All About Family Cloth Wipes (Reusable Toilet Paper)

“That’s disgusting. There’s no way I’m ever doing that.” That’s what I used to say when someone mentioned family cloth. I make my own toothpaste, foaming hand soap, and cloth diaper wipes, so why not reusable toilet paper?

What is Family Cloth?

It’s a nice way of saying reusable toilet paper, or cloth wipes. You can easily make your own, or buy them. I’ve cloth diapered for years and we use cloth wipes for the baby. These are the same thing as cloth baby wipes, but the whole family uses them.

Why Use Reusable Toilet Paper?

It’s better for the planet, cleans better, and helps avoid emergency toilet paper runs to the store. There are a lot of reasons why family cloth can be a good option. Here’s a few of the pros and cons to help you decide.

Family Cloth Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Eco-friendly
• Cheaper in the long run
• Cleans your nether regions better
• Softer and more durable
• Great conversation starter

Cons:

• Can be expensive to set up if you don’t make your own
• Requires washing every 2-3 days (minor inconvenience in my humble opinion)
• Smells if you don’t wash them properly
• Your family/friends might question your sanity

What’s the Best Material for Cloth Wipes?

My favorite fabric for cloth wipes is cozy cotton flannel. It’s soft, durable and comes in fun colors and patterns. Flannel also holds up well to washing without pilling. Over time it does lose some of it’s softness, but it still glides easily over skin without causing irritation.

Be sure to choose a high quality flannel material though. I’ve found that the cheaper brands, like Walmart don’t hold up well. You can either buy flannel by the yard at a fabric store, or cut up a flannel baby blanket. I’ve done both with success.

How Do You Clean Reusable Toilet Paper?

It’s really not as intimidating as it looks. I wash the cloth wipes along with the cloth diapers and dry as usual. You don’t want them in with your towels or other laundry though. If you don’t have cloth diapers, then family cloth should be washed on their own.

How to Sanitize Family Cloth

Some people prefer white reusable toilet paper so they can bleach it. I’m not a fan of bleach and I like having wipes with different colors and patterns. This also makes it easy to assign a certain color/pattern to each family member so there’s no sharing going on.

Regular laundry detergent and hot water followed by a hot dry cycle are enough to get family cloth clean. You can also add vinegar to the rinse cycle for extra sanitizing if you prefer.

How Many Family Cloth Wipes Do You Need?

It depends on the size of your family. And obviously girls are going to need more cloth wipes than boys. Family cloth should be washed every 2-3 days to avoid mildew, stink, and general nastiness. So you’ll need enough wipes for every person for about 3-4 days (just in case someone needs to go #2 while the other wipes are in the washer).

Twenty family cloth wipes per person is a good start. This should last for 3-4 days.

How to Use Family Cloth Reusable Toilet Paper

It took me a long time to warm up to the idea of reusable toilet paper. Even my husband wasn’t on board at first. However, now we’re in the great Covid-19 toilet paper shortage it’s looking like a better option than foraging for green leaves. Many families just grab a clean cloth from the communal pile, but I prefer to keep my bum rags separate from my kids and hubby. If the family cloth is separated by color/pattern, that’s an easy problem to solve.

1. Grab a clean wipe
2. Get it wet with water, or a cloth wipe solution. Or use it dry.
3. Dispose of it in the designated dirty container.

Family Cloth Storage

A basket or bin on top of the toilet tank or sink countertop works. Or you could store them in a bathroom cabinet if you want to avoid a weird conversation with house guests.

Where to Put Dirty Family Cloth Wipes

A lidded, small bin (like an office size trash can) is a good option, or you can use a small, zippered wet bag. The wet bag is nice because it’s not quite as bulky and you sanitize it along with the wipes in the wash. These are the wet bags we use and I’m very happy with them. If the bag sits out for too long though the moisture from the wipes can seep through the bag. No one like a soggy family cloth bag sitting in the bathroom.

If you opt for the bin it’s best to use a liner and/or clean it with an antibacterial cleaner every so often. You can use a small, disposable trash bag, or a washable PLU waterproof liner. I like the washable one because it cuts down on smelly plastic bags in the house.

How to Wash Family Cloth

I put the cloth wipes in with the cloth diapers, which also get washed every 2-3 days. Some people throw them in with their towels, but I prefer to keep them separate from other laundry (for obvious reasons). You can use a laundry detergent specifically for cloth diapers or one that others have had success with.

I like the ingredients of a few natural laundry detergents, but they don’t all get the stink out of my cloth wipes. I’ve had the most success with Tide Free and Clear and the doTERRA On Guard detergent.

Don’t use fabric softeners though. These cause residue build-up on the cloth and over time it traps dirt, germs, and smells like a pig farm. I was a nanny for 2 pig farming families so trust me,  I know how bad that stinks.

Wash the wipes in hot water with the appropriate amount of detergent. It’s tempting to use more soap than you would for other laundry, but this also causes residue to build up and prevents a deep clean. I know that seems like opposite world but it’s true.

Run the family cloth wipes through the dryer on high heat, or hang to dry outside. Sunlight gets rid of any lingering germs, stains, and mildew if you can swing it!

Is it Sanitary to Use Reusable Toilet Paper?

As long as you do it properly, yes. We have bacteria covering every surface of our body, inside and out, trillions of them. There are bacteria in the environment on almost everything. Sanitary is a relative term and as long as we’re keeping things clean and avoiding harmful pathogens, that’s the best we can do.

Hot water and detergent will get rid of any yucky stuff on the family cloth wipes, and you can always do a bleach rinse if it makes you feel better.

Where to Buy Reusable Toilet Paper

I prefer a double thickness flannel wipe to avoid any …wetness… getting on my hand. My diy cloth wipes are my favorite, or homemade ones from other cloth diapering mamas.

• I’ve bought wipes from OzoCozy, but it’s not my favorite since they’re thinner. They’re fine if you want a more economical option though.
• The Grovia cloth wipes are thick and I like the larger size.
• You can get thick (or thinner) handmade cloth wipes here. These come in tons of different colors and patterns!

Would you ever take the plunge and try family cloth? Do you already?