Good-bye wet wipes & toilet roll - hello Cheeky Wipes!

Goodbye toilet paper & wet wipes, Hello cheeky wipes! 

It all began when I looked at my roll of toilet paper and saw it with fresh eyes. It suddenly came to me that something was not right.  Wiping with a bleached bit of paper! 

A glance at the link below and it becomes even clearer that my eyes did not deceive me! 

http://www.toiletpaperhistory.net/toilet-paper-made/how-is-toilet-paper-made/ 

Natural Toilet Rolls

I decided I would investigate more 'natural' toilet rolls.  Up came bamboo toilet paper. It sounded lovely and smooth and soft but the only glitch was it came from China!! That just couldn't be right either. However sustainable bamboo might be to grow shipping it that distance had to cancel out any green credentials. 

The other choice was unbleached toilet paper.  So on the 25th April 2018 I ordered 45 rolls of Suma ecoleaf toilet tissue online.  I then forgot about it.  Until a few weeks later when I wondered what had happened to it!  I wrote to 'Superfood Market' asking 'Where is my stuff?' I received a form that I dutifully filled in, signed and sent off promising I had not seen the toilet rolls and neither had my neighbours and giving them permission to liaise with the police, if necessary. 

Now, I have ordered countless things online from saw tooth picture hooks to the entire carpeting for my flat and nothing has gone missing before.   

It affirms for me that there are not accidents!  Because I was not meant to receive that toilet paper! 

It all became clear when I visited Permaculture Island on 7th July 2018.  (You can read my blog on Earth Pathways Diary to find out more about this connection.) 

At the forest farm, Lucy explained to me how the compost toilets worked and how they used cloths instead of toilet paper.   Cloths! I was so excited.  The answer had been given to me.  Ask and you will always receive.  Just a little patience is all that is required. 

Finally - a real wet wipes alternative!

An internet search for the right kind of cloth came up with Cheeky Wipes!  Washable Cloth Bamboo Velour Baby Wipes - Rainbow Coloured.  I ordered 25.  I didn't even have to give up my dream of soft and lovely.  This was going to be luxury. 

I retrieved a neat little plastic container with a lid, which I already had from 'real nappy' days, from the garage, filled it with a bit of water and a splash of lavender oil for soaking the wipes, and all was set. 

For wees it is super easy, as I use the cloth dry, as the only purpose is to dry.  And for us ladies, if that is as far as you can go, that is already reducing your toilet paper use by more than half. 

I got to grips with poos on the stay at Permaculture Island.  For that you dampen your cloth and wipe and then soak or rinse right away.  For this, I also use a spray bottle with lavender oil and water so I can spritz it and rinse!  It just adds to the experience getting this lovely fresh scent. 

And then when you put a wash on you just throw in your rainbow wipes.  They are so small and light they take no space at all and dry in a jiffy. 

I would suggest ecological laundry liquid otherwise you're back to chemicals. 

Good bye toilet paper.  Goodbye bleach and plastic wrapping and cardboard centres and all the rest!  

Good bye 'social norms' which are costing our earth.  Let's start a revolution getting back to basics! 

P.S. You can still stock a few rolls for guests, pop the lid on the container and 'voila' - back to a 'regular' household. 

Written by a happy customer Anna Fauzy-Ackroyd