Bathroom Wipes (DIY Reusable Washable Toilet Wipes)
Bathroom Wipes (DIY Reusable Washable Toilet Wipes)
Replacing Paper Products, Part 1
Homemade Hermitage
In this Homemade Hermitage edition of replacing paper products, I will be showing you, from my own experience, the best way to make and clean reusable bathroom wipes. Don’t worry, I won’t include any real laundering pictures! : )
After the short, easy tutorial, I’ll discuss a couple of things, including: how long our wipes last at the Hermitage, approximately how much money we’ve saved replacing our toilet paper, the bad press/propaganda behind “family cloths” (and why I don’t use that phrase in our home), and some perspective on finding ways to be frugal and function in the new unmasked society/economy.
If you would prefer to see a video version of this tutorial, please visit the links below:
YouTube: https://youtu.be/kRoyUGOcLiQ
If you are unable to make your own but are willing and able to replace your toilet paper, I can make some for you! Please message me through my website.
Current prices (based on fabric availability/sources) are listed under the Blessings Tab.
Himmit and I started using our own bathroom wipes when our budget couldn’t handle the rising prices and shrinking packages of toilet paper, and God blessed us with the ability and knowledge to do our own laundry. This was almost a year before the plandemic, so we’ve lived for almost two years without toilet paper. Oh yes, I have stories about what people did in our city to cope with running out of toilet paper (that really did happen). The story is at the end of this tutorial.
Contents:
How to Make It Yourself
How to Wash/Launder
Q/A Discussion
Discussion Includes:
Labor Wasting Methods I’ve Tried
How Long Do the Wipes Last?
How Much Money Do You Save?
Frugal Tip
“Family Cloths” Propaganda
Final Funny Story
How to Make:
WARNING: I am serious about living my life by faith, including learning to separate clean from unclean. These wipes should be washed exactly like cloth diapers (scraped off, washed multiple times, bleached for a few hours, then dried.) If you think it’s perfectly fine to wash your filthy wipes with your regular wash and clothing, this is not the tutorial for you. Also, please be considerate of your neighbors. If you use a laundromat or shared laundry, you might not be able to have the luxury of cloth wipes. It was several years before God blessed us with the luxury of our own washer and dryer in our apartment. Don’t be too hard on yourself by taking on tasks that may not be meant for your current living situation. Only do as you are able.
This method involves sewing two squares together, turning them right side out, and top-stitching them to finish. I have tried several other methods in an effort to “save time and labor”, but only ended up needing to make more because the other methods fell apart very quickly. I discuss other labor wasting methods that I’ve tried after the tutorial towards the end.
1) Fabric Selection: I highly recommend flannel. I use natural or undyed, because it’s going to be bleached, and it’s for the bathroom, so who cares! Flannel is absorbent and easy to clean.
If you are unsure of how easy it will be to clean mess off of your fabric choice, do the following test: Put wheat flour on your kitchen counter. Using your fabric (just a test square) with water and soap, clean the flour off of the counter. Now, clean the dough off of your fabric. Perhaps you can understand why I avoid using terry cloth in my kitchen at all! I’m a fan of saving labor wherever I can. Why make a task more difficult?
2) Prewash Fabric: For those of you who have sewn a bit, you are probably tired of hearing to preshrink your fabric. Do it anyways, especially if it is cotton. You don’t want to cut out something the size you want, only to have it shrink in the wash! (Prewashing, by the way, is a great way to discover if one of your fabrics is a hidden dye monster.) When your fabric is dry, if you have a lot, fold it neatly (half width, half width again, then fold along the length in sections – almost like rolling it, but in flat sections like around a cardboard insert).
3) Cutting Fabric: Based on my experience, the preferences of the Hermitage, and taking into consideration the average width of a bolt of flannel, I suggest that you cut your squares out at 9” square. This will make you an 8” square, 2 ply, with ½” seams. I prefer to fold the flannel in half widthwise, selvedges together, to make two layers that are cut at the same time. You should be able to cut out two complete (2 ply/layers) 9” squares.
Don’t toss into the scrap bin the extra flannel on the side. You can sew those into smaller sized wipes, perfect for those little tinkles that us women have to make.
