3 Squares

The title of this post does not refer to the amount of healthy meals that I consume in a day, though it would still be an accurate description.  No, this post is about toilet paper.  Yes, this is yet another toilet paper blog post.

I guess that I've been thinking a lot about toilet paper this month.  First it was my post wondering about crumpling v folding TP.  Then I informed the readership about the existence of reusable toilet paper, AKA family cloth.  Now this. . .

It goes without saying that I am not interested at all in using family cloth for #2, but I've determined that I'm not quite crunchy enough to try family cloth at this time.  It doesn't make me squeamish to use a square of fabric to wipe after I pee, but it does bother me that people might think I'm a complete and total weirdo for doing it.  What can I say, every now and then I actually give a rip about what other people think.

However, I still am interested in lowering the cost of my toilet paper burden.  So, instead of exploring family cloth options, I decided that I'd look at my disposable toilet paper relationship.  I had been a crumpler of toilet paper and, at the urging of a friend, I tried the folding technique.  I did not like it the first day or so that I tried it, but I chalked it up to the impossibly thin and rough one-ply paper that we typically have at home.  I purchased a different brand of TP at the store and continued my TP-folding experiment.

The two-ply offered an immediate difference.  It was much softer and, when folded, it was twice the thickness and was far more absorbent.  I felt encouraged with this finding and I continued to experiment with finding a good folding technique.

I think that I have found folded toilet paper perfection.

I started off with the bare minimum; one square of TP.  Needless to say, it was not enough and my fingers were wet with urine after wiping.  Gross!  I bumped it up to two squares of toilet paper and my fingers continued to suffer a damp result.  Still friggin' gross!  I doubled it to four squares and all was well; my fingers weren't wet and the toilet paper did the job.  Success!  I backed it down to three squares of toilet paper and I think I have found the perfect balance.  Yay!

I was always a crumpler so this has been a major change in my toilet technique.  Three squares, folded over, keeps my digits dry and dries my underside quite nicely.  To me, this is the perfect balance of cleanliness and frugality.

Have you been thinking about how you use toilet paper or considering family cloth?  Share your thoughts below and let start a blog dialog!