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Need alternatives to toilet paper? Whether you’re preserving the environment, worried about shortages, or are camping–here are some substitutes you can use when you’re out of toilet paper.
Have you ever considered ditching toilet paper in your home? Some folks quit using TP for ecological reasons, or they visit a culture that doesn’t use toilet paper.
Other people simply people run out of toilet paper and need an emergency substitute until they can get to the store.
If you’re dealing with a toilet paper shortage, you have lots of options! Some of these are easy to find and use, and a couple are more extreme.
We’ve used some, and you may be surprised to find that your friends and family have done the same.
Take a seat (ahem) and check out these alternatives to toilet paper. You might find that you prefer them!
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This is the first option most of us think of as an alternative to toilet paper. While less common in the US, they are very popular in Europe and especially in Japan. If you're on a septic system, a bidet will keep a lot of wood pulp out of the system. And if you have mobility problems, it's much easier to use than TP. First of all, I have no idea why it's called family cloth. Second, before you totally freak out on me: remember how soft Baby's flannel receiving blankets were? Your personal bits will appreciate their softness too. Grab those old flannel blankets and cut into squares about 5" in size. You can hem them, or just cut them with pinking shears if that's easier. Put a small basket of clean wipes on top the toilet, and a "to wash" basket on the floor next to the toilet. Wash in hot water, just as you would for cloth diapers. These work great for #1 and with a little assist, for #2. Which leads me to... All the moms out there will remember using this after Baby was born. It's basically a small, portable bidet for rinsing your Southern Hemisphere. They've improved the technology on these quite a bit since I last needed one. Anybody else remember the bottles that the hospital gave you? They looked and acted like a cheap plastic ketchup bottle from your local diner. This new peri bottle is easy to use and much more ergonomic. No more accidentally dipping your hand into the toilet bowl while trying to aim and clean properly. By the way--this would be great for additional monthly cleansing or for folks who have hemorrhoids. Anyone who's ever made tamales from scratch is now completely traumatized, and I apologize for this. Corn husks were popular in outhouses for hundreds of years. They were easy to find, are a useful size, and when green are fairly soft. Dried husks would probably need to be soaked in water to soften a bit. As you may suspect, you can't flush these. You certainly don't want to grab just any leaf you find in the garden. Zucchini leaves have spiky hairs that would be most unpleasant, for example. That said, many vegetable leaves--like chard and lettuce--would absolutely do the trick. Please note that I don't expect you to grow lettuce or chard for the express purpose of wiping. (Although I can help if you'd like to learn how to grow lettuce or how to grow chard.) 5 Natural Alternatives to Toilet Paper
