ENVIRONMENTALISM FROM THE BOTTOM UP – REUSABLE CLEANLINESS
Posted by Andrew Roman on February 28, 2009
From the bottom of my … well, bottom, I assure you, that even if I was hoodwinked into believing that the Earth was trembling precariously on the brink of calamity due to the excesses and indulgences of human activity, I just couldn’t get this green – not in good conscience. And if ever I were forced to do so, you can bet your bottom dollar (pun intended) it’s because someone either had a firearm pressed to my temple, I was a prisoner of war, or I was convinced that huge prize money was somehow involved.
What on Earth am I talking about?
Reusable toilet wipes, of course – brought to you by the good folks at Wallypop.net who encourage you to support “a natural lifestyle.”
It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Wallypop also offers reusable monthly “cycle pads” for women, as well as more “conventional” items such as handkerchiefs, diapers and breast pads – all in pretty designs and patterns. They even have reusable Elvis Presley sandwich wraps and snack bags.
Here’s what they say about their toilet wipes:
As seen on The Drudge Report and Australian News!
“Alright,” you say, “You’ve convinced me about cloth diapers, and I understand using cloth gift bags and napkins. But toilet paper??” For some people, making the switch to cloth toilet wipes is a huge leap, that’s true. But it doesn’t need to be!
Using cloth toilet wipes actually has many advantages. For one, it’s a lot more comfortable and soft on your most delicate body parts. It’s also more economical, uses less paper, and saves you those late-night trips to the store. And cloth wipes can be used wet without any of the sopping disintegration that regular toilet paper is prone to.
And for those of you who may be thinking, “You know, this sounds like something I might like to try because I love the Earth so much, but what about odor? I don’t want my Febreze bill to go through the roof.”
No need to worry. Wallypop has you covered.
Lately, with all the media attention, there’ve been a lot of naysayers talking about the stench. I can honestly say, our wipes don’t stink. They don’t go into a sealed container. They go into a little (lidded) garbage can in the bathroom. Many people use a wet bag … There is no odor.
Sighs of relief all around.
Wallypop explains:
But, really, you might be wondering, how do I use these?
Using cloth wipes for urine-only visits to the bathroom is so simple it’s hardly worth mentioning. Go, wipe, and then toss the wipe into whatever container you prefer.
Using cloth wipes for other toilet visits is not any more difficult, but there is a certain ick factor involved. Consider how much waste you’re willing to leave on your children’s diapers or wipes when you toss them in the pail. Use the same standards for yourself. Shake, scrape, swish, or squirt off anything you don’t want in your laundry, and then toss the wipe into the pail or container. (Personally speaking, we just wipe and toss in the pail. Our wipes have minimal staining.)
Thanks for sharing.
I certainly do not begrudge anyone for filling voids in the marketplace. More power to them. I wish them well.
But it reminds me …
I remember my grandfather would always keep a handkerchief in his back pocket. After using it, he would wad it up and stuff it right back into the same pocket. As a little boy, I remember thinking how disgusting that was.
“Why don’t you use a tissue, grandpa?” I would ask.
“I like to use a handkerchief,” he would say, which would effectively end the discussion.
I’m not sure how regular bathroom tissue is any less “natural” than reusable cloth wipes, seeing as they are both manufactured from materials found here on Earth, but it occurs to me that bad breath, arm pit odor and bad hair are also “natural” phenomena.
Sometimes a touch of “artificiality” (for the want of a better phrase) goes a long way.
I promise … this is not a slam. I know there are wonderful people out there who prefer cloth – and I know there are puppy-kickers and kitten-smackers who like paper.
I just thought you’d find this interesting.
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sarahtar said
Oh, they’re certainly not for everybody, but many people in America prefer wiping with moist cloths – a market niche that has been filled for years by disposable moist wipes offered by several companies. These cloths are treated with all sorts of chemicals and many people prefer not to paint their hineys with chemicals.
So, the fabric wipes are handy for that. Many people use them as towels after bidet use. My kids tend to prefer moist fabric for wiping instead of dry TP – plus they get so much cleaner.
