Selfsufficientish.com

Dock leaves!

Linda Cockburn, the Australian lady who wrote 'Living the Good Life' grew loofahs and used them in her composting toilet. I don't know if they'd grow in our climate or if they have a hardier relative??

Maybe you could get a second hand copy of this book for a penny plus postage. The cost of one packet of loo roll...

Or it may be available to your local library...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Shit-Woods- ... 128&sr=8-1

This thread really made me laugh It appeals to my advanced sense of toilet humour.

Now I've used some fairly industrial strength toilet paper in my time. My Grandmother insisted on using Izal Medicated Toilet Tissue, which I don't think is available any more. It was great for us to use as tracing paper as kids but as for wiping the nether regions, it was like playing Russian Roulette. Anybody who may remember this stuff will know that it has one shiny side and one matt side. It was absolutely vital to use the matt side against the rear end. Accidental use of the shiny side would result not in cleaning but 'smearing' all the way up your back, thus necessitating a quick switch to the matt side and frantic contortions to reach the smears, which could be up between your shoulder blades

Izal was used not so much to wipe as to 'scour' your bum clean. As for using a loofah ...well why not just use a cheese-grater instead? It would be similar in comfort levels! (also great cure for piles).

I remember that stuff at school.

I've just decided to skip breakfast.

Cligereen wrote:This thread really made me laugh It appeals to my advanced sense of toilet humour.

Now I've used some fairly industrial strength toilet paper in my time. My Grandmother insisted on using Izal Medicated Toilet Tissue, which I don't think is available any more. It was great for us to use as tracing paper as kids but as for wiping the nether regions, it was like playing Russian Roulette. Anybody who may remember this stuff will know that it has one shiny side and one matt side. It was absolutely vital to use the matt side against the rear end. Accidental use of the shiny side would result not in cleaning but 'smearing' all the way up your back, thus necessitating a quick switch to the matt side and frantic contortions to reach the smears, which could be up between your shoulder blades

Izal was used not so much to wipe as to 'scour' your bum clean. As for using a loofah ...well why not just use a cheese-grater instead? It would be similar in comfort levels! (also great cure for piles).

I howled out loud reading this to my OH.
I remember Izal very well, cligereen, horrible stuff. I'm afraid your Grandmother did you a great disservice though, the way to use it comfortably, and remove the inherent smear factor, was to scrunch it up and scrub it for a few seconds - softened it up a treat and no smudges.

I never had this problem as I never ever pood at school. It wasn't much good to mop up pees though but we did do the Green Aura scrunching trick; really it was the only way.

Old Jerry are you put off your lunch now too?

yep, who needs Big Al's diet thread ?!

No, sorry, our carbon footprint is very small, the bin is not used, we grow most of what we consume, but the butt print will remain fluffy, it's just the Brit in me.

Didn't the Romans use a sponge on the end of a stick? Remember seeing a documentary about Hadians Wall that mentioned this.

Perhaps they still do, not sure, I have not been.
One of the first thngs I made when we started out was a super duper waste disposal system. we are on mains sewerage, but decided to lower our inpact as much as poss. It is a thing to behold. Actualy it is out of site completly now, underground. It is quite simple is design. We had lots of help, but it is a seris of chambers about 40 mtrs away from the house (although I know a chap that has the same thing right next to the house). There are two of us here, sometimes family on holiday from tthe UK, and a washing machine. It all goes in the tank. It is mixture of blocks, rocks and mrtar. From the final tank I dug in one of those 4 inch slotted land dranage pipes and extended it 10 mtrs. It has an inspection lid, and I look once a year, nothing, I don't know how it does it, but it does.

Keaniebean (hope this is ok to mention Sarah!) had an interesting post on her blog about washable toilet wipes, you will see I got in there straight away with the killer question, like the Jeremy Paxman of eco toilet solutions ;-).

I remember Izal toilet roll, we had it at school and we always assumed it was because our school had absolutely no money. Then one day one of us actually saw it for sale in a shop and said it was more expensive than andrex, so I can only assume there was a vein of sadism in the toilet-roll-purchasing-department for impoverished comprehensives in the 80s-90s.

merlin wrote:Perhaps they still do, not sure, I have not been.
One of the first thngs I made when we started out was a super duper waste disposal system. we are on mains sewerage, but decided to lower our inpact as much as poss. It is a thing to behold. Actualy it is out of site completly now, underground. It is quite simple is design. We had lots of help, but it is a seris of chambers about 40 mtrs away from the house (although I know a chap that has the same thing right next to the house). There are two of us here, sometimes family on holiday from tthe UK, and a washing machine. It all goes in the tank. It is mixture of blocks, rocks and mrtar. From the final tank I dug in one of those 4 inch slotted land dranage pipes and extended it 10 mtrs. It has an inspection lid, and I look once a year, nothing, I don't know how it does it, but it does.

is that a septic tank you built? did you do it yourself?