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How to Get Started with Family Cloth (Yup, Reusable Toilet Paper is a Real Thing)

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Family Cloth?! Yup, Reusable Toilet Paper is a Real Thing. Get the lowdown here on how to get started, tips, and FAQs.

girl holding roll of toilet paper and wearing a yellow shirt

Originally published February 2014 || Last updated March 2020 to reflect the fact that I no longer use family cloth in my current day-to-day, but wouldn’t mind starting up again if necessary. Thanks to our current global state of affairs, this post started heavily trending, and I wanted it to be as accurate and helpful as possible. That, or provide you with something to mock on the internet instead of succumbing to despair. 😉

When I stop to think about it, I realize that I have peed in quite a few places over the course of my life thus far. Let’s see: if I’m counting by country, we’ve got Canada, USA, Bolivia, England, France, United Arab Emirates, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda.

I’ve used the fancy, shiny facilities in a very expensive hotel in Banff, and I’ve squatted precariously over a disgusting hole surrounded by falling-apart wooden walls in the middle of a dusty African village.

I’ve bought a roll of purple toilet paper from the woman on the side of an African road, and I’ve used luxurious quilted 6-ply TP at homes where I had to check twice to make sure I hadn’t accidentally grabbed the hand towel.

I’ve awkwardly squatted behind a three-foot pile of bricks while the rest of my tour bus waited their turn in the hot African sun after we broke down on the side of the road.

Some people use bidets. Some use squatty potties. Some people wipe their butts with one hundred dollar bills.

I’ve used my own bathroom eleventy bajillion times in each of my third trimesters of pregnancy. I have, no doubt, peed in the woods a time or two, and maybe, just maybe, a lake. Definitely the ocean.

I’ve also gone tent-camping with a group at 37 weeks pregnant where the only “toilet” was a rickety wooden chair with a hole cut out, perched over a dug-out hole in the ground, surrounded by a tarp on only two sides. I’ve peed in quite a number of teeny-tiny airplane toilets while hurtling through the sky…

(If that’s not an odd string of memories to recall, well gosh, I don’t know what is.)

What exactly is the point I’m making here, you might ask? Well there are a few things:

  1. Everybody in the entire world has these bodily functions. All 7 billion or so of us.
  2. There are many (so many!) variations in toileting style and setting depending on location, preference, and cultural norms.
  3. SO. MANY. VARIATIONS.

With that in mind, I’d like to finally talk about one of my crazy crunchy hippie ways that often elicits a strong reaction: family cloth. I mean – I’ve tried more crazy things than most people, and if you’ve been around here for long you know that I’m a contrarian by nature. I don’t like to follow the crowd, and I enjoy going against the grain just to see what it’s like.

I cook from scratch nearly every day, use cloth napkins, reusable snack bags, and cloth towels, tried the no-poo method (baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo), do a ton of natural DIY body care products (dry shampoo, eyeliner, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, and I hard-core LOVE my reusable menstrual supplies and sea sponge tampons. I also love homeschooling our four kids here on our 4.5 acres out in the country.

(Yes, I acknowledge that most folks think I’m totally nuts, but hey – I love my life. What can I tell ya?)

Most people call me crazy based on a partial list of these things alone, so telling you that I previously used cloth toilet paper shouldn’t be all that shocking, really.

Want the lowdown? Here we go:

Family cloth is a phrase used for washable, cloth toilet ‘paper’. I’ve used it, and I survived. ??

empty roll of toilet paper with the words "don't panic" written on it.

Cloth Toilet Paper: Supplies Needed

1. Clean wipes

You can make them out of old rags, be fancy and sew them yourself, buy them on etsy, or just buy a few packs of cheap baby washcloths and designate them for this purpose. You could also buy a pack of cloth baby wipes like these ones. Lots of options! (I opted for cheap baby washcloths, since that’s what I was also using with cloth diapers on my babe.)

