Leisa Porter, a director at the Australian Department of Agriculture in Canberra, drives business transformation at work, but it’s curiosity and environmental engagement driving the transformation of her habits at home.
“I’d made the switch to reusable net bags for fruit and veg, was taking my own containers for deli goods and using silicone to replace plastic wrap in the kitchen, but it had never occurred to me that I could reduce my toilet paper use,” she said.
Her light bulb moment came the day she visited friend Samantha Hawker, an early adopter of what are – with varying levels of cringe – known as toilet towels, family cloths, wee wipes, and pee rags.
The handmade blotters are cut from old cotton beach or bath towels and hemmed to avoid fraying. Used by women to dab dry after urination, they are approximately 10cm (4in) in diameter, about the size of an old-fashioned washcloth.
The blotters are then collected in a receptacle before being laundered and sun-dried for re-use. Toilet paper, or a bidet, is still used for defecation.
According to IBISWorld’s Industry Reports on Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing in the US, total US expenditure in 2019 on toilet paper alone was about $US1.61bn.
In the Australian market, IBISWorld reported 2018-2019 industry revenue from the “sanitary tissues” segment including facial tissues, toilet paper, napkins and serviettes, paper towels and antibacterial wipes of approximately $AUD990m.
However, the IBISWorld report also forecast that during the five-year period to 2024, “competition from reusable, eco-friendly substitutes will increase as consumers become more environmentally conscious”.
Porter is not surprised at this, given growing awareness that paper production and distribution require significant amounts of land, water, raw materials, energy, chemicals and fossil fuels.
Following one year of use, the non-disposable wipes have reduced Porter’s toilet paper consumption dramatically, “and the bonuses are they don’t disintegrate when damp and they feel so much better on my body,” she said.
“The blotters make sense on multiple levels including environmental, economic and comfort,” says gynecologist Alyssa Dweck co-author of the book The Complete A to Z for your V. “Sensitivity to toilet paper is a thing, especially if dyed, fragrant, rough or made from recycled paper that might have had ink exposure.”
Penny Kothe, another blotting convert, lives with her husband in an old 6WD army ambulance, travelling Australia as regenerative farming volunteers. A former certified organic farmer with a bachelor of business degree, she estimates the toilet paper alternative saves one to two rolls of toilet paper per week. “Space is really tight when on the road and camping, so it means I don’t need to store so much. It’s so convenient too, I can easily keep a few cloths in my handbag and am never without something to use.”
And what of people’s negative reactions? “My son actually helped me hem them, but some people say the use of energy and water to wash them negates the environmental impact,” says Kothe, “but I disagree as I just put them in with normal laundry loads. Hygienically, I don’t think it’s any different to when your son’s or partner’s jocks go in the same wash as other clothes, because, let’s face it, most males don’t use toilet paper for wees and can’t always avoid drips either.”
Lauren F Streicher, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynaecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University says there are no health risks from the practice. “People urinated long before toilet paper became available. There are zero health concerns with this … people have urine on their underwear all the time.”
Dweck concurs. “Other than the general ‘yuck’ factor of having to store used blotters until laundry day, I don’t see any high risk for infection, especially if washed in hot, hot water and if you wash your hands after toileting. It’d be so convenient too if you are camping, hiking or land in the one stall that has an empty roll. I actually love the innovative spirit of this.”
“I think everyone should try it out,” says Kothe, “and if it doesn’t suit, work out why and then work out how to adapt. One day, like some people experienced in the recent bushfires, you might run out or the supermarkets might be closed. We need to start being more resilient now.”
Helping with that resilience are upskilling enterprises such as The Rhi Rebellion who have begun running workshops to spread the word and teach people how to make the cloths, as well as selling them to those who choose not to DIY.
Back in Canberra, Porter’s experience has revealed that people are either interested or repulsed by the idea, “but I just say, ‘cut up an old towel and give it a go’.” Her tips for getting started include “an open wastepaper basket for used ones so you can let them air dry with zero smell before washing”. However, she warns “mark your clean and used baskets or keep them on different sides of the toilet so you don’t get confused”. Porter even encourages house guests to try. “It’s up to you if you leave fresh ones out for visitors to use, if you do, just hang some instructions on the wall - it’s a great way for others to learn.”