# Personal Hygene,Bidets VS Paper



## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

I was just think about how expensive toilet paper is getting.
We had a bidet put in when we built this house to help keep disabled hubby clean when he is down.It can clean without paper,but we seldom used it until lately.
Also you can rig a shower wand to clean with for less money.
I stopped getting rid of old phone books,catalogs,magazines and other paper goods.
When we were kids and lived in Stone Mountain we had an outhouse that was used if the well pump went out.There were 10 of us if my aunt and her kids lived with us.Ran out of toilet paper fast with 14 people ,so we would use a Sears Robuck catalog.Rub in between hands and crinkle it up real good.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

I'm semi-conflicted on this; water is pretty precious, but avoiding e coli is priceless... :dunno:

For those of us with wells &/or are already using grey water to irrigate crops/gardens etc using water for that is not nearly as big an issue as it is for the urban dwellers amongst us with no space and/or say in how resources are allocated.

I like to wash my backside with the 'pressure washer' setting on the shower wand, but I've never done it as a replacement for wiping... something to think about :hmmm:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> I'm semi-conflicted on this; water is pretty precious, but avoiding e coli is priceless... :dunno:
> 
> For those of us with wells &/or are already using grey water to irrigate crops/gardens etc using water for that is not nearly as big an issue as it is for the urban dwellers amongst us with no space and/or say in how resources are allocated.
> 
> I like to wash my backside with the 'pressure washer' setting on the shower wand, but I've never done it as a replacement for wiping... something to think about :hmmm:


 LOL,not a nice conversation but it could come in handy in a sqeeze.
Waters also is cleaner than paper,paper just cleans so much,water washes it off.
The phone books,etc,will dry afterwards. 
:wave:


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Toilet paper is cheap. There's no way I would go to newspapers, phonebooks, catalogs, or magazines. As part of our stockpile we'll on our way to having 400 rolls.

Using pressurized water to clean yourself instead of TP doesn't sound like a good idea. That stuff all has to splatter somewhere.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

I'll have to stick with toilet paper. If I have to work extra to pay for it, so be it.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

BillS said:


> Toilet paper is cheap. There's no way I would go to newspapers, phonebooks, catalogs, or magazines. As part of our stockpile we'll on our way to having 400 rolls.
> 
> Using pressurized water to clean yourself instead of TP doesn't sound like a good idea. That stuff all has to splatter somewhere.


 LOL,:lolsmash:. Thanks for the good hard laugh.:beercheer:
400 rolls is a lot of toilet paper!Did you put it in a warehouse?:dunno:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

tsrwivey said:


> I'll have to stick with toilet paper. If I have to work extra to pay for it, so be it.


 Bills already had us in stitches,then you came along and we're really laughing.:2thumb::thankyou:

Sheryl Crow would not be happy with you guys,she thinks useing more than 4 sheets is a environmental sin.:nuts:

The question remains to wipe or wash or both.Long as we can we will do all of the above,but when tshtf those phone books ,catalogs and mags,won't do us any good except wiping.

Yu better get 2 more jobs if you plan to store up a few yeats of the stuff.:wave:


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## MrsSellaneous (Apr 13, 2011)

This has definitely been a thought provoking discussion! My water supply is somewhat limited so toilet paper it is and lots of it!


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

hate to make people bust a gut even more, or barf...

but I'm sure a _*few*_ of you fellow ******** remember what the 'corncob string' next to the outhouse was for...  :gaah: :lolsmash:


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

I dont want to know what corncob string is.

This is a great discussion. Ok, great may be a stretch.
For dealing with a physical ailment, if that is your best option (the bidet), then do it. If SHTF, then the water would be way to precious, unless you had your own unilimited supply of water.
That said, noone could possibly store up enough tp to last forever. Having other options could be a necessity.
Rags that could be cleaned using a minimum amount of water?


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## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

back in the olden days they had rags in buckets filled with vinegar to disinfect. OUCH, try wiping with that.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

IrritatedWithUS said:


> Back in the olden days they had rags in buckets filled with vinegar to disinfect. OUCH, try wiping with that.


The "reusable rags" idea is still used in some parts of the world. But I believe the bucket of vinegar is for the used ones. In other words, you don't wipe with a vinegar soaked rag.

You have to boil them to disinfect them. Maybe boil then chlorine bleach (or other way around) but it is a doable idea...old clothing scraps.

