[Kharen]

I've recently realized that I use WAY too much paper towel in my household cleaning (especially when cleaning the kitchen counter, windows, and bathroom), and I am trying to mend my ways. For a few weeks, I tried using paper towels made from recycled paper, but then I realized I was just trying to make myself feel better (didn't work!

) and was still being horribly wasteful.

I've switched over to using flour sack cloth rags instead of paper towel, and they work very well. But I was wondering what you ladies could recommend? What kind of cloth or other materials do you use when doing household cleaning?

And, yes, I've also switched over to natural cleaners, too.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Best,
K

 

[mommy2girlies]

kharen~we too are way too dependent on paper towels...we've started to be more smart when it comes to cleaning and using them as napkins....im going to go buy some cheap linen napkins for using while we eat...that'll stop half of the use..and i've pilfered some old ratty t-shirts from my dh and made rags...he'll never miss 'em.. :LOL

any other suggestions out there....really trying hard...i feel sooo wasteful!

 

[rainbowmoon]

we have a few dozen gerber flat diapers we use for just about EVERYTHING. we also have a bunch of flour sack towels from our pre-baby days but the diapers work much better (and are bigger) we also have a bunch of cotton cloth napkins (sewn by me).

it's hard to do I know, but just don't buy the paper towels. you will not miss them in a very short time!

I have not bought any in nearly 5 years!

eta- if you sew, this is the pattern I used for the napkins.
http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa121697.htm

 

[kamilla626]

We buy huge boxes of terry cloth shop towels at Costco or Home Depot. I think a box of about 50 is $12 or $15. They're just plain white towels, about the size of paper towels.

We use them for EVERYTHING. When they get really stained and nasty, they go downstairs for dh's woodworking projects. Once they're permanently stained with paint, varnish, grease etc. then we finally throw them away.

To minimize the laundry, I keep 1 dry one in the kitchen for drying my hands, 1 clean wet one for washing dd after eating, and 1 yuckier one for other messes. When they get gross, I just toss them in the diaper pail.

When we first gave up paper towels I really missed them. I would automatically reach for where they used to be. Now I don't think about it much at all.

BTW we use cloth napkins too.

 

[AngelBee]

: This is still a problem at our house as well.

 

[Kharen]

Thanks so much for your quick responses!

I will check out your suggestions. It's good to know that others have been successful at transitioning over to cloth.

We've been using cloth napkins at home for the past year or so, but only intermittently. I've talked to DH about this, and he is totally on board with the idea of eschewing these paper products. Yay! Bring on the full-time cloth!

I'm really looking forward to cloth diapering when/if we have children (hoping to TTC within the next year), so it would be totally hypocritical of me to be so reliant upon disposable paper products. (Oh, crud, then there's toilet paper ... okay, one paper product eradication at a time ... )

Anyway, much thanks to all of you!
K

 

[Rebecca]

I made 24 cloth towels about 12x12 that I use like paper towels. I keep them in a stack under where my paper ones used to hang. I made mine from one layer muslin and one layer flannel and serged them in bright colors, but I should have preshrunken the fabric... they are all wonky and misshapen now, but for the next batch I'll know that they don't shrink evenly.

We also use LOTS of those dishcloths (I think I bought the 25 pk from walmart a long time ago) and we use those for just about everything. I toss them in a bucket in the kitchen until wash day, when I wash them with towels (I just can't bring myself to wash 'food' cloths with diapers). For the next batch I make, they'll be all muslin serged with cotton threads so I can put the in the compost pile when I'm done with them.

 

[EmsMom]

I bought a couple of flannel sheets at the thrift store and cut them up into 12" squares. Plopped them in a basket in the kitchen. They get heavy use and are currently in need of replacement. This time I might actually take the time to hem them on the sewing machine because the first few times I wash rags they get all tangled up with the fraying edges. General cost of a used flannel sheet is $1. One queen size sheets makes LOTS of nice rags. They last around 4 years (longer if you line dry, I am sure!) I think the key to regular rag use is to have plenty on hand. Today my one year old ds spilled a bit of water (from his Klean Kanteen :LOL ) and ran into the kitchen to grab a rag and proceeded to clean up the water. This is one of my favorite parts of using rags rather than paper towels! With paper I would not let them have access!

