Tuesday, Mar. 03, 2009

Reusable Toilet Wipes

The Problem: America has a ravenous appetite for comfy toilet paper. The softer, the better. But what's good for the tush isn't good for the environment — soft toilet paper doesn't contain any recycled material and is often made from old-growth forests. A waste expert called soft toilet paper "a lot worse than driving a Hummer" in terms of environmental impact.

The Solution: Europeans use toilet paper with a greater proportion of recycled fiber. But for the true eco-warrior, there's an even more environmentally friendly solution — reusable toilet wipes. Made of cloth, reusable wipes offer all the comfort of the triple-ply, ultra-quilted toilet paper roll with none of the nasty tree-killing consequences. Instead, there's only the little matter of storing and washing dozens of waste-covered pieces of cloth. Every week. It's a tough sell, but one manufacturer promises they don't stink and sells wet bags to contain the dirty wipes.

Eco Craziness: 5/5. The cloth wipes are even sold in "funky and fun" combinations. We're willing to bet they're funky, especially after a week in the wet bag. Fun? Not so much.

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