Look, we all do it.
Whether it happens throughout the day or just once, we all go to the bathroom. It's a natural part of life like breathing air and drinking water.
Advert
Most parts of Western society have a pretty stock standard set up for a restroom: you've got the toilet, some toilet paper and at least a sink to wash your hands.
Some people prefer wet wipes over normal toilet paper for different reasons, but at the end of the day, it all ends up in the bowl to be flushed.
But in the spirit of recycling, a new trend has emerged and it's leaving people shaken.
Introducing: reusable toilet paper.
Yeah, it's a thing, also known as the 'family cloth'.
Grassroots retailers on Etsy have been jumping on the bandwagon of producing 'washable', 'reusable', 'eco-friendly' family cloths.
You get a set of square or rectangular pieces of cloth that you're supposed to wipe your bum with, chuck in a laundry bin of sorts and then someone (bagsy not me) has to chuck it in the washing machine and try not to get any nasty stuff on their fingers or hands.
Some products come in plain white whereas others have colourful designs and funny phrases.
If you think this is some niche business model, there are more than 300 products on Etsy alone, with probably hundreds more elsewhere.
Advert
One blogger has written a step-by-step guide on their 'routine' which is probably far too much information, but then again, it's the internet and some people might find the details quite interesting.
WATCH: Thank your lucky stars you're not this guy
Red & Honey's Beth Ricci got started on the trend after using the cloths for her three babies and thought it would be a pretty good economic adjustment.
Advert
"Save money. Save the environment. Those are big enough reasons for me. You may make a different choice for your family, and that's cool too," she wrote.
"I find it so much more comfortable and luxurious feeling. I feel cleaner. I also use it for 'that time of the month' which is extra-awesome. We ladies tend to feel icky in those days because it's tough to get totally clean with just paper. With a warm, wet cloth, I feel like I'm actually getting 100 percent clean."
At the end of the day, the majority who use toilet paper are literally flushing money away and a cloth would be a good way to be eco-friendlier. But you can guarantee there would be fights over who would have to be the one to do the laundry when the bag gets full.
Featured Image Credit: PixabayTopics: Viral, Interesting, Community, Weird, Recycling