2. Something to hold the used wipes

During the year or so that I was using cloth TP, I was also cloth diapering my third child. We had a diaper pail in the main floor bathroom, so I just tossed used wipes in there, and they got washed with the diapers. It was super convenient. Honestly, part of the reason I stopped using it was because we stopped cloth diapering eventually.

If I had wanted to continue I would have just needed to use a small lidded container, or a wet bag – the same type that you use for cloth diapers. Travel sized would be ideal because you’d want to launder every couple of days, at least. This style with two pockets would be ideal – one for clean wipes, and one (waterproof) for used. You can wash the bag along with the wipes each time.

3. A washing machine with hot water and detergent.

Pretty simple – if I weren’t washing with a load of cloth diapers I’d just wash them on their own in a small hot cycle with vinegar as a rinse aid, then dry on extra hot to help kill germs.

Cloth Toilet Paper (aka Family Cloth): Routine

Step one: walk into the bathroom and grab a wipe. Use dry or wet with water (your choice).

I recommend dry for #1 and wet for #2. In either scenario, I feel immensely cleaner than when I use paper. The cloth wipe is just… sturdier and more substantial for those purposes.

Step two: use your wipe as needed, then toss in the appropriate sealed bag or container until wash day (a couple of days max is my recommendation.)

Done! It’s not difficult, technically speaking. Most people simply have a cultural ick factor about, which is fine. Just remember that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you run out of paper toilet paper (ahem, panic buying… sigh), this is an option, and you can totally survive it.

yellow background with rows of nearly-empty toilet paper rolls.

Family Cloth FAQ’s:

How did you get started in it?

I cloth diapered my first baby from the get-go (as soon as his teeny little legs beefed up a little to fit the diapers I had bought). We didn’t want to buy expensive cloth wipes that are sold by the cloth diaper companies for a million bucks, so we marched ourselves down to the big-box store and got a pack of cheapie baby washcloths.

I think it was around $6 for 10 of them. We got a couple of packages, and those were our designated baby wipes. Then one time a few years ago I read a post about family cloth somewhere. Probably from this wise friend. And then my curiosity was piqued, and it was just a matter of time.

Isn’t it super gross?

I fear I’m overstating the obvious here, but bear with me. We cleaned all three of our kids’ poopy bums off with those cloths, washed them in our washing machine, and used them over and over again.

Got that? We wiped poop and pee… washed them… and reused them. The only argument that is usually left standing after getting the basics out of the way is simply the ick factor. People think it’s just gross.

Of course, that’s a totally subjective judgment, right? I personally don’t think it’s really any grosser than cloth diapers. And cloth diapering is becoming way more mainstream than it used to be (since disposables came on the scene.)

Can I be a part-timer?

Absolutely, 100% yes. I was a part-timer at best since I didn’t have a system set up in my upstairs bathroom. I used the main floor one all day long and it’s where my diaper pail was (and it’s close to the laundry room).

And of course, it’s advisable to keep regular disposable toilet paper on hand for guests (and resistant spouses).

Some people also like to use it for just #1 and not have to deal with #2. Personally, I love it for both. I find it so much more comfortable and luxurious feeling. I feel cleaner. I also use it for ‘that time of the month’ which is extra-awesome. We ladies tend to feel icky in those days because it’s tough to get totally clean with just paper. With a warm, wet cloth, I feel like I’m actually getting 100% clean.

Full disclosure: sometimes I tag team it and use a bit of paper to wipe first, then a wet cloth for a more thorough clean. What’s that? TMI? I think we crossed that line back in the title of the post, amiright?? And yet here you are. 😉

For laundry as a part-timer: I would throw them in with my regular laundry if it were just #1 wipes. For #2 I prefer to use hot water. For #1 I’m ok with just a warm wash, considering that’s what I do with any clothes or bedding that have been accidentally peed on. #momlife

Doesn’t it smell bad in your bathroom?

