My family has been on a real adventure this year, and I am not talking about a vacation to an exotic location. I am talking about about replacing those disposable items that are so very costly to the pocketbook and the planet. We’ve replaced paper towels with real cloth towels, no more disposable razors, we’ve given up puppy training mats, and even feminine napkins. Now, I boast about the newest switch: using wash cloths instead of toilet paper. When I share this news with others their expressions are so very “fun” … much more memorable than a trip to Hawaii could ever be.
We spent $15.00 on eight dozen wash cloths, and have them placed next to the toilet alongside a small trash can that has a top and is filled with soapy water. Adopting this new way of thinking was amazingly simple and it just really feels so good. Not only are we saving trees, we’re saving about $12 a month … $144 per year! And, if that wasn’t enough to celebrate, switching to a nice warm wash cloth versus dry toilet paper has simply spoiled us.
BONUS RECAP: If every household in the U.S. replaced just one roll of 1,000 sheet virgin fiber bathroom tissues with 100% recycled ones, we could save: 373,000 trees, 1.48 million cubic feet of landfill space, and 155 million gallons of water. – Seventh Generation Co.
Iowa Compact ... let's be "Green" together 
The bucket of water is for the used or the “new” washcloths?
You’ve given up feminine hygiene products. Okay, I am curious about how that works. Over the years, I’ve sorta taken a rough estimate of what (in percentages) is mostly in my garbage and worked on reducing the amount of garbage I toss by working on the biggest consumer of space in my garbage can. First, plastic, then aluminum, then tin (which are all recyclable), then paper, also recyclable. Then food scraps–started composting. Now it would be feminine hygiene products and next “toilet/kleenex” tissue. When the student is ready, the teacher appears.
Thanks for appearing!
Candella
Posted by candella | November 29, 2007, 11:40 amThe experiment, in exchanging toilet paper for washcloths, lasted six months. Now, we have adopted the recycled bathroom tissue rule (not KLEENEX) and limit our use. If I lived alone I would happily switch back or buy a boday (!)
Posted by iowacompact | August 25, 2008, 12:01 am