4) Sew Right Sides Together: Set up your machine (thread, bobbin, appropriate needle, etc.). Line up two layers of flannel together (Right Sides together if you are using fancy flannel). Starting 1/3 before a corner, sew and backtack (secure your stitches). Do not start in the corners – you are asking for a headache. Sew around the sides at ½” seam. At each corner, keep your needle down, lift up your presser foot, then turn the work. If you sewed a stitch too far, you can always back up one stitch and turn. Do NOT sew back to the starting line! Stop 1/3 after the last corner and backtack. You need to leave an opening in order to turn the square right side out. Trim your threads.
5) Clip and Turn: Using your secondary scissors (this is flannel, after all), clip the corners diagonally, without cutting the seams. This will reduce bulk and make a better corner. Turn the squares right side out through the opening. Use your fingers, chopstick, or a knitting needle to push out the corners and sides.
6) Topstitch: Topstitch all the way around the square at ¼” to secure the seam edges inside and to close the opening. Backtack at the start to secure stitches. Do not start either in the corners or at the opening. It’s easier to sew a smooth and straight opening when you’ve already begun to stitch. Since the flannel doesn’t fold very crisply along a seam line, I suggest adjusting the sides as you sew to keep a nice, flat edge. Before you reach the starting point of your stitching, clip your previous threads to avoid getting them snagged in your machine works. Backtack again to secure stitches. You are done!
Sewing Note: Please remember to clean your machine, because sewing with flannel tends to build up sewing lint pretty quickly.
Washing/Laundering:
Every new task or change on a homestead requires a change in one’s lifestyle. To replace your toilet paper, the labor involved will be an additional, quite dirty, load of laundry (weekly is highly suggested). It is the equivalent of washing cloth diapers.
You will need an airtight bucket (we use a diaper pail with a lid) to put dirty wipes into (with bleached water, or just water). You will also need long gloves, an “ick only” container, bleach, regular detergent (we use washing soda, borax, and Zote soap), mesh laundry bags (I have a couple I only use for this laundry), a place to dispose of the first wastewater (toilet), and a place to wash out the diaper pail. I do the Ick laundry once a week, using our apartment’s toilet, bathtub, and washer/dryer. I tend to clean the whole bathroom afterwards, so that everything has been cleaned.
Yes, you have to use those mesh laundry bags. Otherwise, your bathroom wipes will go the same route as your missing socks: out the washer drain pipe. Why wash money and labor down the drain? If your bag is drawstring, make a knot with the top of the bag to stop any wipes from slipping out the top.
If you are sensitive to Latex: I found my reusable latex-free gloves at the local Ace hardware store. After every Ick wash, I dunk the gloves in bleached water, then hang them to dry.
*Make sure you only dry your hands on not-nice towels while doing this washing, as bleach can spot your towels. I recommend wearing not-nice clothes as well until you are done.
You will need:
Airtight Bucket
Long Gloves
“Ick Only” Container
Bleach
Detergent (Washing Soda, Borax, Zote Soap)
Mesh Laundry Bags
Place To Dispose Wastewater
Place To Wash Out Diaper Pail
Place To Do Ick Wash *If You Share Laundry Don’t Do This!!*
Detailed Washing Instructions / How Mrs. Hermit does her Ick Laundry
Note: Your washing method will vary based on what you have available and how your apartment is situated. It is recommended that you wear not-nice clothes because it’s ick wash and there’s bleaching involved. I usually end up getting bleach water on my clothes if I’m wearing good clothes. It takes me a full hour to get through steps 2-5, and I do those steps all without stopping to keep from spreading germs and bleach.
1) Presoak: This I do in the bathroom’s bathtub. Combine all of the soiled bathroom wipes (and any reusable feminine pads) into the same washing/diaper pail with warm water, washing soda, and soap. Warmer water helps the washing chemicals and washing process. Agitate all of the soiled bathroom wipes in water (use gloves). Let sit for a little while, at least half an hour.
