Environmentally Friendly Toilet Paper Tips

Factors to Consider When Switching to Earth Friendly Toilet Paper

Sep 20, 2008

Eco-friendly and green living enthusiasts are switching from toilet paper to a toilet paper substitute like "family cloth" and they're not looking back!

Recycling aluminum cans and opting for grocery tote bags are two measures that have grown dramatically in popularity in recent years, as green living and eco-friendly living has become increasingly mainstream.

Another less-well-known green living option involves using "family cloth" – a toilet paper alternative where bathroom visitors use fabric wipes instead of toilet paper. Sound a bit strange? Family cloth may seem a bit exreme, but eco-conscious people who try family cloth are usually hooked.

Boston area mother of three Kim Cushing recently tried family cloth in her household and although hesitant at first, the entire household is now enthusiastic about the toilet paper alternative. And the Cushing family isn't alone – more than a dozen other moms in Cushing's mothers' group got their families to try the cloth and all say they'll now continue to use fabric wipes instead of toilet paper.

Family Cloth Options for "Green" Bathroom Visitors

Eco-conscious bathroom users have several decisions to make when trying fabric as a toilet paper alternative. Firstly, there's a choice in fabric. Most opt for cotton T-shirt fabric, which is soft, absorbent and old T-shirts are easy to find.

There's also a decision as to whether the family will use fabric wipes for all bathroom needs or just "number one," with a small supply of toilet paper kept on-hand for "number two" bathroom events.

Many family cloth users also opt to keep a supply of toilet paper on-hand for visitors who don't feel comfortable using fabric wipes as an alternative to traditional toilet tissue.

Environmental Advantages and Other Things to Consider

Using family cloth instead of traditional toilet paper benefits the environment in several different ways. Firstly, less demand for toilet paper means fewer trees are cut down to create pulp that's used to create toilet paper. And even toilet papers that are made of partially recycled paper pulp require lots of bleaching chemicals which are harmful for the environment.

Transporting and distributing toilet paper from the factory to the stores is also inefficient due to the bulky nature of the toilet paper rolls. So less demand for toilet paper means less fuel consumption and fewer harmful emissions from vehicles that are used to transport the packages of toilet paper.

Notably, green living enthusiasts who do opt to use family cloth instead of toilet paper will have to launder the fabric, which does require the use of laundry detergents and water consumption, but the environmental impact of laundering the fabric can be reduced by opting for a "green," more environmentally-friendly laundry detergent.

"My other concern was that the cloth would make the bathroom smell, since the soiled fabric wipes are kept in a bin for a day or two. But surprisingly, there was no odor and our family generated enough fabric for a small load of laundry within a couple of days," Cushing said, adding, "Even without the eco-friendly element of family cloth, we would still use it. It's just much more comfortable and cleaner than normal toilet paper!"