As long as you are boiling, you could just use pond water, etc. ... it doesn't have to be good drinking water.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

In some parts of the middle east they have a sponge on a handle, and it sits in a bucket of vinegar and water, and it's used to clean up "after".

Here on our remote low-budget homestead we use the cloth squares, cut out of old towels and hemmed. I make mine about 3" by 6", since it takes a lot less square inches of cloth to do the job than toilet paper. The 'used' ones go in a pail like a diaper pail was used in years past. They're then washed in soap and bleach, and hung in the sun to further sterilize. 

They're less messy to clean than diapers because they just have 'dabs' of the various things from underneath and are not soaked with them. 

They feel good on the bottom, and I hate being out and about somewhere now and have to use toilet paper in the restroom.

It's not nearly as gross as you might think. And we save hundreds of dollars every year.

I have a question about the bidet. If you're using water to clean 'down there', don't you then have to use something to dry it? If not, why? If so, what?


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

ROTFL!!! This is in the Missoula newspaper! Seems a truck lost control on a curve and it's load - "megarolls of toilet paper" - was dumped into the river.

Giant toilet paper rolls remain in Lochsa after truck accident

Here's the opening paragraph: "A five-mile stretch of Idaho's Wild and Scenic Lochsa River remained cluttered by megarolls of toilet paper Tuesday, four days after a truck driver from Texas lost control on a tight turn and dumped the load."

See? If everyone used Bidets (or cloth toilet paper  ) there wouldn't be this problem... :lolsmash:


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## BillS (May 30, 2011)

Meerkat said:


> LOL,:lolsmash:. Thanks for the good hard laugh.:beercheer:
> 400 rolls is a lot of toilet paper!Did you put it in a warehouse?:dunno:


It's not as bad as it sounds. I have one tower of one gallon water jugs that's 4 feet x 8 feet and it's 5 layers high. I think I can put one layer of toilet paper packages on top of the water jugs without it being too heavy. I have some on it now. Most of it is in the garage. I'm only half done buying it.


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

Good grief, how much TP do you guys use anyway?? TP should last quite a while if you use it right:

Take one square and punch a hole in it with your index finger. With your index finger in the hole which is in the TP wipe your bottom and fling that bit into the toilet. Now pull the TP off your finger whilst wiping off your finger. DONE. :lolsmash:

Honestly, I dont see anything wrong with wiping with clothes and washing those... thats probably the most sanitary of all options and wouldnt use too much water (could even be unpotable as mentioned).


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

TheAnt said:


> Good grief, how much TP do you guys use anyway?? TP should last quite a while if you use it right:
> 
> Take one square and punch a hole in it with your index finger. With your index finger in the hole which is in the TP wipe your bottom and fling that bit into the toilet. Now pull the TP off your finger whilst wiping off your finger. DONE. :lolsmash:
> 
> Honestly, I dont see anything wrong with wiping with clothes and washing those... thats probably the most sanitary of all options and wouldnt use too much water (could even be unpotable as mentioned).


Love your method of using TP! :lolsmash:

We have a rainwater capture and cistern set-up, and one of the uses for the water is laundry. Our "wash machine" is two washtubs with a hand-cranked wringer.

I don't wash the TP cloths in there though. I have a different kettle that I boil rainwater in and wash the cloths in it. I also have a different rope for hanging them out on, just to be on the safe side.










I keep the clean ones in one bucket (on right) and the 'used' ones go into bleach water in another bucket (on left). They really do feel nicer than TP, and it's quite sanitary. Many of us grew up in the era of cloth diapers, and this isn't as bad as cleaning those was! 

It's at least something to know when the last of the store-bought TP is gone, the phone books and catalogs have all been used, and you procrastinated about putting in a bidet!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

HOLY BIG PICTURE BATMAN! :2thumb::2thumb: But great set up! thanks for showing us! I am gonna go buy two more lidded buckets for this kind of set up.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yeah, I hate how the picture came out SO BIG!!!!!!

You oughta see it on my 7" netbook computer! I can only see about 1/6 of the picture at a time and have to scroll up and down and side to side!

Any of you mods know how to size that thing down for me? Geez...

Wish I was a better geek!


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

gypsysue said:


> Yeah, I hate how the picture came out SO BIG!!!!!!
> 
> You oughta see it on my 7" netbook computer! I can only see about 1/6 of the picture at a time and have to scroll up and down and side to side!
> 
> ...


No worries! took me forever to figure out photobucket.


