One of my most-clicked on and linked to posts is this one from two years' ago about giving up the paper towel addiction. I thought you might like a little update...
the bar towels lasted two years, I just replaced them last week
(stains, and some little holes - they are re-purposed, don't worry)
here's a comparison of one of the few decent ones that was left - pretty good! I think two years is a great run for these kitchen not-paper-towels.
here are the new ones - I went with white again, it's my favorite towel color for any type of towel (no fading, can be washed on super-hot, and they can be bleached if necessary)
need a closeup? they're the same brand again from Target in the kitchen towel section
here are the pretty new towels ready for action - I'm convinced that putting them in this container is the only reason I stuck with this plan for the past two years
After 2 years of living with this complete revamping of my kitchen clean up lifestyle, here's how you can learn from my experiment if you were to try to do this yourself.
Love that you've made it 2 years with no paper towels! We've been "off" our paper towel addiction for a good 5+ years and honestly, we don't miss them. =)
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get the container?
ReplyDeleteTarget - it's Anchor Hocking - they have them at Wal-Mart, Amazon...
DeleteLove this idea and your fabric napkin idea. May have to add this to my fall/winter to-do list I'm working on :)
ReplyDeleteI use bar mop towels for cleaning, but My family uses paper towels after washing their hands. I think its more sanitary. What about window cleaning? What do you use?
ReplyDeleteI'm the same with using paper towels in the guest bathroom. For cleaning windows I actually use newspaper. Then throw them in the recycling. They're great for a streak-free clean.
DeleteWe use different towels in the bathrooms and I try to change them daily -- but I can totally see the paper towel argument :)
DeleteFor window cleaning I use a squeegee and dish soap when I do all the windows and a microfiber cloth for windows and mirrors for smaller jobs.
You can always use coffee filters too or rags for windows if you are not a coffee drinker.
DeleteI love these towels, I use them in my kitchen too! Great idea to cut out the papertowels!!! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ali!
DeleteI've been paper towel free for almost 2 years - well nearly! I still have a few rolls around, one is still under the sink for really icky messes, but I am not sure where those came from still because I no longer buy them! Maybe it is my hubby? :-)
ReplyDeleteThey'll sneak back in :) I do have a roll on hand 'just in case' there's a gross mess. Otherwise I'd be throwing out towels!
DeleteI went paper towel free a long time ago. I love it. It's so much cheaper, great for the environment, less garbage can fill up and they are way more absorbent then a paper towel.
ReplyDeleteBecause of your post, we went paperless as well. First it was the napkins (haven't looked back), then the towels. We still have paper towels only because we had some, but never use them. When we move, we'll donate them to the church (along with the paper napkins). :-) Thanks for the tips!!!
ReplyDeleteYay! Thanks for letting me know - I love that!
DeleteI LOVE this idea for the kitchen. I'd still use paper towels in our guest bathroom...but for the kitchen this would cut down our use so much!! Thanks for the challenge... I'm accepting!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Kathy!
DeleteWe don't use paper towels either. I keep a roll, but it last forevvvver now. I don't use them, and neither does my husband, so I guess it's the kids. It's a habit I picked up from my mother in law.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to try this!
ReplyDeleteOh my!! We use hand towels as well as paper towels and dish rags, but NEVER thought to let them dry before I put them in the dirty basket for dirty rags, lol. MY kitchen thanks you soo much and our noses too!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow do you break your husband of this????? I can use only towels, he however makes up for what I don't use plus some. Talking does not work... LOL!
ReplyDeleteWhat happens if you just stop buying them?
DeleteDitto SolaceMama. :)
DeleteI use towels in the kitchen, but I still keep paper towels around. I am thinking I need to stock up on more towels and start diminishing the use of paper towels in our house.
ReplyDeleteI keep a roll of paper towels for cleaning up glass. It is so much easier to use a throw away towel and wipe up broken glass and liquid all together. Plus, you usually get more fine shards than when I try sopping up liquid and then sweeping... ugh
ReplyDeleteTry using tape to pick up glass shards.... a girl at work the other day did that and I was amazed that I never thought to do that! (She used that thick mailing tape)
DeleteWhat about peanut butter? My nemesis! How do you get the oil out of the cloth - this is why I don't use cloth napkins either.
ReplyDeleteDawn and hot water gets rid of the oil... Taxidermist use it on ducks.
DeleteI buy napkins by the bulk at Sams Club, but after reading this article I will follow this idea to save some money.Thanks
ReplyDeleteThe money saved on not buying paper towels (not to mention the environmental impact) makes this a well worth-while endeavor. I think we are all so accustomed and socialized since childhood to use paper towels we see no other way. Great post. The cross-contamination point is a great one; the only drawback I could see happening with this method.
ReplyDeleteI picked up some of these today. What do you actually use them for? Cleaning the kitchen? What do you use the wash and dry your dishes? You clean up every kitchen mess with white towels (like red juice spills, or grease on the stovetop)?
ReplyDeleteI just saw glass containers 50% off at Hobby Lobby yesterday. Large jars that are the perfect size for this and have a metal lid for only $4!!!! This is such a great idea.
