post on my to-do list! So easy, but most people don’t even think of it or consider it!) And awesome that your children are using cloth for their children, too!! I love hearing things like that!
I thought this idea was weird, but wanted to give it a try, as we are running low on t.p., and can’t find it at any local stores right now. Being out of work for the time being and home all day, I find I am using quite a bit up. So, I cut up two cotton t-shirts, put the pieces in a cute basket, and put a cute lidded container in the corner behind the toilet. I only use this for peeing (don’t think I’ll ever do for poo), and so far it’s been absolutely fine. My squares are about 6”x 6”, but I wanted to use as much of the shirts as possible, so some are smaller. I just fold them a bit. I’m washing my first load today, soaking in a small bucket with vinegar water first. Honestly, as weird as I thought this was, after one week I don’t know why this isn’t more common! So easy, not gross at all, and I feel good about all that paper I’m not wasting. Im not at the point where I’ll tell my friends yet, but it seems the stigma associated with this is really unwarranted. I have a feeling I’ll continue this even when paper supplies return to normal.
Oh, Kasia, that’s awesome! I’m so happy to hear that you’re realizing that it’s actually so much easier than it sounds and not gross at all! Using this method just for pee is totally fine, as every little bit helps reduce the use of disposable TP. And yes! Why is there such a stigma attached to cloth TP? It’s bizarre. I guess it’s just our way of pretending like we don’t do our stuff, or something, who knows. Thanks for letting me know how it’s been for you!
Amanda, I just found your site and just love it! When I was young and began menstruating, my Mom [who recently passed away at 101-1/2 years of wisdom] made me use cloth menstrual pads, because that is what they did in the “old country” and we didn’t have much money. She had a little pail that I would put them in and she would wash them every other day. I was mortified that I had to use them! This was the late 50’s. All my friends had disposable pads. Now, I think how resourceful she was. Though I no longer have to depend on the pads, my husband and I had recently been discussing the use of cloth wipes, but didn’t know how to approach them. This is so timely, approachable and so do-able! Thank you.
Helen, my mother was similar, making me do things that I hated, but out of financial necessity, and only now as an adult can I appreciate not only the sacrifices she made, but the fact that many of those things were better for me and are things that I now choose to do myself! It’s funny how our perception of things changes!
i make this one to, reusable toilet roll and i sell it to my chinese, indian friends. Bucause muslim didnt use that, we just use water and wipe with clean towel.
Thank you for this good writing and i will write mine in hijoclothpad.wordpress.com
feel free to read my blog too. I am cloth pad maker from Malaysia and i also make another essentials item with CLOTH.
I didn’t know that muslims don’t use toilet paper! How interesting!
Not only Muslims do not use paper. Everywhere in middle east and in Asia, people do not use paper. Because they wash themselves after toilet. And they are really shocked about the western lack of cleanliness as they think about the way we spread, oups sorry, we wipe away the filth.
I didn’t know that! And yes, even though I was born and raised in the States, after nearly 20 years in Italy, I hate not having a bidet when I go visit the United States!
I read this because we had been using ‘cloth wipes’, as we call them, occasionally for a few years now, just to be prepared in an emergency, and I always wondered how I could do it better. But this is basically what I do! I just tear up any old t-shirts (I usually cut the short sleeve off intact if it is big enough: makes a nice double cloth). We put the dirty cloths in a small plastic bucket with a lid with water and Borax in it (Borax and water is what I learned from my mother-in-law when I used cloth diapers). When the basket of clean cloths is almost empty, I empty the dirty bucket into the washing machine, add a little detergent and bleach and do a small load with hot water. Then I add my normal bleach load (towels, socks, underwear) with the cloths to give them a second wash. As for the bucket, it’s pretty easy to wash it out with a little bleach water and refill it with a handful of Borax and water, about 2/3 full. I admit, I have always folded the cloths, but I may try just putting them in the container unfolded and see how it goes (we use an old wet wipes container, but a basket would be nicer). Thanks for the boost of confidence! (This did give me an idea as to an ideal size to cut them, thanks for that too.)