But thanks for your comments and for being so reasonable and just plain nice. (PS, it’s Wallypop.net not wallypop.com)
Thanks!
sarahtar said
Oh, they’re certainly not for everybody, but many people in America prefer wiping with moist cloths – a market niche that has been filled for years by disposable moist wipes offered by several companies. These cloths are treated with all sorts of chemicals and many people prefer not to paint their hineys with chemicals.
So, the fabric wipes are handy for that. Many people use them as towels after bidet use. My kids tend to prefer moist fabric for wiping instead of dry TP – plus they get so much cleaner.
But thanks for your comments and for being so reasonable and just plain nice. (PS, it’s Wallypop.net not wallypop.com)
Thanks!
Khorum said
We smirk at these gimmicky “green” products targetted at exactly the same upscale urbanite Whole Foods demographic but the irony is that crap like that is the pinnacle of good old-fashioned capitalism. I mean, look, they’re just RAGS but like every “green” or “organic” version of normal things I’d wager they fetch quadruple the pricetags of disposable toiletries over the same usable timespan.
You gotta hand it to those guys, I’m not sure I’d ever be cynical enough to exploit the kneejerk nonconformity of anti-capitalist condo-dwelling yuppies to make a living by repackaging a dishrag as “dolphin-friendly” or something and then selling it for ten- to twenty-times the market price.
Although they could argue that their particular market niche is living proof that our free market principles don’t work. For evidence they can point at those shrunken pomegranates that Whole Foods can sell for thirty bucks a pound just because the farmer claims to have used nothing but his own hormone-free waste as fertilizer.
Khorum said
We smirk at these gimmicky “green” products targetted at exactly the same upscale urbanite Whole Foods demographic but the irony is that crap like that is the pinnacle of good old-fashioned capitalism. I mean, look, they’re just RAGS but like every “green” or “organic” version of normal things I’d wager they fetch quadruple the pricetags of disposable toiletries over the same usable timespan.
You gotta hand it to those guys, I’m not sure I’d ever be cynical enough to exploit the kneejerk nonconformity of anti-capitalist condo-dwelling yuppies to make a living by repackaging a dishrag as “dolphin-friendly” or something and then selling it for ten- to twenty-times the market price.
Although they could argue that their particular market niche is living proof that our free market principles don’t work. For evidence they can point at those shrunken pomegranates that Whole Foods can sell for thirty bucks a pound just because the farmer claims to have used nothing but his own hormone-free waste as fertilizer.
Judy said
When I first read about this late last week, I cringed and wondered just how far the ALGORE kook-aid (not a typo) drinkers will go. As one who does other people’s laundry I am appalled! I do believe they’ve hit “bottom” with this idea. At least with washable feminine pads there are health benefits for the user and a good use for the water used pads are soaked in. I’ll stay with my double-ply, quilted, Charmin with Aloe and Vitamin E unless it becomes a victim of the Obama-Nation ax. I can find far more suitable uses for my cutesy fabric stash.
Judy said
When I first read about this late last week, I cringed and wondered just how far the ALGORE kook-aid (not a typo) drinkers will go. As one who does other people’s laundry I am appalled! I do believe they’ve hit “bottom” with this idea. At least with washable feminine pads there are health benefits for the user and a good use for the water used pads are soaked in. I’ll stay with my double-ply, quilted, Charmin with Aloe and Vitamin E unless it becomes a victim of the Obama-Nation ax. I can find far more suitable uses for my cutesy fabric stash.
sarahtar said
A few comments: They ARE the pinnacle of free market capitalism. They are NOT more expensive than the “regular” TP over their usable lifespan. (I have a stash of about 3 dozen wipes, costing $33. They’ve lased well over 2 years. Our family would have spent waaay more than that on Angel Soft for 2+ years. I’m not sure how anyone could point who Whole Foods and say that free market principles don’t work.
