Reusable Toilet wipes
George Reisman writes to tell us of the newest environmental craze: family wipes. Scary.
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Comments (41)
actually i couldn´t stop laughing.
Published: August 26, 2008 5:26 PM
Why not just go back to the "left hand and a bucket of water" method still in use throughout the third world? Seems like a win-win to me...no eco-destructive paper or poop swatches to launder.
Puh-leeze...
Published: August 26, 2008 6:25 PM
Better yet, these wackos should just use large leaves. Having spend part of my youth in the country I can recommend them when nothing else is available. Be careful of your leave selection though.
Published: August 26, 2008 6:41 PM
I find it sad. People like those peddling these things to the gullible are taking advantage of the illiteracy in economics that many suffer. If one were to accept the idea of the wiping cloths, where would you place them after use? You would still need to wash them. You think you can just throw them with the rest of the laundry? Gasp!
When we were babies, my siblings and I used cloth diapers. My mom had to wash them in boiling water, for sanitary reasons. Takes energy to boil water... lots of energy.
There are no savings in using these wipes - it costs more to buy and keep than toilet paper, which is biodegradable anyway.
While they are at it, why not re-introduce the pissing pot??
Published: August 26, 2008 7:36 PM
How is this so laughable? If I recall correctly, the ancient Romans used moss to wipe their hind-ends. Just because toilet paper is the 'norm' doesn't mean it's laughable.
I do doubt it's economical efficiency, though, given it takes a lot of washing. I know from experience that cloth diapers, while requiring more energy to clean, were far less expensive than their store-bought counterparts. Toilet-paper is pretty cheap, though, so I can't imagine this beating that.
Published: August 26, 2008 9:04 PM
I love how these people think that being less efficient is somehow better for the environment.
Published: August 26, 2008 9:14 PM
I'll never shake the hand of a Über Green ever again.
Published: August 26, 2008 10:30 PM
Choices . . . the more the better. False advertising is a common criticism of 'capitalist' enterprises but most of the time it is motivated by ignorant biases towards economic science that allows humans to be subjective beings.
As an alternative, this one (reusable wipes) is plausible but some of the claims about environmental benefits are questionable. Some independent testing (which would be done in a free market because it is a valuable service) would help people make informed decisions.
Taken as a whole - environmental, hygene, convenience, cost, etc. - this enterprise probably will be marginal at best.
Published: August 26, 2008 10:43 PM
Three seashells again ?
Perhaps we need a new Federal Department of Butt-Wiping
Published: August 26, 2008 10:56 PM
Perhaps we need a new Federal Department of Butt-Wiping
John McCain wants to award a $100m prize to the person who comes up with the most environmentally friendly way to wipe your ass! Free market economics triumphs again :-)
Published: August 26, 2008 11:03 PM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 26, 2008 11:59 PM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:00 AM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:01 AM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:02 AM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:02 AM
Third world...that's because America and American thinking constitutes as the only right way of thinking...
Maybe Italy and Austria are also third world. They too was their rear. We make fun of the french for not wearing deodorant, but how about the 99% of americans who carry turd around all day How about the many people in corporate america who take a dump and never wash their hands. Yeah sure there is no way fecal matter can transfer onto their hands.
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
However having said all that, this is a really dumb freakin idea. There exists technology to decompose plastic fairly quickly, it just needs to be deployed. Beside, wipes are sold no in thin resealable plastic bags now. So why the need for all this crap.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:03 AM
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Published: August 27, 2008 12:17 AM
Anyone proposing such an absurdity as reusable butt wipes needs to be sedated. Maybe they should be lobotomized too - just to be safe.
Have these enviro-freaks ever considered what it takes to make a piece of cloth reusable after THAT? Harsh detergents have to be produced, packaged and shipped so that these nuts can do their business with clean material. How does any of this possibly improve the environment over toilet paper?
Or maybe the point is that it has nothing to do with Mother Earth and everything to do with garnering attention from those of us that have not gone 'round the bend.
These people need therapy. Lots of it.
Published: August 27, 2008 12:35 AM
Yes its easy to ridicule - I too had a good chortle at this absurdity.
But hey, lets not forget why we are here. If this product finds a market and sells enough to stay in business, who are we to criticise the ultimate authority, namely the consumer? And if it fails and sinks into obscurity, thats fine too. You doint know until the results are in.
good luck to 'em. I won't be buying any, tho'.
Published: August 27, 2008 1:50 AM
True, David Ch, we can't measure the utility these people gain by rubbing their arse crack with a colorful piece of cloth. Nor can we measure the utility of washing fecal matter out of that cloth.
A bit of logic may destroy that utility.
Published: August 27, 2008 2:21 AM
I'm not an expert on these things, but getting a cloth clean of fecal matter probably isn't very efficient in terms of water and other resources.
Also, there is no way that storing fecal matter and urine covered cloths in a pail is sanitary. I mean, there is a very good reason why we have taken extensive steps to insure that there is some distance between our living quarters and our waste.
So to maintain any standard of sanitation, those cloths would have to be washed right after use. Which is hardly a good way to save energy and resources.
Published: August 27, 2008 2:35 AM
"left hand and a bucket of water" - you find this funny? lol thats what i do mate- but actually we have one of those toilet seats that come with a water sprinkler - if you Americans were so civilized why is your hole browner than mine :P
but the family wipes idea lol i can't imagine sharing with another person! "shudder"
Published: August 27, 2008 3:47 AM
Weirdly enough the ancient romans used a communal sponge which was soaked in vinegar.
There is nothing new under the sun.
Published: August 27, 2008 3:59 AM
Ha ha. He doesn't know how to use the three shells!
