Family Cloth Pros and Cons

We have been asking people to use family cloths and most people have labeled us as frugal, unhygienic and even barbaric.

This has necessitated that we come up with a blog post explaining our stand in advising people to use family cloth wipes as opposed to toilet paper to wipe their butts.

First and foremost, when we were all toddlers, our mothers used some wet cloth wipes to wipe our bums.

We felt happy and the cloth wipes would then be washed for another use after drying.

When potty training, we might have decided to introduce some potty training wipes to our kids and then things went wrong when we gave them toilet paper because they would always have skid-marks no matter how much they cleaned.

If babies bums are clean when we use wash cloths but remain filthy when we use toilet paper, why do we give a hoot to toilet paper? Should we not just ditch it.

It is high time that we ditched toilet paper and looked for better alternatives such as wash cloths and flushable wipes.

wash cloths
Stack of freshly laundered towels and washcloths

Family Cloth Pros and Cons Closely Examined

In this post, we look at the family cloth pros and cons so that you can weigh them and come up with a decision on whether to use the cloth wipes or not.

Pros of the family cloth

  • These cloths are gentle, smooth and friendly to your butt. Unlike dry, coarse toilet paper, nobody is going to get anal fissures from using family cloths. Unless of course if you fail to wash it after every use and insist on using a cloth that is caked with dry poop. Those who use it well though, clean it after every use and even go ahead to moisten it before wiping will always post great reviews of the product.

  • Wash cloths are reusable and cost-friendly. Unlike toilet paper and biodegradable wipes which you have to buy after each use and flush away, family cloth is recyclable. All you need is buy it once and clean it after every use. You never have to buy it any more.

  • Reusable cloths are eco-friendly. Everytime you use toilet paper, you need to know that you are playing a role in the deforestation of our planet. For toilet paper to be made, trees have to be cut done and lots of chlorine used to bleach them.

  • Reusable wash cloths are effective. Unlike toilet paper that never actually does the job well, family cloths are great in wiping away poop. Picture this—when you were just but a toddler, what did your mummy use to wipe away poop after you had soiled yourself? Some cloth wipes, right? And they always did the job well leaving you clean and flesh, right? Why not use it when you are an adult!

  • Family cloths can be home-made, you do not need to buy them. Yes, you can make family cloths from old tee-shirts or towels. You do not need to spend a dime thinking of ways to wipe your butt!

Here is a video showing how to make reusable toilet paper

Cons of the family cloth

  1. They have been said to be unhygienic. There are people who irk at the thought that adults can wipe poop off their butts with cloths
  2. They might cause urinary tract infections when you fail to wash the cloth wipes after every use.
  3. One reusable cloth can only be used by one person. If more than one person uses the same wipe, there might be spread of diseases.
  4. You will end up spending lots of money in washing your dirty wash cloths with hot water, detergents and antiseptics.
  5. The toilet room has a pungent smell when there are family cloths that are yet to be washed.