Judy – you might be interested to know that I think Al Gore is full of it, nice job copying everyone else in the world on the “bottom” pun. I LOVE the washable pads for the same reason I love my washable wipes – softness and luxury! (PS, I don’t soak either wipes or pads and have very little staining. Unless you are really using your soak water for houseplants – few people actually do – consider forgoing the soaking.)
sarahtar said
A few comments: They ARE the pinnacle of free market capitalism. They are NOT more expensive than the “regular” TP over their usable lifespan. (I have a stash of about 3 dozen wipes, costing $33. They’ve lased well over 2 years. Our family would have spent waaay more than that on Angel Soft for 2+ years. I’m not sure how anyone could point who Whole Foods and say that free market principles don’t work.
Judy – you might be interested to know that I think Al Gore is full of it, nice job copying everyone else in the world on the “bottom” pun. I LOVE the washable pads for the same reason I love my washable wipes – softness and luxury! (PS, I don’t soak either wipes or pads and have very little staining. Unless you are really using your soak water for houseplants – few people actually do – consider forgoing the soaking.)
Khorum said
A few comments: They ARE the pinnacle of free market capitalism. I’m not sure how anyone could point who Whole Foods and say that free market principles don’t work.
Conservatives certainly wouldn’t ridicule Whole Foods for their capitalism (we ridicule them for other, infinitely more amusing reasons) but you have to recognize the irony here: Whole Foods and the entire “sustainable living” niche is guilty of all the opportunistic and exploitative tactics that liberals deplore laissez-faire capitalism of engendering!
From Starbucks’ Costa Rican plantations to the hilarity of organic farming all the way to the preposterous “value-added” price-scales that places like Whole Foods tries to foist on their gullible–and eager–customers. This is stuff that would get normal retailers picketted.
If you caught Walmart trying to put “ghetto-friendly” Snoop-Dogg(TM) branded lightbulbs and syringes on their inner-city store shelves, they’d be buried under an avalanche of the YouTube-ready liberal indignity that we’ve all come to love.
You won’t catch me complaining about Whole Foods’ antics though. Kudos to them. P.T. Barnum would be proud.
Khorum said
A few comments: They ARE the pinnacle of free market capitalism. I’m not sure how anyone could point who Whole Foods and say that free market principles don’t work.
Conservatives certainly wouldn’t ridicule Whole Foods for their capitalism (we ridicule them for other, infinitely more amusing reasons) but you have to recognize the irony here: Whole Foods and the entire “sustainable living” niche is guilty of all the opportunistic and exploitative tactics that liberals deplore laissez-faire capitalism of engendering!
From Starbucks’ Costa Rican plantations to the hilarity of organic farming all the way to the preposterous “value-added” price-scales that places like Whole Foods tries to foist on their gullible–and eager–customers. This is stuff that would get normal retailers picketted.
If you caught Walmart trying to put “ghetto-friendly” Snoop-Dogg(TM) branded lightbulbs and syringes on their inner-city store shelves, they’d be buried under an avalanche of the YouTube-ready liberal indignity that we’ve all come to love.
You won’t catch me complaining about Whole Foods’ antics though. Kudos to them. P.T. Barnum would be proud.
Andrew Roman said
Thank you for your kind reply.
Indeed, I certainly was having a touch of fun with this story, but I was, in no way, attacking anyone for using them. In fact, quite frankly, the entire thing fascinates me. That there aren’t more companies such as thing surprises me. Perhpas it’s more of an indictment on me for not being more “open” to it. LOL!
I’ll stick to my environmentally unfriendly Charmin Ultra.
And thanks for the correction … I’ve got “.com” on the brain!
Be well.
Andrew Roman
Brooklyn, NY
Andrew Roman said
Thank you for your kind reply.
Indeed, I certainly was having a touch of fun with this story, but I was, in no way, attacking anyone for using them. In fact, quite frankly, the entire thing fascinates me. That there aren’t more companies such as thing surprises me. Perhpas it’s more of an indictment on me for not being more “open” to it. LOL!
I’ll stick to my environmentally unfriendly Charmin Ultra.
And thanks for the correction … I’ve got “.com” on the brain!
Be well.
Andrew Roman
Brooklyn, NY