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## weedygarden (Apr 27, 2011)

*where to store that t.p.*

My friend who is preparing for her whole church because that is the way some think, told me she keeps her t.p. in the attic of her garage. She lives in the southwest and can't keep canned soda in her garage or it will explode when it gets hot, but t.p. works in her attic.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I was thinking that TP would make a good insulator for my home--just put it next to the outside walls all the way up and then take some of my bolts of upholstery fabric and kinda hide like whole wall drapes.. keeps the house warm in the winter and cool in the summer! Plus when I tip over like I do the wall will be soft! lol.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Emerald said:


> Plus when I tip over like I do the wall will be soft! lol.


Oh ho! Are you saying you need to be in a padded room? 

Your insulation idea might have some merit! If a person had an attic they could lay all the packs next to each other and cover the floor, or like you wrote, stack them up the walls!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> Yeah, I hate how the picture came out SO BIG!!!!!!
> 
> Any of you mods know how to size that thing down for me? Geez...


This is so easy... open the picture with windows "Paint".

Under image you see "stretch/skew"

Change the horizontal and vertical from 100% down to 20% (or 50%, whatever you choose) ...make sure both numbers match.

Then save it with a different name. I might have a picture named:
" clotch.wipes.54.jpg " and make smaller by shrinking it down to 25% in Paint, then I will re-save it as "cloth.wipes.54.25pct.jpg " or whatever...


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## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

There is something called 'Family Cloths'. Another forum I'm on has a big discussion on this (am I allowed to share that link??). Here's a Google search link: Family Cloths

Basically, they are cloths that you can make with fabric you probably already have at home, like old T-Shirts, towels, etc.

As for TP: A good way to store LOTS of extra TP is to use the space between 2x4's in an unfinished part of your house (basement or garage, etc). Put your TP in WHITE plastic bags. Three rolls will fit nicely in the bottom of the bag. Roll the bag shut, so NO writing shows. Tape the bag shut. You should now have a 'log'. Stand those logs end-to-end in betweeen the 2x4's, from floor to ceiling. It'll look like insulation & act like insulation. And you'll be storing LOTS of TP (or Paper Towels).

Consider using the family cloths for your 'wet' clean ups, and keeping the TP for the 'poop' clean ups. It'll stretch your use of TP. -k


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## backlash (Nov 11, 2008)

I would hate to be around if a house full of TP catches fire.
There is a reason insulation is fire retardant.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

Yikes, Backlash, I didn't think about fires! Good point!

And thanks, LincTex, I'll give that a try, to shrink that picture!


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## ReadyMom (Feb 25, 2011)

backlash said:


> I would hate to be around if a house full of TP catches fire.
> There is a reason insulation is fire retardant.


Sheesh! Didn't think about that. But not sure what the difference between storing it that way or storing it all piled up would be, if you are storing that much TP. You DO bring up a good point, though. :scratch -k


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> hate to make people bust a gut even more, or barf...
> 
> but I'm sure a _*few*_ of you fellow ******** remember what the 'corncob string' next to the outhouse was for...  :gaah: :lolsmash:


 We were much to classy for the corncober,we prefered to go by the book.Plus we had somethign to wish for while we anticipated the final act.:beercheer:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Immolatus said:


> I dont want to know what corncob string is.
> 
> This is a great discussion. Ok, great may be a stretch.
> For dealing with a physical ailment, if that is your best option (the bidet), then do it. If SHTF, then the water would be way to precious, unless you had your own unilimited supply of water.
> ...


 Very good point about water shortage.Maybe a good spray bottle?:scratch


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> In some parts of the middle east they have a sponge on a handle, and it sits in a bucket of vinegar and water, and it's used to clean up "after".
> 
> Here on our remote low-budget homestead we use the cloth squares, cut out of old towels and hemmed. I make mine about 3" by 6", since it takes a lot less square inches of cloth to do the job than toilet paper. The 'used' ones go in a pail like a diaper pail was used in years past. They're then washed in soap and bleach, and hung in the sun to further sterilize.
> 
> ...


 We dry with a wash rag,the same thing we cleaned with in the tub.All out bath whites are bleached.


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## Ponce (May 3, 2009)

Only 400 rolls? oh well, that's a good start......how about 1,760 rolls? :2thumb:


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Corn cobs*



The_Blob said:


> hate to make people bust a gut even more, or barf...
> 
> but I'm sure a _*few*_ of you fellow ******** remember what the 'corncob string' next to the outhouse was for...  :gaah: :lolsmash:


I remember. You needed two red cobs and one white one.

