Cloth Toilet Paper
Don’t panic if you can’t find any toilet paper in the supermarket during this health emergency, because you can make your own DIY cloth toilet paper easily and for FREE from reclaimed fabric you already have in your home! No sewing required, just scissors, some old T-shirts or sheets, and the courage to try something new that is really good for your body and for the environment!
update March 30, 2020: Cloth toilet paper is NOT disposable. You use it and wash it. There have been some comments here about how much damage it causes when flushed. Reusable cloth toilet paper should not be flushed or thrown away like disposable TP! It gets washed and reused. So use common sense and don't even consider flushing it!
- Reclaimed fabrics from home. My favorites are old T-shirts and jersey sheets, but you can also use old towels, non-jersey sheets or other items with natural fibers.
- Sharp scissors. If you sew and have fabric shears or a rotary cutter, use them!
Cut out squares or rectangles of fabric. You can measure them out with a permanent marker and ruler, make a cardboard template to cut out around, or just eyeball it. They do NOT have to be cut perfectly!
My favorite size is 15 x 30 cm (6 x 12"), which you can fold in half for extra absorbency, washability and hand protection!
If you're using fabrics that fray (jersey doesn't fray, which is why I suggest using that), such as towels or regular cotton sheets, I suggest either sewing a zig zag stitch along the edges or cutting out the pieces with pinking shears, which minimize fraying in the wash.
I suggest cutting at least 50 pieces so you don't have to wash it constantly. You can make more later if you want.
Simply wipe yourself with a dry wipe or, if you prefer, get it wet in the sink before cleaning yourself, or use a spray bottle during use.
Keep the cloth toilet paper in a bucket that closes until laundry day. Wash it separately in the hottest cycle with a prerinse.
Remember, you don't have to full-out convert to using only cloth toilet paper! You can use it only for pee, or just try it for a week or two and decide if you want to continue. But do give it a chance!
Read and print the full washing instructions here on my website or watch the video above!
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Comments
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Cwilson on Apr 14, 2020
This is a great project. But it also would be good to recommend a bidet or shattaf. A shattaf is also known as a diaper sprayer. You can also get a portable shattaf which is a bent squirt bottle cap for any water bottle. It squirts the water on your behind so you can just blot it dry. All Muslim countries have shattafs in every toilet.
Many many other countries have bidets even in public toilets and hotels. Americans don’t know what they are missing.
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Ashattack on Dec 30, 2020
I go backpacking frequently and use either a "backcountry bidet" and pack out my used TP, which is LNT and required by law in most areas. This will help my contribution to landfills immensely, thank you!
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Cucicucicoo: Eco Sewing & Crafting on Dec 31, 2020
That's wonderful! I didn't know about backpacking laws, and I'm so glad that this can help!
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