For a lot of people, including me, running out of toilet paper seems like the most unplausible thing to happen, but the fear of it could be real!
I think my fear of running out of toilet paper came from my childhood when we were always out of toilet paper at home as it was considered a luxury.
I suppose if you had to decide between a loaf of bread or a toilet paper, the choice is obvious!
That meant that we were often left with cut up newspapers, which we had to scrunch up to make them a bit softer! Even when we did buy toilet paper, it wasn’t particularly soft or comfortable one, as there wasn’t much choice in those days.
Toilet paper shortage was also fairly common thing when we were going camping or were on holiday, but somehow we always managed to get by.
I guess I’m just saying this because I know what’s like to be short of toilet paper and I know that’s not particularly nice to be in that kind of situation.
That is why in today’s blog post, I want to look at some simple tips to give you an idea what to do in the case you find yourself short of toilet paper.
Use other paper tissues
This one is an obvious one, but if you run out of toilet paper, there are other paper products that can be easily used instead. Cut the paper tissues in smaller pieces to make sure you use only what you need and don’t run out too quickly.
You can use things like:
Kitchen towels
Pocket Tissues
Paper Towels
Paper Napkins
Large Cotton Pads (Makeup removal pads)
Cotton Wool
Use other paper
The next step up is to look for other alternative sources of toilet paper made from softer paper, such as newspapers, old books or some types of magazines. I probably wouldn’t use thick paper or coated paper like glossy magazines as this type of paper is too thick to use instead of toilet paper.
To prepare your paper for use, scrunch it up and sort of rub the paper like if you were washing/rubbing your clothes. This will make the paper softer and easier to use.
Once used, I have a separate bin to dispose of the paper rather than flushing it down the toilet, to prevent any drain blockages.
Use disposable fabric cloths
The next up is the use of disposable fabric cloths. Have a look at what fabric you have at home that you could do without. Ideally, this needs to be cotton or natural material. You could use old clothes you wanted to throw away, old tea towels or old bedsheets or duvet covers.
Wash all the fabric first on at least 60C, leave to dry and cut up into pieces large like a toilet paper sheets.
Leave stock by the toilet and use as needed. You can even moisten the fabric before the use to make your wiping extra efficient.
Like with the newspaper paper, I would strongly advise you to dispose of the fabric cloths in a designated bathroom bin and not flush them down the toilet.
Re-usable fabric cloths
If you’ve been looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to toilet paper, you might have already come across re-usable fabric cloths. For some people this is a choice, not a necessity and there is no reason why more people couldn’t try this alternative way to toilet paper.
To make your own, use old towels that you cut up to say 15cm (or 20cm) squares. If you have a sewing machine, you could overlock the edges to prevent them from fraying.
Use as the disposable cotton cloths, but instead of throwing them away, put them in a pedal bin with a lid. Wash on minimum of 60C, but better on 90C to make sure the cloths are really clean before you use them again.
If you are worried or a bit squeamish about sharing these with your family, choose a different colour each and use only your own colour. You can also keep a disposal bin each and wash everything separately if you want to.
Use large plant leaves
If you are caught short in the countryside and there is nothing else to use a large leaf will do just fine! Just make sure you use the top side as many leaves have rougher texture underneath and in a case of say blackberry leaves they even have tiny thorns! And, yes, I’m talking from experience! A very painful one too!
Use water & soap
If you run out of all options, the last resort is to use just water and perhaps a bit of hand soap and just squirt or splash a bit of water on yourself to clean yourself up.
I’m sure they are other alternatives to toilet paper, that I’ve not mentioned, so why don’t you leave your suggestions in the comments below.
Until next time!
Magdalena
My other practical blog posts
- 7 Simple uses for kitchen towels >>
- Great way to re-use tumble dryer sheets >>
- Easy ways to reduce your household costs>>
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