Realizing that it could be a while before toilet paper becomes readily available, I extended my current supply by making reusable “P-Squares,” saving the paper for more urgent business.
I took a flannel towel and cut it into 3″ x 3″ squares, then placed a stack of squares in each bathroom. I liberated clean Coffee Mate jugs from my recycling stash, and use them to collect the violated pee squares. The flannel is softer and more absorbent than toilet paper, so it’s been an easy transition.
When I start a load of laundry, I empty the jugs into the washer. The first time I washed the squares, there were edge threads to pull, but subsequent washings produced fewer and fewer threads. Sometimes I find laundered pee squares inside a shirt sleeve, or clinging to a kitchen towel.
So that’s the downside – maintenance – but what else do I have to do with my time? The P-Square hide and seek and de-threading are nice diversions, akin to meditating. And now that I’ve begun using flannel to blow my nose and wipe up spills, our paper stash will last two to three times longer.
Camille Armantrout
Date: Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:21:56 -0400
From: Camille
Subject: TP Alternative