 

[FireWithin]

I have been really trying to transition to all cloth (except TP not ready for that), but I have a couple of questions.

Emsmom - thanks for the flannel sheet idea. I have lots of those on hand. Do you find them to be absorbant enough?

What do you do for really yucky things? such as raw meat or ummm I don't know, can only think of meat products - things you don't want sitting around for 4-5 days before washing. (I had hoped to keep a roll of paper for things like these, but believe we will reach for the paper much too quickly.

We use coin-op so I'm trying to figure out if it will be cheaper for us to use cloth (don'tthink so), also I'm trying tofigure out what I am going to wash these cloths with. It won't be cost effective to do a load on their own. Hmmm maybe I will start to do a towel only load.

What kind of material do you use for napkins? I have regular cotton sheets (soft, but not very absorbant), flannel sheets, an old table cloth, hmmm I think that's it. any ideas?

 

[rainbowmoon]

Mammo2Sammo- I really think you could make it cost effective even using coin-op laundry the cheapest way to go is probably using old sheets (or other materials you could find at the thrift store or around the house) cut up for rags and maybe those washcloths they sell in 12 packs for $5. you can also find cloth napkins on sale lots of times..check your discount stores.

I usually only do 1 load of cloth from the kitchen a week. and we use a bunch of cloth in the kitchen. if there isn't enough for a full load, I wash them with the bath towels. I haven't had an issue here with them getting stinky sitting in the hamper for a week.

I like to use fat cotton quarters for napkins from the fabric store (makes them extra big & I usually buy them cheap on sale or yardage from the $1 fabric table at walmart

: ).

The very first batch of napkins I made cost about $15 for a couple dozen and are still going strong (though worn) almost 5 years later. I have no idea about the meat btw, we are veggie so it's not an issue, but I'm sure someone else will have some good advice about that.

good luck venturing into cloth, you will wonder why you didn't so it sooner...

 

[Alkenny]

I'm another that bought those big packs of washcloths from Sprawlmart way back when. The plain white ones go in the diaper bucket for use only on the babe's rear and the colored ones are stacked up for use around the house. Makes is easier to sort them, yet keep them seperate.

I haven't had paper towels or napkins in my house in YEARS!

 

[JordysMom]

We have a major paper towel habit in my house, especially for cleaning. I'm going to try to phase them out slowly, but we'll see how it goes!

 

[JLav]

I've had a very hard time weaning my husband from paper towels. I grew up in a house where we never had them around and I was very used to using cloth napkins and towels for everything. I made up a couple dozen cloth napkins from cotton muslin, just 12x12 squares with serged edges...nothing fancy. I keep them in a basket on the counter so they're easy access. For cleaning I have a mixture of cheap washcloths from various discount stores, microfiber towels and gerber prefolds.
I try to wash towels frequently, so I don't have a problem with them sitting around. If I use a washcloth to clean up meat I just make sure I rinse it really well with hot water and dishsoap before I throw it in the hamper. I try to wash all my rags together and use non-chorine bleach in there sometimes.
My hubby still likes to get paper towels if he goes to the store, but we're working on it!

 

[EmsMom]

As far as the really yucky stuff goes -- I have three cats and they do seem to regularly get vomit, poop or pee on the floor that needs to be cleaned up. I have some small bits of old cloth towels in a separate place than my regular rags. If something is really gross I just throw them away. I also use them to clean up mold and mildew because I *don"t* want to put mold and mildew into my washing machine. The towels were so old and worn they would have been thrown away anyway. You might consider old worn-out t-shirts, etc., when you look at rags. And yes, I find the flannel rags to be quite absorbent until they get really worn out. And then they move to the "disposable" rag pile (one for kitchen and one for shop). Once I set up the system it was really very easy to work out. I really use my rags like paper towels in that I use them for one purpose and then throw them in the laundry, because I am slightly germ phobic. :LOL

 

[AngelBee]

What do you use on puppy poop and pee?

: It makes me want to barf....

 

[sassyaztec]

:

jumpin' onboard...slowly. thanks for all the tips!

 

[rainbowmoon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelBee What do you use on puppy poop and pee? : It makes me want to barf....

yeah I hear you.

we used to have an elderly dog with incontinence issues. we used reg. (flushable) TP for the poop and either a mop or just old towels for pee, which would be washed asap.