2) Ick: Wearing gloves, scrape off/scrub any excess poop (using other soiled wipes). I scrape them directly into the diaper pail to contain the soiled water. Feminine pads will need extra squeezing and dunking to get all the ick out of them. I put the checked wipes into the bathtub near the drain. Then, using the designated ick container, I carefully empty the wastewater into the toilet. I don’t recommend trying to empty an airtight/lidded bucket into the toilet unless you can fully remove the lid. Trust me, wastewater will find a way to go on the floor rather than the toilet. Wash out the diaper pail in the bathtub.
3) First Rinse: Once done scraping and checking the wipes and pads, rinse all in new water, either in the bathtub directly or in the diaper pail. Make sure to squeeze reusable feminine pads a few more times to make sure they’re done. By handfuls, squeeze out the excess water, then put them into the mesh laundry bags. You will want to use several mesh bags to keep the washer balanced. Make sure that your mesh bags are securely knotted if they have a drawstring opening, to prevent wipes from slipping out.
4) Washer 1: Put the ick laundry into the washing machine. I carry them to the washer using the diaper pail to avoid any dirty dripping along the way. Wash the ick laundry with detergent on hot/warm. I use grated Zote soap and washing soda in the first load. Rinse the ick load after washing.
5) Clean Up: It is at this point I highly recommend disinfecting and cleaning the bathrooms and any surface you’ve touched while doing the ick laundry. First, I put new water into the diaper pail and add a little bleach. Then, I take the glove off of one of my hands, and using my other gloved hand, put the ick container and the gloves into the bleached water to wash them. Then, I set the ick container and gloves to dry in the sardine-sized shower stall (which we use for such things). Next, I put some diluted bleach on clean/ragged bathroom wipes and wipe the surfaces that got dirty drips on them, like bits of the washer, the floor between the bathtub and toilet, faucets, handles, etc. Then, I use more wipe rags, a toilet brush, and more diluted bleach to clean the toilets. After that, I disinfect the bathtub and give it a good cleaning using Scrubbing Bubbles and a scrubbie brush. Finally, I clean the rest of the bathrooms (mirrors, counters, refill soaps, etc.) using vinegar, Scrubbing Bubbles, a bathroom-only scrubbie pad, and all-purpose cleaning rags. I always use a not-nice towel to wash my hands and arms (bleach will spot it). I tend not to do anything related to handling food, fabric, etc. for over an hour because of cleanliness and residue bleach (despite many washings it tends to hover on the hands for awhile).
6) Washer 2: Repeat the wash and rinse process using more detergent. Sometimes I add Borax.
7) Disinfect: Fill the washer with the appropriate amount of hot/warm water. Add bleach all over the washload (to spread it out) and let the washer agitate for a few good minutes. Don’t let the bleach just sit in one place right after you add it. Close the lid (safety) and let the bleach do its job for several hours.
I can’t tell you how much bleach is enough. They keep changing the concentration in the bottles from the store, so even I keep having to change how much I add. At Himmit’s suggestion, I now use a designated bleach-only glass jar to keep track of the amount of bleach, so that I can adjust it. You will be able to tell if it’s done a good job by looking at the bathroom wipes. Do be careful to not splash nor add way too much. Bleach exposure can cause you to get ill. I usually open the window in the laundry/bathroom to be on the safe side. Once again, remember to wash your hands and dry on a not-nice towel (bleach spotting).
8) Rinse and Dry: Rinse the (no longer) ick wash. Remove all from the mesh bags and dry in the dryer or outside. Please note that if you use feminine pads, anything with PUL or plastic-like coating CANNOT go into the dryer (dryer fire risk). Additionally, any thicker pads will probably need longer drying time.
Other Labor-Wasting Methods I’ve tried:
Here are some pictures of other methods I’ve tried since we started replacing our paper products. I looked up several methods, and like you are probably doing now, watched several videos to figure out the best method that I personally wanted to use. I tried cutting out squares and stitching along the edge to prevent fraying. They didn’t last long at all! The only reason I have any left to show you is because the few that are left have been relegated to bathroom cleaning duty only.
Then I tried turning the edges into a narrow hem. That should work, right? Wrong. Besides, the 1 ply method wasn’t desirable as it wasn’t thick enough to protect the hands.
