Family cloth

While I wouldn't say I'm crunchy at all, I would say that I have leanings toward being crunchy since my son has come along. I'm all for helping the environment but mostly because, many times, the environmentally friendly choice is also the budget friendly choice. My homemade baby wipes and laundry detergent are a good example of that. Sometimes, though, things get a little too crunchy (or in this case, dirty) for me. Family cloth is one of those things.

What is it?

Family cloth is similar to the baby wipes in that it is cloth used to wipe butts. Instead of using them to wipe a baby's bottom, they're for everyone in the home. This is environmentally friendly because you're no longer sending gobs and gobs of toilet paper into the oblivion of your sewer tank or your municipality's sewer system. It's also a budget-friendly practice because, hey, toilet paper costs money. It's really win-win if you can get past the part of washing everyone's poop-smeared cloths. If you're interested in taking up the practice, keep reading!

How do you store the cloths?

I read some fascinating articles on the subject, and this person recommends keeping clean cloth in a basket on the toilet. She keeps them dry and uses the sink or a peri bottle to wet them. The blogger at Penniless Parenting keeps hers in a pretty little container she made from a plastic container wrapped in fabric. Both of these ladies use the dry pail method of storage for dirty cloth, one in bags with waterproof lining, the other in a small trash can. Apparently, some air flow is better to keep the odor down, so an air-tight container is not recommended for storing dirty cloth.

How is family cloth laundered?

Both of the writers mentioned above have said that they never touch the dirty cloth when laundering them. They just take the bag or can and dump it into the laundry with cloth diapers or, if you don't have diapers to wash, with towels and sheets. Wash them in hot water and line dry or run your dryer on a hot cycle.

In the end, I suppose it's true that it's no different than washing my toddler's soaked (or occasionally stained) clothing. I still haven't been brave enough to try it, though. Have you used family cloth? What's your system?

Photo courtesy Tobyotter, via Flickr.