I also must agree with Amy, above, NEVER MIX BLEACH AND VINEGAR!! It produces dangerous fumes!! (The bleach disinfects well enough anyway with out the vinegar!)
Thank you so much for your valuable experinece, Valerie! It sounds like you have a great system going that works great for you!
And also thank you for your input about bleach and vinegar! This is VERY good to know!!
Thanks so much for this tutorial. I was going to try to sew something up but I will just use your method of cutting. I won’t be using for #2 though. I too used cloth diapers but that was decades ago. I’m trying to use what I have on hand (old t-shirts). Thanks again
That’s great, Shannon! Plenty of people use cloth TP only for #1. Every little bit is a help to the environment!
The very best for your skin, for forests, for more simplicity, is to use water. With a bidet or a bum gun, you wash your delicate part and feel clean after. Put soap near your bum gun.
Instead when you use paper or cloth to wipe away, you just spread the filth, and you will have to wash anyway in order to clean yourself. Plus the laundry thing. More laundry soap and water.
The bum gun wash away what has to be removed, your fingers help with soap (BTW when using paper do you really think your fingers don’t risk contamination?), and you wash your hands after as usual. That is the most ecological and economical way, and it is respectful of your delicate skin.
I was a big fan of bidet, and now I live in Asia where every toilet has a bum gun and I can tell you that this is the very best.
So now reusable cloth is already a step towards something more sustainable, and less harmful for the shin.
Yes, I agree with this! Here in Italy everyone has bidets, but we still use toilet paper anyway. But the bum gun is definitely most convenient.
This is what I do at my place. My partner also does it at her place, and so do two of my best friends! In my circle it’s just seen as normal!
I cut up an old towel, and stitched around the outside of the pieces so it doesn’t fray. The towel is soft and absorbent. I actually toss the used cloths in an open basket beside the toilet with lots of air flow .. I find there is no ordour this way, and I let them pile up for 2 weeks at a time! Then I wash as normal. I don’t bother with bleach or vinegar, I have never had a problem with smell or cleanliness. The whole thing is so low effort!
Having lived in places where logging is ruing old-growth forests that are cherished by indigenous people, I am happy to take this small action to reduce the amount of trees being cut down. I don’t mind saving the money for TP either!
That’s fabulous! I love hearing that there are circles where this is the norm, because that’s really how it should be! Using an old towel is also a great idea! Thanks for your comment!
I read your entire article, whatever you said and tried to explain, really Woww
All revolutions start small…. I can’t wait for people to get real! Can you imagine, say, a Viking warrior refusing to poo because there was no Charmin for him to wipe his bum? When I was a child my family was poor. My Mum couldn’t waste a penny on unnecessary items such as toilet paper, we used newspaper. We also did not use washing up liquid, we used soap powder. I am not a child of the great depression, I was born in the mid 50s. My Mum however was a child of the great depression. She also lived through the 2nd world war, not out in the countryside but in London’s east end. Thanks to my Mums frugality and common sense me and my 6 siblings never went hungry. Priorities guys, priorities.
Eileen, that image of the viking is just perfect! Haha! I love the story of your Mum’s frugal ways. My mother was also very frugal, which I didn’t like as a kid, but as a single mother, she sent all three of her children to university that way. I totally agree that frugality and common sense tend to be lacking these days and would do a lot of people a lot of good!
Back in the day when outhouses were used instead of indoor bathrooms – the Sears catalog was the toiletpaper of choise. It would show up in the mail in winter and by spring you would have gotten down to the farm impliments.
Oh, Sue, that made me laugh! That makes sense that the Sears catalogue would be perfect!
Loved this article. When the TP hoarding began, my son told me he was heading to the store to pick up some “forever” TP, meaning wash cloths.
Forever TP! Love that way of putting it! So true, right?