Have you found a greener alternative to wipes?

pira114 wrote:
I'm not inclined to give up my baby wipes just yet. But don't use them as much maybe as some.

But I never flush them. They get burned. Rarely thrown in trash. But where I live, we burn most of our trash. In campgrounds, I don't put anything down their black dump I wouldn't put in my black tank.

+1

Great post, and good reminder. I have had the same box of babywipes for at least two years, we used them when dry camping and water was an issue. Now, I won't buy them again.

I'm not inclined to give up my baby wipes just yet. But don't use them as much maybe as some.

But I never flush them. They get burned. Rarely thrown in trash. But where I live, we burn most of our trash. In campgrounds, I don't put anything down their black dump I wouldn't put in my black tank.

magnusfide wrote:

atreis wrote:
Paper towels are convenient. Cut up pieces of flannel work wonderfully and last many years, saving money as well.

Do you use them as fire starter or do you wash them thus using water and detergent:W

I wash them with the laundry. There aren't enough to add to the number of loads we do, so no additional soap and very minimal water needed.

I bought a package of "bar towels" in WalMart or somewhere similar. White terry cloth and great for wiping/cleaning... and wash when needed. I also can bleach them when they get too grungy looking or I have done especially nasty cleaning. cheap enough that if I really think they are too nasty, I don't mind trashing.

I've always used wash clothes, and washed them for re-use. Water, or soap and water, does the job.

For bigger tasks, I like cotton knits like t-shirts, and gauze weaves like the old-fashioned cloth diapers from 50-60 years ago. Still have some of those, they last forever.

We saw first hand last summer what all those wipes, including the flushable ones do to a sewer system. We overnighted at Spring Creek, Big Timber, MT. Went to dump the tanks the following morning and the manager was there liberally sprinkling lime all over the area. I thought it was just a spill, nope totally filled the system and it overflowed all over. It was the third time that season. The wipes that were used and put in the black water tanks totally plugged up the sewer system. I felt so bad for him, he said he couldn't understand what people were thinking. I decided that no matter how bad a day I had it would still be a good one cause I wasn't the one dealing with that mess. We use wipes but they never go into our tanks, we put them in the garbage.

Hmmm... I like the microfiber idea. They would dry fast.

Back home, I am always working on the house, so I have a mountain of rags made from old clothes :).

I use micro fiber towels. Not the cheap ones that simply push the water around, but better quality ones that sop up water, and more. I even dust with them now cus I can wring them almost dry.

My DH is in construction and we use the rags they sell at the paint stores. It's basically cut up t shirts. It's inexpensive, and if they get really gross,I throw them away. Plus the pieces are small so they're convenient to use. Love them at home and in the RV.