Nope. Not if the container or bag is sealed/zipped and the contents washed every 2-3 days.

But WHY???

Save money (a negligible amount once you factor in laundry costs, but I think it’s still possible). Save the environment. Those are big enough reasons for me. You may make a different choice for your family, and that’s cool too. I just wanted to give you a rundown on how we do it because people have asked.

I ultimately didn’t stick with it more than a year or so, as I explained above, but I’m super glad I tried it. Family cloth is way easier than you think, and really – you might even enjoy it.

Oh, and one last reason why you might want to give it a try? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find yourself in the midst of a global pandemic and everyone has panic-bought all the dang toilet paper in the city. Maybe a clean, soft cloth is better than leaves. Maybe. Your call.

OK, that’s all I’ve got for now. Hit me up, peeps. What kind of questions do you have on this subject?

Would you ever consider trying it?

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About Beth

Beth is the creator here at Red & Honey. Mom of four, wife of one, and proud redhead. Sushi and tex-mex lover, fan of adventure, books, natural health talk, and pyjamas. INFP and Type 4 enneagram. Allergic to small talk. And, if you haven't figured it out already, #nerd. Read more posts by Beth.

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Reader Interactions

152 Comments

  1. MiMi

    Okay, I may sound gross here, but I simply must ask. Is it taboo to use a family cloth more than once for pee? I’m a “regular” TP girl, but when I used the restroom at home I already wet the day’s wash cloth and re-wipe to feel fresher. So if I have my own dedicated “pee cloth” for a day, is that too eww?

  5. jstnthrguy

    I’m probably the only guy who is going to post here but for what it’s worth, I love my cloths and wouldn’t be without them. I buy a pack of dark wash clothes at the leading retail chain and since I’m already at the sink when I’m doing my thing, I have a bar of soap handy and clean the cloth every time. The ick factor is nil since i have pets and I’m used to dealing with poop and pee. Once a week I put them in the wash and use bleach to freshen them up. My reason for going this way many many years ago was that I’m extra hairy down there and TP just wasn’t cutting it to feel clean. Voila!!! The cloths did the trick and besides, I hate smelling like an a**. Pun intended. :))

  7. Ashley

    Good article! I am planning to move our family to family cloth. Right now it’s just my husband, me, and my 13 month old who is cloth diapered. I honestly thought family cloth was really gross, but after cloth diapering, it’s really not that big of a deal. I already spray poo off of her diapers. What’s a few more wipes?! I just ordered wetbags for both our bathrooms and just need to get some more wipes. I also ordered a few perineal bottles so we aren’t messing with getting water from the facet and waiting for the water to heat up from ice cold. My husband is a bit hesitant, but I think he will love them. He tends to use a lot of tp for #2, and being able to use a wet wipe will work so much better! Its no more laundry for us right now while cloth diapering. Good advice and thanks for sharing!

  9. Je

    In grad school my roommate was from India. I had to show her what to do with toilet paper. She had gone to the bathroom with her squirt bottle and drying cloth. After cloth diapering my kids, I realized how much sense her method made. It’s basically the concept of a hand held bidet in a bottle. Thinking about it that way, when you use the cloth/bottle method you are really just drying clean skin with the cloth which isn’t gross at all. That’s my backup plan for a bad economy where toilet paper is unavailable.

  12. Jennifer

    Ah, it’s nice to know we’re not the only weird ones. I had been using mama cloth (cloth pads), menstrual cups, and cloth diapers and wipes for my kids, as well as cloth napkins and cloth paper towels. Family cloth wipes seemed the next obvious step. Honestly, it did not take my husband long to come around to the idea, but he definitely resisted at first.

    I think it saves us money AND we never run out of toilet paper. We do keep some paper toilet paper on hand for guests.

