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Cleaning Up:  Question about economy and ecology  |
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl
544 Posts
Allison
Fort Scott
KS
USA
544 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 11 2006 : 5:08:19 PM
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It's still more ecological to handwash if you don't keep the water running and just use 2-3 gallons of water total. Plus my water heater is set around 110 and I only use hot water for the wash and not the rinses. A dishwasher is never going to match that water and heater use...(says the girl who hauled water in Alaska and knows exactly how much water is absolutely necessary to wash dishes  ). I saw no reason to change the way I did dishes just because we moved back to America and had a faucet....It's still 3 tubs (now 2 small sinks and a tub) one for wash and 2 for rinse. |
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CityCat
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Catherine
Toronto
Ontario
Canada
198 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2006 : 10:03:43 PM
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I know that urine is inherently sterile. I'm concerned with wiping my bits with cloth tp that has previously been used to clean "back there". That would definitely help to facilitate the transmission of bacteria, and potentially start a urinary tract infection, more likely in women than in men (the length of the urethra is key here). So, do you have different cloth tp designated for when you pee or poo? That's the only way I can see that bacterial transmission could be limited. -Cat
ps. Urine is not recommended for jellyfish stings. Experts recommend carefully scraping off any tentacles that have adhered to the skin and treating the sting with vinegar, baking soda, or ice packs. The myth is that the ammonia in urine is supposed to neutralize the nematocysts (stinging bits of a jellyfish), but it really doesn't do even an adequate job. |
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl
544 Posts
Allison
Fort Scott
KS
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2006 : 10:23:13 PM
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| Wouldn't that mean our kids would always be getting UTIs since we diaper them in cloth diapers? My daughter never had a UTI and she used to avoid being changed after pooping and she'd sit all over it....used to drive me nuts. Also, like with cloth diapers, you can flush the toilet and "rinse" the cloth while holding it. Maybe for some folks who are prone to infections, it's not a good idea, but I still advocate for some other method besides paper. The most common one in pioneer days was using yellow dock leaves. I've thought of that, but my climate doesn't treat it well (or I'd be growing my own TP). |
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Juliekay
True Blue Farmgirl
237 Posts
237 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2006 : 07:25:37 AM
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Rabbithorns,
Do you use a new cloth after each time you go to the bathroom? After spending time in India that seems a lot better than the water bucket and ladle method of cleaning oneself. The left hand is for removing the gunk while your right hand pours the water. You squat over the hole in the floor while you do it. So this method is comparitively nice, at least to me.
If a person were worried about germs couldn't they do a rinse of the cloths in vinegar for a final rinse?
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl
544 Posts
Allison
Fort Scott
KS
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2006 : 08:38:45 AM
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Lots of my friends do the India thing. I hear lots about the squatting holes. Alaska was pretty much like that, too, as we had a 2-hole outhouse. But if we'd used water for cleaning we'd have literally frozen our you-know-whats off.
I take a new cloth each time I use the toilet. It's just a 6x6 square of old t-shirt folded in half and sewn together. Then the used one goes in a tin bucket with a lid. Once or twice a week, I wash them in hot water and dry them in full sun to disinfect. I might start adding a vinegar rinse - good idea. They never smell or anything. And the sun here really does quite the job! Lavendar also disinfects. Maybe I'll do a second rinse with a drop of that to sweeten the experience! |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 13 2006 : 08:59:22 AM
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This is turning into a fascinationg discussion. At the risk of going off topic, I used to work at a colonial era living history museum and I was told by the staff there that there is no documentation of what colonial Americans used for tp. Simply, no one left any written record that mentioned it. There was plenty of speculation, of course, and all of the methods you've mentioned here were candidates. Since you guys seem to be more expert in this than the staff at the museum, anyone ever seen any definitive research on colonial wiping methods?
At any rate, if this message board somehow survives archivally, historians of the future will have plenty of info on our toilet habits! |
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Juliekay
True Blue Farmgirl
237 Posts
237 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 05:31:49 AM
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| On Frontier House, the frontier experts said that the little cloth method was the one to use. Each person had their own cloth on a peg in the outhouse. I can't remember if they used a new one each time though. I rather think they washed it out with soap and water after each use and hung it back up to dry for the next time. |
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl
1210 Posts
Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 07:01:11 AM
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To tell you the truth, I had never thought about what the settlers used for tp until this thread, *and* I never thought it would be this interesting! It's amazing, though, how many new & interesting things I'm learning about and exploring.
Some people search for happiness; others create it.
http://happymama58.typepad.com/my_weblog/ |
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sonflowergurl
True Blue Farmgirl
349 Posts
Katee
Tampa 'Burbs
FL
USA
349 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 07:19:55 AM
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LOL, I haven't read this thread in awhile... interesting conversation, very informative!
Katee
The end will justify the pain it took to get us here.
"Looking Toward the Son"---- http://sonflowergirl731.blogspot.com
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl
544 Posts
Allison
Fort Scott
KS
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 09:27:18 AM
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Oh, THANK YOU! I really prefer the one cloth per person and wash it out each time. Otherwise I have to have a stack of clean clothes per person and a bin in each bathroom for dirty. Then what if we run out during the week....Now it's just a matter of not wasting water rinsing them out, AND not contaminating a crock of washing water. Hmmm....any more info from Frontier House on that?
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Juliekay
True Blue Farmgirl
237 Posts
237 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 11:27:16 AM
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You know Rabbit, (you don't mind if I call you Rabbit do you? It just a bit quicker than the full name), I really can't remember every detail. Maybe if you rented it or could find a discussion forum about it on the net you could find out. But I definitely remember that each person had their own cloth and was responsible for rinsing it out each time. I think it was a jug of water and a bar of soap in the outhouse.
Julie |
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rabbithorns
True Blue Farmgirl
544 Posts
Allison
Fort Scott
KS
USA
544 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 4:45:09 PM
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| I saw some of the Colonial House series but toally missed Frontier House and that's the one I really wished I could have participated in (I read an article about it). Always wanted to be Laura Ingalls when I grew up! Maybe my library has Frontier House. I'll check it out. |
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LJRphoto
True Blue Farmgirl
760 Posts
Laura
Hickory Corners
MI
USA
760 Posts |
Posted - Apr 14 2006 : 8:40:08 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by rabbithorns
Wouldn't that mean our kids would always be getting UTIs since we diaper them in cloth diapers? My daughter never had a UTI and she used to avoid being changed after pooping and she'd sit all over it....used to drive me nuts. Also, like with cloth diapers, you can flush the toilet and "rinse" the cloth while holding it. Maybe for some folks who are prone to infections, it's not a good idea, but I still advocate for some other method besides paper. The most common one in pioneer days was using yellow dock leaves. I've thought of that, but my climate doesn't treat it well (or I'd be growing my own TP).
Children, especially girls, often do get urinary tract infections from sitting in dirty diapers. However, as women get older they are more prone to infections. The reason i was given is that the sphincter in the urethra "relaxes" as we get older allowing bacteria to move in more easily.
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause and reflect." -Mark Twain
http://ljrenterprises.blogspot.com/ |
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Cleaning Up: Question about economy and ecology |
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Question about economy and ecology