Published: August 27, 2008 7:16 AM
Haas: The toilet with a water sprinkler is an idea I could definitely get behind (so to speak). I'm not sure why they haven't caught on in the U.S. Personally, I'd prefer that over toilet paper, as I'm a stickler for a squeaky clean backside. But the left hand in the crack? I'm not so sure. I guess it could be sanitary if you wash your hands afterward. Of course, that depends on people actually washing their hands, which we all know is suspect.
Personally, the family wipes would have to go the moment I walked into the bathroom and was knocked over by the smell from the poo-pail.
But yeah...the market will decide if they sink or swim. Just don't take away my two-ply, ultra-cushioned, pillowy, super absorbent, floral print TP!
Published: August 27, 2008 8:32 AM
Personally, I like using baby wipes on my bum. Always feels fresh. :P
Published: August 27, 2008 8:37 AM
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
After living in a third-world country for a couple of years, I desperately want a bidet in my house.
Published: August 27, 2008 9:20 AM
I still think the Mises Institute should seriously take up my idea of selling Fiat Paper Currency Toilet Paper. It gets the point across succinctly, and it might attract lots of media PR, contributions, and new fans.
Not sure what kind of environmental and safety standards would need to be met with colored dyes (but if they're already eaten, rubbing shouldn't be any more hazardous), but it seems like something that could be outsourced to a third party producer.
If not toilet paper, then paper towels, napkins, paper tissues ... you could do a whole line of mocking Fiat Paper Currency products as disposable trash.
It's possible a simple message product like that could trump every libertarian book ever written on money in terms of marketing effectiveness of changing opinion. And it could be a million times more lucrative than the money clip.
Who wouldn't want to wipe their ass with dollars? Do it! Already.
Published: August 27, 2008 9:50 AM
great suggestion, rtr.
i can't imagine mises.org getting away with it scot free. but a lawsuit might be just what the doctor ordered for a bit of profile building.
Published: August 27, 2008 11:16 AM
1) I'd like to order a white one pimped with a brown stripe down the middle.
2) Does the supplier offer a guarentee against ware and tare. After all, I'm going to be pulling it through my ass.
3) RTR, I love your idea. I've already got suggestions for our South African Rand:
http://tinyurl.com/6ktt3n
Published: August 27, 2008 11:54 AM
Why wipe at all? As a runner, I find a little bit of bowel goo really lubricates the buttocks.
Published: August 27, 2008 1:30 PM
Just make sure no one's being coerced into using the communal wipe. As long as it's voluntary, let people wipe the way they will. While your at it, write anarcho-capitalism on your squares of toilet paper.
Published: August 27, 2008 2:02 PM
How's this for ew!-factor?
When people try it and find out how much trouble it really is, maybe a market will develop for Certified Pre-Owned cow-print cloth @$$-wipes...lmao.
This is a niche product that the true die-hard greenies will clean using water boiled in solar-thermal ovens.
I could get behind RTR's Fiat TP idea.
Published: August 27, 2008 2:26 PM
A niche product that true die-hard greenies can clean using water boiled in solar-thermal ovens.
Once they find out how much trouble it really is, maybe a market will develop for Certified Pre-Owned Cow-Print cloth @$$-wipes?
I agree with RTR's Fiat TP idea. Great minds think a pint :)
Published: August 27, 2008 2:33 PM
This might be news to you, but we are one of the few countries in the world that don't wash their rear end (and that includes first world countries).
As far as I know, countries don't have rear ends, and therefore countries don't have anything to wash, wipe or otherwise.
Only people do, and I for one am as well-washed as any Italian, I can tell you that much. I haven't conducted a scientific evaluation, mind you, but I'd put my ass up against anybody's.
Published: August 27, 2008 4:18 PM
Sort of like the Jones Soda idea, all the politicians can compete with each other to see whose portrait is the most requested to be on the reusable toilet wipes.
"No statesmen allowed" which means that only Ron Paul is exempt!
Published: August 27, 2008 8:41 PM
http://www.answers.com/country&r=67
coun·try (kŭn'trē) pronunciation
n., pl. -tries.
1.
1. A nation or state.
2. The territory of a nation or state; land.
3. The people of a nation or state; populace: The whole country will profit from the new economic reforms.
2. The land of a person's birth or citizenship: Foreign travel is restricted in his country.
3. A region, territory, or large tract of land distinguishable by features of topography, biology, or culture: hill country; Bible country.
4. An area or expanse outside cities and towns; a rural area: a vacation in the country.
5. Law. A jury.
6. Informal. Country music.
adj.
1. Of, relating to, or typical of the country: a country road; country cooking.
2. Of or relating to country music.
Published: August 28, 2008 1:37 AM
President Gerald Ford got a jump on you all. Do you not recall his strategy to defeat inflation--the W.I.N buttons--Wipe Inflation Now!. The original typesetters misspelled the word "Wipe". So, use almost worthless currency to W.I.N..
On a more serious note, if someone really wants to sell such cloth T.P. on a free and voluntary basis to willing customers, let them do so. No subsidies, coersion, regulations, etc
Published: August 28, 2008 11:56 AM
fiat toilet paper
Published: August 28, 2008 3:51 PM
As my witty and informative initial post (with links to the high-end Japanese toilets) earlier last week appears to have been flushed, I leave with a simple appeal to Mr. Tucker that he provide a link to the comments of Dr. Reisman that he references.
Not merely is it good practice to provide links when citing, but many of us are no doubt frustrated that they cannot catch pearls of insight directly from Dr. Reisman`s lips.
Published: August 31, 2008 5:03 AM
My vote's for going back to using corn cobs--and that could be an additional benefit to the corn farmers.
I like the 3-pack: two reds and a white.
First, you wipe with a red one. Then you wipe with the white--to see if you need to use the other red.
Published: September 2, 2008 10:27 AM