Sure there are other alternatives to toilet paper, but are they the best alternatives? After a while you may run out of those alternatives too. You can use cloth for your toilet paper, even a “family cloth,” and it’s not as odd or repellent as it may sound. We get to that in a bit but what you really want to do is make your own toilet paper:
You can use newspaper, general paper and even magazines as long as they do not have a shiny gloss. You will also want to add ingredients such as baby oil, lotions or aloe in order to keep the paper from hardening.
1. The first step would be to remove as much ink as possible from the paper, by soaking it in a tub or a bucket. Afterwards take the paper and place it in a pot with leaves and grass which will help the fibers remain together. The pot should be filled with water so that it completely covers the paper and then left to simmer.
2. After an hour of simmering comes about half an hour of boiling at high temperatures. It’s ok to add more water if necessary. You will also need to remove the foam which begins to rise to the top, as this is mostly ink, glue and other materials you don’t want.
3. Eventually, the paper turns into a pulp. At this time you will have to remove the water but without disturbing the pulp. Try to remove as much as possible and then simply wait for it to cool before removing the rest of the water. The pulp also needs to be taken out in order to remove the water, but it should not be done so that the pulp becomes completely dry. Once this is done the pulp is put back in the pot and it is mixed with the softening oils.
4. Once this step is complete, it is time to scoop out the pulp. Do it in chunks and place them on a towel or a cloth on a flat surface. Afterwards you will use a rolling pin in order to spread out the pulp in a thin layer. Try to make it as thin as possible. A mallet can be used to gently deal with any lumps that might appear.
5. Now another towel or cloth should be placed on top of the layer as to create a sandwich. On top of this place something flat and rigid and then something heavy. You can even walk on it if you want. The goal here is to remove all the excess water.
6. If this is done you can remove the items placed on top. Be careful with the second towel as you do not want it to stick to the pulp. In order to remove the towel on the bottom, you will have to flip it all upside down. Do not try to remove the pulp off the towel.
Allow the big layer of thin paper to dry in the sun and, after cutting, you will have your own homemade toilet paper!
To learn more and if you are interested in making cloth toilet paper go on over to Survivopedia.
Remember, T.P. will be vital when it comes to survival. After all, we may be able to go without some luxuries but wiping our bum, for comfort and hygiene purposes, is a MUST!
Die hard survivor post the answer without asking for anything bye
Hygiene will be necessary. Not toilet paper. 2/3 of the worlds population does not use TP.
In the woods leaves work
Snow balls work the best. Wipes and washes in one stroke.
Bumm-er topic…
why not have every family mbr use a personal “rag” and wash/rinse and dry with every use…
I always make sure I have plenty of Poison Oak, Poison Ivy, Stinging Nettle and Poison Sumac growing near me to use for$#%&!@*wipe.
are you sure?
I have read the suggestion to use the plant Lamb’s Ear. This probably won’t work well with regular flush toilets.
What did we use before it was invented
Your left hand.
water and a rag will do just fine
Heck, society will be broken. Might as well grow some dingleberries. 😀
Leaves
Old timeres
Leaves
Corn husk
Newspaper
Libs money
But they use 3 quarters. 2 dimes an a nickel
And most just walk around with
Dingle berrys
Have nice day
Truley in old days leaves
But alot of ppl smelt like$#%&!@*im told
But hell alot if ppl now smell like s**t
Old timers in summer would$#%&!@*in outhouse go to creek an wash$#%&!@*But now days most ppl dont even wash there$#%&!@*dont figure dingleberrys
Yep…keep plenty of Clorox or some sort of bleach and soap on hand. Also have ready where some ppl keep a spray bottle on hand to wash afterwards.
Storing magazines that arent glossy and news paper is good…it stacks and stores much better than big bundles of TP.
That worked 85 to 100 years.m ago….
Ppl used Sears and Robuck catalogs.
Funny how no one said water….
Moss is a wonderful spongy substitute
We got two hundred and forty acres of corn cobs, you know what I will be using,,LMBO,, LOL
A rag and a creek, rinse and repeat!
I think cloth is the way to go. People still use cloth diapers, which is really the same thing, and they can be used for menstrual flow, too. Yes you have to clean them, but they are reusable until they are but rags. I guess if all you know is paper towels and paper diapers, you might have trouble envisioning it.
After reading that I’m thinking a spray bottle with water and drip dry!
Sears catalog……oh wait