cloth wipe challenge

well, i'm late to post this, but better late than never! maybe that ought to be the name of this blog, after all.

i've been semi-busy lately, lounging in my kansas city apartment for a few precious days before i move back to virginia for the winter, feverishly harvesting from our abandoned garden during a several-day trip to the farm, and camping out at the land institute for their annual (my first!) prairie festival.

now it's time to pack up and get outta town. before i do that, though, i wanted to share something i've been doing in the background - the cloth wipe challenge from crunchy chicken.

now, many moons ago i sewed up some flannel wipes. i made them for those awkward moments - caught frolicking in the fields, or working in the garden, and all of a sudden we had to pee! well, our composting toilet doesn't want extra liquid, and that's the only 'toilet' we had, so instead of running to a 'bath room' we'd carry one of these flannel wipes, pee ANYWHERE (how liberating!), and then fold up the wipe and stick it back in our pocket to wash later.

ever since i've been back in civilization (you know, places with 'indoors') i've found myself feeling rather petulant about using toilet paper. i'd rather not have to buy it, cloth wipes feel better, and they're quick to make myself. so i've been sewing up over a dozen for regular use, and did a bit of research on how to wash them without a machine (yes, even the poopy ones).

with perfect timing, ms. crunchy chicken started up the cloth wipe challenge this past week, and i counted myself in. sometimes it's hard to remember when your hand is so used to reaching for the paper roll on the wall, but i did pretty well. i used tp when i was out of the house, though eventually that will change, too. washing them by hand went fine, although i got blisters on my fingers from using such hot water (i soaked them in hot soapy water, drained it, and then washed them in boiling soapy water, then rinsed and air-dried). once i'm back in virginia i'll be using an old glass washboard, and that should save my fingers and make the process much easier overall. it only takes about ten minutes anyway. good stuff!

would you ever consider using cloth wipes? would you make them yourself, or buy some? what about for #2? using them for pee is pretty easy, and makes it easier not to flush if you're just peeing - you won't clog the toilet up with paper after a few uses.

let me know what you think! and hey, if you want to buy wipes from ME, i'll make ya some!

pictures of the wipes that i've made coming soon. hope you're all having a beautiful start to autumn.

Comments