What about serged edges? There was absolutely no way I was going to use serged edges around such filth – ouch and yuck. Additionally, if you didn’t know, it’s very easy to unravel a serged edge once it gets going, like a run in pantyhose, so why waste the time and thread?
Therefore, after several attempts, I settled upon a 2-ply method that involves enclosing the raw edges in between the two layers and top-stitching it.
How long do the wipes last? How much money do you save?
How long has our bathroom wipes survived being used and washed in bleach weekly? It’s been over a year since I’ve made more 2-ply wipes for the Hermitage, and they are just now starting to fall apart.
We use around 20 wipes per day for two adults.
We switched to using reusable bathroom wipes the year before the plandemic when we started buying two packages of toilet paper per month. Back then, that was about $12 per package of 12 rolls, or 24 rolls for $24 per month. Therefore, we were spending $288 per year on toilet paper alone. On the smaller side of the scale, if we only used 1 package a month, that was $144 per year. So we were spending between $144-288 per year. (I know prices have risen and packages have shrunk since then, if the previous patterns of packaging have continued).
Unlike some craft projects, this one really does save money, if you’re willing to do the extra laundry. If we use at the Hermitage 20 wipes per day, 140 wipes per week, that costs about $65 in materials. The estimated material cost takes into account the side scraps of flannel I use to make smaller wipes (I don’t mind), and waiting to get the cheaper imported material at a good sale price, but it doesn’t include the labor to make them. That’s $65 per year, plus the initial washing supplies and extra weekly load of laundry. Compare that to about $288. That’s a savings of $223.
Frugal Tip:
Since I had been blessed with a washer/dryer in the apartment, and the knowledge of how to properly wash such things, I set a limit on when, budget-wise, we would switch from using toilet paper to reusable bathroom wipes. This was before the plandemic, when supplies were plentiful. I would suggest consistently sitting down to think things over, including your budget (put them into categories), how you go about doing tasks, and what tasks or items are whittling away at your budget, time, and perhaps your spiritual life.
“Family Cloths”, Propaganda:
We don’t use the term “family cloth” because there’s nothing family that goes on in the bathroom. It’s the bathroom. We do have toilet paper available for the rare visitor at the Hermitage. There has been some propaganda going around that tries to get people to avoid doing things the way they were done in the (more independent) past. (The show “Frontier House” is one such example.) This propaganda also tries to persuade people to look at others as strange and avoidable if they do such things as make their own bathroom wipes, cook from scratch, or make their own clothes. Just because “this is the way this task is done in the civilized, modern world” doesn’t necessarily make it civilized, frugal, nor wise. Some of the old ways are actually better than you think. Take a second look.
In the civilized world, people find or grow good quality trees. Once it is mature, they cut them down and haul them in for processing. The fine tree is ground up into a pulp. Many chemicals are added to this pulp, which is eventually turned into fine, soft, rolled paper. This paper is used to wipe bums, and then is flushed down the toilet with fresh water. The paper is broken down, wastewater is treated, and put back into the river.
Cotton fiber grows from a crop plant. The fibers are cleaned, combed, spun, and woven. They are turned into cotton flannel. The flannel is used to wipe the bum. Then the flannel is washed with chemicals and fresh water, and is reused more than 52 times before being turned into cleaning rags. The rags are used many more times, before being put into a place on the homestead to be broken down organically.
Final Funny Story:
Here is an illustration of how being stuck in a mindset (and ignorance) can lead to really unwise and laughable behavior.
During the plandemic, our city really did run out of toilet paper, or was low/rationed in places. We were not affected because we had already changed our lifestyle to be more self-sufficient in this area. However, other people were at a total loss of what to do. We didn’t have to wonder long how people were coping, because we read a Public Service Announcement from the Wastewater Department of our city. The notice asked that people would please refrain from flushing their clothing down into the sewer system. Imagine someone being so stuck in doing something a certain way, that they would cut up their own clothing to wipe their bums, and flush that clothing down the toilet. That is what they did.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and lesson on replacing paper products in your home by making your own washable bathroom wipes.
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To order some premade bathroom wipes, please message me through my website.
Current prices (based on fabric availability/sources) are listed under the Blessings Tab.
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