ReplyDeleteAwesome! it's great to read you were successful for 2 years. Now do you think it would be harder to go back to old ways? Paper towel waste adds up so fast and this is a great solution! Thank youuuu :)
ReplyDeleteI found a 1kg bag of scrap microfibre that cost me $5 - I have not used paper towels in 9 mths and do not miss them. In fact when i was at a friends house and had to use paper towels to clean up I was amazed at what a bad job the paper towel did and how hard it was to use in comparison.
ReplyDeleteWe stopped using paper towels about a year ago. I prefer using something thinner than a bar mop, so I made our non-paper towels from flour-sack towels. (Just cut each big towel into ninths, sewed 1/2 inch from the edge, and let the edges fray. Quick and easy.) They look a lot like paper towels, and dry very, very quickly. That helps to avoid smells, and I don't have to run the dryer any longer than I would anyway. We keep them, folded, in a metal basket beside the sink, where the paper towel holder used to be. Works for us!
ReplyDeleteI bought a pack of 60 bar rags from Sam's for about $24 a year ago. We use them on everything and go through about a dozen a day. Since I have so many, I don't worry about switching them out constantly.
ReplyDeleteI've also picked up several sets of cloth napkins at garage sales and from mother-in-law's linen closet(not being used). She embroidered the numbers 1-8(our family size) on the napkins for me (she's awesome!) and we're all assigned a number. That way we can reuse them for a couple of days through less messy meals but my OCD kids won't freak out since they have their OWN dirty napkin. LOL! It has truly made a huge difference in our house! I do still buy paper towels because I use them to drain bacon and collect other types of grease while cooking. I should hide them so they don't get used up so quickly. ;0)
I bought a pack of 60 bar rags from Sam's for about $24 a year ago. We use them on everything and go through about a dozen a day. Since I have so many, I don't worry about switching them out constantly.
ReplyDeleteI've also picked up several sets of cloth napkins at garage sales and from mother-in-law's linen closet(not being used). She embroidered the numbers 1-8(our family size) on the napkins for me (she's awesome!) and we're all assigned a number. That way we can reuse them for a couple of days through less messy meals but my OCD kids won't freak out since they have their OWN dirty napkin. LOL! It has truly made a huge difference in our house! I do still buy paper towels because I use them to drain bacon and collect other types of grease while cooking. I should hide them so they don't get used up so quickly. ;0)
I am curious, I buy one roll of paper towel a year, but I use that roll for draining bacon or other things. What do you do for that? Other wise I would totally make the switch and not buy any!
ReplyDeleteBrown paper bags work great for draining bacon .
DeleteBrown paper bags work great for draining bacon .
DeleteLove that idea Amy!
DeleteI do love bar towels! Can buy them by the cheap at dollar stores. I would also recommend flour bag towels. You can by them in bulk and or 2 bucks a piece at farm supply stores. I love flour and tea towels!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea as I realize I have a major addiction to paper towels that was growing worse by the day. I try to be green so I knew I had to do something. I went to target today got the container and the towels, love them already!! I think this is going to making the switch easy, thanks so much for the tip!!
ReplyDeleteInexpensive, aka cheap, bandanas make great napkins.
ReplyDeleteI gave up paper towels a few years ago. I have limited their use to draining bacon and the grossest messes (like poop). I go through a roll about every two months. I keep them in an extremely inconvenient location so I (and my husband especially) can't reach for them first. I bought bar mops at Sam's. I think I got 3 packages of 24 ($12 each!). I have 5 young kids, and they are always spilling, splatting and making messes. They know to grab these for clean up. I love it. I also used the while canning. You would be amazed at how many towels you go through during a week long canning marathon. My only complaint is many of them are stained: tomato juice, grape juice, you name it. How do you keep yours looking nice? I have to constantly remind myself I bought these to get ruined. I hate bleach. It is so toxic. It was developed as chemical warfare.
ReplyDeleteWhen my youngest is the messiest eater I've ever know. I repurposed some old flannel sheets into cloths about the size of a baby wipe and stored them in old babywipe containers. They finally ended up in our kitchen cupboards with my dishtowels, etc. I use them to wipe up the kids after lunch, snotty noses, etc. If they get too thin or grungy I toss 'em. You can get a LOT of them out of a set of sheets...a lot! I don't have a fancy serger machine..I just zig-zagged close to the edges. They frayed a little but not bad.
ReplyDeleteAlong those same lines.....old sweats make perfect "Swiffer" cloths.....just cut to size and snap on and go - then throw in the wash/dry and reuse!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI actually use black microfiber cleaning cloths - they don't show any stains!
ReplyDeleteTo dry my wash cloths and kitchen towels, I have a magnetic towel bar hanging on the side of my fridge. They are out of the way, no one can seem them because it is on the side we don't really use which is facing away. Then they hit the laundry when dry :)
ReplyDeleteHi. I just came across your blog and had to read the paper towel entry. I don't remember ever buying a roll of paper towels and I swear I must have four dozen linen towels (great for hands and windows and drying the sink) and at least two dozen bar rags. I don't use newspapers on my windows because I use it under the mulch in my gardens. I did like your jar idea and may have to steal that from you if I can get my head wrapped around the idea of having something on my countertops. Look forward to reading more.
ReplyDeleteI think this is going to be my first goal of the new year. Kill the paper towel addiction.
ReplyDelete