Wet wipes or not to wet wipes

Posted , 6 users are following.

Do any of you remember pre loo paper? Or do you know an activist thats young enough to think the old is new?

About a year ago i had my niece come stay and she was very anti using disposable products.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    totally agree with her !! Inspiring that youth are taking on our concerns!
  • Posted

    Well what i want to talk about is the subject of wipes. In the days pre loo paper it was common to find a container of rags to be used for toilet cleanups. I dont think i would go so far as bowel clean ups but the idea struck me we need to wash after urinating so its not such a silly idea to have a container ready of wet wipes for after a wee. How hard would it be to do?  And when you need to travel put some in a zip lock bag and take. It beats using chemically bleached paper all the time and also removes the offending wee from skin. Also those wipes you buy are expensive and can cause flushing and skin problems. 

    My neice and i also made up some pretty neat reusable pads that clipped into her knickers for menstruation. She just soaked them then put them through the wash. I think i am going to go make myself a bag of soft wipes to use esp when i am in so much pain down below. 

    Just a thought and easy to do. 

  • Posted

    Wet wipes are wonderful for removing stains from clothing, and should be shunned for undercarriages..... and door private drainage systems...eg septic tanks! Your idea is great for long stints away from home where access to washing facilities is poor, however I wouldn't want to carry a urine smelling cloth around so perhaps the material should be dispos able, urine that comes from the body has little odour unless infected, however once exposed to the air and oxidation takes place a rank cowshed type smell is difficult to conceal....and urine is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture and that will speed up the process. You will need to have sealable plastic bags! (Not very planet friendly) and they could be a foci for infection. I don't want to be a bah sucks person, I just think one needs to be aware of possible embarrassing circumstances...

     

  • Posted

    Wipes of any kind should not be put down the toilet, regardless of whether it's a septic tank or mains drainage. They are the scourge of the poor guys who have to clear blockages from sewage pipes.
    • Posted

      You wrote that with such feeling it made me smile- But i agree whole heartedly. I have the embarrassing task of telling everyone who uses my loos that only the loo roll I supply is to go into my septic tank.

      I heard one friend bemoan the pads her demented mother flushed away into HER private drainage system

    • Posted

      I watched a programme on TV recently where some sewage workers were clearing drains blocked with wipes! Yuck sad
    • Posted

      In a previous house every time a certain pair came to visit, the loo would block...The handy husband - hers not mine  would have the unwholesome task of clearing out the blockage...(my husband was strictly non practical!)  I have  nasal recall only too well!

      I too really admire those who  chip the yuck and fat from the sewer walls

    • Posted

      My husband would kill me if i put anything other than paper in the loo. Where i live we do our own water,septic and power. No town ammenities at all. He has to pump ours out. 
  • Posted

    Sue makes a good point about the resealable bags. You couldn't count on washing them clean enough. And in the days when I washed cloth diapers, I was bleaching the heck out of them and using very hot water. Both of those things aren't too green. But I used to take a wet face cloth in a plastic bag when I went for a doctor's appointment that involved my undercarriage.

    So, occasionally when things are really bad, I think carrying a wet square of cloth in a plastic bag is a good solution. Or we could keep some dry ones and a little spray bottle of water. And put the cloth in the garbage. No plastic bags or washing necessary. Just get old T shirts from the thrift store and cut them up.

    • Posted

      One blessing here is we get a lot of sun. I plan to use the sun to sanitse my cloths after washing them in the washing machine. My hot water is boiling by 10 am so no problem there either. Costs me nothing for the boiling water. 

      May not be so good in your cold climate but i think for me it will be perfect. 

    • Posted

      That does sound perfect! I suppose in the hot season where you live sweat is a factor in LS, too, so this plan will help.
  • Posted

    Hi, for those who do want to use wet wipes.

    I just wanted to let you all know that there is a wet wipe on the market which actually states that it is just like water. It is meant for newborn prem babies and their exceptionally delicate bottoms. If you do want to use these do not throw them down the toilet, I place them into the sanitary disposal units that are meant for that kind of stuff. At home I place in old newspaper and dispose of it in my refuse bag. Regularly emptied so no smell.

    Just another thought. It is difficult to be green with this problem. I like the idea of cloths just not the idea of how to get them home without the smell. I kind of think that throwing dirty T shirt material isn't that green either. You would soon run out of old T Shirts and buying new is not that green.

    I think plastic is a far worse problem for the enviroment although is does after a hundred years or so eventually degrade. In the long term I actually don't see the problem as some natural products like trees take many more years to degrade and become the oil, coal and other natural products we use today. I sometimes wonder why we worry so much. I worry more about emissions although recently I have read some literature on how the ozone layer is repairing itself already. What do we believe? I am not saying anything I have written is correct just repeating what I have read and heard.... so confusing!!!!!

    • Posted

      I worry too much about atmosphering CO2. I was actually thinking the T shirt material would go in the sanitary disposal in public toilets, the only place where we can't reach a sink. We can rinse them out, wrap in a bit of TP and drop in the trash. I guess I wasn't thinking of these as entirely instead of TP, but as a final wash.
    • Posted

      I agree Chrisy. Where i live products like you describe are four hours away to buy. I think those baby wipes could be good for traveling but for me here i need to improvise and use what is plentiful. I have boxes and boxes of fabrics i inherited from my husbands first wife that i am going to cut up and use. Its soft flannel which should wash and dry here really well. Its for me a good system. We are already having mid thirties temperature wise in our last month of spring. I already wear a dress only of a day and going cammo style. Lol. Also ordered swimmers for water exercise. Hope my skin lets me do this. Will try to use some sort of water barier befor getting in the water. 

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