How many use and appreciate.......

[Frugal Que]

Hello all,

I love this topic. I really thought I was already a member here but I had to register. I must have just always been a reader but never contributing. Shame on me.

My husband and I both use cloth for all our TP needs. I just bought some cheap washcloths from walmart in three different colors. One color for my #1 use, one color for my #2 use, one color for my husband's use. I don't have a menstrual cycle anymore so that is not an issue anymore.

I really wish we had done this many years ago. We have probably been using cloth for about 2 years now and LOVE it. So soft and just easy to care for.

We each have a bucket under the bathroom sink that we put our used cloths in. We also each have a drawer that we keep our clean cloths in.

When the buckets get full or if I am doing laundry, I just add them to the wash. For the #2 cloths, I just have to make sure the load isn't too full to ensure they get clean.

We line dry our clothes all the time now so I feel that being outside helps to sterilize the cloths.

We do not add any water or any other type of cleanser into the undercabinet used buckets. We used to but it seemed to just make things really smelly and disgusting. All the used cloths are just put into our individual buckets and washed regularly. When I empty the buckets, I then spray a vinegar/water solution in the buckets and wipe them out.

 

[goldenluver]

hello, this is my first post on this site, usually I'm on BYC

I make my own cloths and sell them on etsy as well.

they are so much better that the disposables. I haven't had any irritation since I've been using them.

sorry I can't post pictures yet

 

[TanksHill]

Howdy new folks!!!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Here is Goldenlover's thread. Really nice work.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=439329

 

[moolie]

Wow, I didn't realize how common this was.

I made my own pads about 6 or 7 years ago. I've always hated disposables, especially the plastic-y ones. I began to see Lunapads in my local natural foods store and googled them, which led me to find the Jan Andrea pattern http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/PADS.html which made the most sense to me (no wasted fabric). I made up about a hundred pads from my stash of fabrics (worked in a fabric store 20 years ago when I was university student) and never looked back. Each of my two daughters and myself have different colour top fabric so we can tell them apart.

We don't soak ours, tried that and my daughters would sometimes forget about the covered bucket for a few days... :/ so now we just put them in a dry bucket under the bathroom sink (we each have our own). When we are done we fill up the bucket with hot water and soak for about half an hour, then dump it in the bathtub. The pads go into the wash on "sanitary" with the towels, and we've had nary a stain in the 6 years I've been using them (2 years for my almost 15-yo and 4 months for my 13-yo, so theirs look really new). Then they are either "line" dried indoors on our folding laundry rack while the towels dry outdoors or they go through the dryer with the towels.

I hope it's ok to post a photo since these are used, but they're not gross looking by any stretch--these are mine (not going into my daughter's rooms to try to find anything today, lol!).

To sew them up I used my serger to serge around 4 layers:
-a layer of Gore-tex (the fushia back side)
-two inner layers of many times pre-washed thick flannel
(originally purchased for pajama pants I never made)
-a layer of many times pre-washed cotton quilting fabric on top
(in my trials I found that flannel felt too wet, but that the wet doesn't sit on the cotton).

They are holding up really well despite their age, although the gore-tex is no longer waterproof from all the washing at high temp so I've recently purchased some "rubberized flannel" to use as the backing on new ones.

 

[moolie]

I should add, I never sewed on any snaps or velcro, but will put snaps on the new ones I'm making for my daughters since they find that they move around at night.

I personally use two at night and on heavy flow days, doubled up just in the middle--to make a longer pad (hope that makes sense). I see that there are now specialized "night time" patterns, so I may try something more "night time" when I make up the new batch!

 

[Marianne]

I made the switch to cloth TP a couple months ago - love it! I just cut up some old t-shirts to use. They're nice and soft, a few odd shapes, but you can just fold it any which way you need to. I store the clean cloths in an empty tissue box.
I keep a plastic coffee cannister with water and a dab of white vinegar next to the toilet for easy holding of used cloths. For solids (poo), most of the time, I use TP for the first pass, then damp rags for cleanup. They get a pre-wash in the sink with a shot of foam soap and water, then into the coffee cannister.
When it's full, I dump it all into the sink, give it a good rinse and then into the laundry room. I usually do a load of laundry every other day, so it works out pretty good. I still have TP on the spindle so I don't freak out the friends and neighbors. My husband still uses TP, but he didn't freak out about me using cloth when I finally told him. I made a point of describing the prewash system.

I was going to do the flannel or washcloth system before I read a post elsewhere about using the old t-shirts. It was kind of funny, that gal was really ranting about it! She pointed out that 'these are just rags!'. She used 6 layers of t-shirt for her pads when she had her period. Even though I had to chuckle about how militant she came across in her post, I had to admit she had a point. It was fast and easy, worked for me.

I'm in the hysterectomy group, but if I was still having periods, I'd probably use a Diva cup.

 

[pinkfox]

well im on the deppo shot so no worries there...
i dont know how effective cloth would be for me in that aspect as i realy am WAY WAY WAY too heavy (hence being on the shot) id need about 20 per day to handle my flow lol.

but i might have to look into using cloth tp...i find regular tp either too rough, too soft or too expensive...
ill probably still always use tp for #2, but for #1 why the heck not!?

 

[okiegirl]

and I really hope it works well for me because a cloth pad would look REALLY funny with a bathing suit in the summer.

I'm new here, but I really love it so far!!

 

[Marianne]

I really have been amazed at how long this last package of TP has lasted just with me using cloth! I doubt if my husband ever would consider it, though.
I used three t-shirts for my potty rags before I got enough to use between laundry days. Of course I cut off the logo's, paint goobers and neckline. As they say, your mileage may vary...

Along the same thoughts...I even use them now as a make shift pantiliner. I have overactive bladder (the gotta go syndrome), and had to wear a pantiliner constantly as I never knew if I was going to spring a leak. So, now I use my cloth, folded into a strip, tuck it in between my butt cheeks to hold it in place. It feels like a thong and took a while to get used to! I then use that cloth for my next wipe when I whittle and repeat with the next clean cloth. Usually my strips are 3-4 layers by the time they're folded.

Okay, color me pink and rather embarrased by posting this!