    Since I have two little ones in cloth diapers right now, we’re doing a load in hot water every 1.5 days. When we only have 1 kid in diapers, it’s a load every 2-3 days (for 6 people total, including diapers). We use a mixture of baby cloth wipes and cut-up t-shirts.

    • Brittany

      I just started 3 days ago and I plan on hand-washing my family cloth. It’s only my doing this in our household (due to allergy to paper products or the chemicals in them) so I won’t have a load large enough to do weekly. But I don’t have very many cloths used right now but I may go ahead and hand wash them tonight. I’d like to air-dry them but may simply use our dryer instead. Not sure yet.

    • Shannine

      I use family cloth and just run them in a hot wash whenever I run out of clean cloths. It’s once or twice a week, depending on how much use the bathrooms are getting. Even at once a week, I’ve never had a problem with odor or with them getting clean. I keep the used ones in a small plastic trash bin with a lid. I do wash them separately from other laundry, but to save energy costs, I dry them with a load of regular laundry. I made my own 2 ply cloths out of flannel, 60 for each bathroom. I love them! And it’s saving me a lot of money.

    • Anna

      You can also spritz them with a spray bottle that has cider vinegar and water in it before you toss the cloth in the unclean bag. I have no smell to deal with and I only wash them once per week. It might be more of an issue if you have multiple people using them. Also if you have a problem using the cloths between people, each person can have their own color cloth that they use, and you can keep them separate during washing using those mesh washer bags.

    • Christine

      You might consider getting one of those small, portable washing pods that you can run on hand power or plug. The Easy Go Washer is one example. They use less water, and there is a spinner you can get too that supposedly gets the clothes dry enough to air dry in a few hours. Then you can wash a load of wipes only as needed. The only concern would be getting the water hot enough. It is worth checking out though.

  15. Amie

    I’ve cloth diapered both my babies, and lived in Cambodia for 5+ years where hand-held bidets are the norm, but I had NEVER considered cloth toilet paper until I read this post. A “Duh!!” moment for me for sure! Great post…and yes the whole family will be moving in this direction once we move into our new place in September. 🙂

  17. Molly R. Moody

    One thing I didn’t see mentioned,, though I may have missed it, is what type of cloth do you use for these wipes? Do you cut up cloth diapers, do you buy a particular type of cloth, or do you just cut up old clothes to use? I’d be willing to try this if I had a dryer to toss them into after washing but I hang most of my clothing outside over the porch rail after doing a load of wash.

    • Beth

      I use the same cloths that I use for my baby wipes with my cloth diapered babe. They are the thin, cheapy baby washcloths – I got a package of like 8 or so for around $5 at Target or W-Mart.

      I hang them with my cloth diapers, but one thing you could do is get one of those hanging drying rack thingies that has short arms coming out from it with clips (sorry – I don’t know the technical name! I think I got mine at IKEA).

      Hope that’s helpful!

      • janice

        I priced “homemade” wipes online at prices like your talking but for baby wash cloths I have found packs of 4 for $1 to $3 then one day I found an overstock gender-neutral pack of 6 for $1 and I got 10 packs. then I realized that is a lot more than most people who use cloth baby wipes keep. you didn’t really say how many your total stash is I have been toying around with cloth wipes and a bidet idea but am not ready we are living in temporary housing. me and my husband are planning on working toward zero waste though I am ok with tp it is annoying the amount of plastic it is wraped in the ikea thing is an octopus

    • Anna

      For a while I was using an old towel that I had cut up, but after not many uses I had to toss them because the edges would fray in the wash. The same thing would happen eventually with any cloth that is recycled from something else. So I was looking around for inexpensive options for cloths and happened to find in the dollar store near me they have 3 to 5 packs of microfiber wash cloths and those work super well and only 1 dollar per pack so you can just buy a whole bunch of packs and have a decent supply. If you have a dollar store anyways. I only recommend using recycled cloth if you can sew over the edges.