You use a red cob first and then a white cob, to see if you need another red one !
:2thumb:


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

BillM said:


> I remember. You needed two red cobs and one white one.
> 
> You use a red cob first and then a white cob, to see if you need another red one !
> :2thumb:


 I grew up in Stone Mountain Ga [and Atlanta]on a 100 acres and only a few neighbors on the dirt road.We ran thru the woods and swam in our 10 ac.lake,sometimes leaves came in handy if you were too far from the privy.We always had the lake or a creek to wash hands.Natural springs with cold clean water are all gone now.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

The small 4 roll pack of Angle soft TP is on sale at Meijer for the 10 for $10 11 free special-I try to pick up as many as I can when they go on sale like this-that makes them a $1.25 cheaper than normal... Arrid xx dri(which is 19% active ingredient) is also on the sale- last time it went on sale like that we got 11 of them and we are down to only 2 so we are gonna really stock up this time around. Sorry for the folks that have one near.. Their prices aren't always the best but when they have good sales they have good sales.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Emerald said:


> The small 4 roll pack of Angle soft TP is on sale at Meijer for the 10 for $10 11 free special-I try to pick up as many as I can when they go on sale like this-that makes them a $1.25 cheaper than normal... Arrid xx dri(which is 19% active ingredient) is also on the sale- last time it went on sale like that we got 11 of them and we are down to only 2 so we are gonna really stock up this time around. Sorry for the folks that have one near.. Their prices aren't always the best but when they have good sales they have good sales.


 Best sale here was 18 rolls for $9.99.Aany tissue that is so thin it takes 30 sheets to clean is not a good deal,imo.
Most cheap brands go off the roll quicker than the name brands far as I know.
We are not prepared with food yet so toilet tissue low on the list,we buy it now to use,but don't stock it.
I just used y last gallon of bleach and we usually have 5 gal.s stored.Alchohol,peroxide and other germ and wound care is what we are trying to sock up on again.
Wiping our butts will be the last thing we worry about if TSHTF.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I've used Angel soft before and it is not as thin or bad as people think-its not as bad as scott tissue brand--worst TP ever. Plus it is soft and I often use it instead of tissues when I have my allergies-cheaper than tissues more sanitary than nasty ol hankie stuff in pocket or up sleeve.

Oh and on my last post I meant "haven't" got a store near them not have but I can not "edit" my posts tonight for some reason.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

Emerald said:


> I've used Angel soft before and it is not as thin or bad as people think-its not as bad as scott tissue brand--worst TP ever. Plus it is soft and I often use it instead of tissues when I have my allergies-cheaper than tissues more sanitary than nasty ol hankie stuff in pocket or up sleeve.
> 
> Oh and on my last post I meant "haven't" got a store near them not have but I can not "edit" my posts tonight for some reason.


 Scott is not what its cut out to be .I've used toilet tissue in place of tissue for years.I have to remember to hide it when company comes,they may think i took from bathroom to use,but the one for allerges never is used in the bathroom.
When the Cottonele is on sale we buy it,but like everything else nw'on sale'is what we paid for the item last year.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

backlash said:


> I would hate to be around if a house full of TP catches fire.
> There is a reason insulation is fire retardant.


a lot harder to 'blaze' than you might think if it's packed tight, a bigger danger is the old 'balloon-constructed' houses that don't have any *firestops* (and usually no insulation either) in between floors so that the air just forms huge convection currents from the basement to the attic like a giant blast furnace, those houses can burn to the ground completely before the fire dept gets the truck out of the garage


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

one 'miser' trick I use is to split the 2-ply into 1 ply (it also makes it softer, which is good because I use the John Wayne toilet paper; it's rough, it's tough, and it doesn't take SHIT off anybody :lolsmash: )

yes, I also slice open my toothpaste tubes to scrape the last 1/2 dozen doses out, and reuse the clay oil absorbant after I've burned the oil out of it


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

The_Blob said:


> one 'miser' trick I use is to split the 2-ply into 1 ply (it also makes it softer, which is good because I use the John Wayne toilet paper; it's rough, it's tough, and it doesn't take SHIT off anybody :lolsmash: )
> 
> yes, I also slice open my toothpaste tubes to scrape the last 1/2 dozen doses out, and reuse the clay oil absorbant after I've burned the oil out of it


 Me too.:congrat:.LOL.


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## Clarice (Aug 19, 2010)

I have a good supply of TP. But I still buy 3 or 4 packages when I find a good sale. IMHO you can never have enough TP.


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