  19. Moira Randal

    I don’t mean to poop on anyone’s parade AND I am all about saving the earth and all that BUT How much exactly could this possibly save you financially??? When you take into consideration that you have to do MORE laundry(My friend, who uses these, says she does laundry every day) This of course means RUNNING THE WATER AND ELECTRICITY TO DO SO. I know the cost of water when I lived in Oregon was like liquid gold!! This would not have been an option for me at all! It might be more cost effective if you had a well BUT does using water to wash make more sense WHEN WATER IS OUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE???, So where is the savings????? Has anyone done a comparison?

    • Cheryl

      Your friend probably doesn’t have enough, unless shes supporting the Brady Bunch. Make enough to last 3 days. Wash every 3 days. It doesn’t require that much water, especially with the HE machines.
      Toilet paper can add up. Add unpaper towels to that and the savings from not buying paper towels.. starts to really add up.

      Takes a lot of water to make paper then add in trees.. what other resources are used making toilet paper and paper towels? How about the plastic thats over the packaging?

    • Wendy

      what Cheryl said is true.

      it take a LOT of water to make toilet paper and paper toweling.

      Is your friend also cloth diapering?
      We cloth diaper two right now. I have been thinking about doing the family cloth for a while now and will be implementing a system for our family.
      for tp we use the BROWN tp by 7th Generation. My husband doesn’t like it … would rather I get the bamboo I had prior. But, when I read more on that one I decided I wouldn’t even buy the white 7th generation anymore. It uses far less water to make than the white.
      I feel that tp/paper towel companies should be forced to follow some simple environmental guidelines that include NO CHLORINE and LOW LOW water usage. Brown Paper for everyone. Period.

      For our family of 7 we go through a little more than 1 of the 12 pks of the brown 7th gen each month. I buy via Frontier co-op at a cost of about $10. Going with cloth… may not be a huge monthly savings money wise. But since we have an HE and we are already wiping I will be doing this. I had been trying to figure out a way and I think I have… of distinguishing whose cloth is whose. I think we will ‘color code’ it with everyone’s favorite color. 🙂
      I know it seems that shouldn’t matter… but frankly… I don’t want to be wiping with our handicapped sons wipes. just the thought. LOL… in spite of washing. LOL

    • yvonne

      I thought the same thing at first but then considered how much water we all use flushing the toilet many times every day. According to this site (http://www.conserveh2o.org/toilet-water-use) 27% of American water is used on toilet flushing. My machine is water efficient so would probably use a fair amount less than all the water a household of 5 (hubby hasn’t come around to the idea ;)) would use toilet flushing.

    • Sarah

      I have a family of 6 and was going thru one roll of TP per day. I would say that this change to family cloth has been very eco friendly and saves us money. I have many wipes and only launder them 1x per week. I do a simple cold soak with oxyclean (for stains) the night before laundry and run them on the smallest hottest wash cycle. I would say its about 80-90 cloths a week. They fit in a small 1/2 gallon basket. That doesn’t use much water at all. The washing every 2-3 days is ridiculous in my opinion. There is no smell, I sprinkle a little tea tree oil baking soda over the rags a couple times a week and it works perfectly while they wait to be washed.

    • fred

      I only use these for pee, and they go in the regular laundry load. I make my own soap for about 2 cents a load, and the soap and water will be used anyway. My thing is keeping things like toilet paper out of the waste stream and not using disposable resources unnecessarily. Our wipes are 6″ double thickness squares of mostly old t-shirts with a little new thread.

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About Me

Hello, I’m Beth.

I’m a mom of four with an obsession for all things natural health, but I’m driven by wellness, not perfection. I’m an eternal optimist, a non-conformist, and a classic INFP. When I was 19, I married my total-opposite hubby, who is an ESTJ. This remains both the craziest and the best decision we’ve ever lived to tell about. I can always be bribed with sushi or tex-mex, and I love to embarrass my husband by cranking the music and dancing (badly) in the passenger seat.

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