I hope everyone is staying well! I have a strange post today, not recipe related at all. I've been thinking of posting this for a while but never remembered to take photos. Now I have a few. :)
When the pandemic began back in March, I immediately took all the hand towels out of the kitchen and bathrooms and replaced them with rolls of paper towels. But after a few weeks, I felt bad about us using so many! Plus, it was getting more difficult to buy them and our supply was running low. So I took that opportunity to do something I had been meaning to do for months.
I started using individual, reusable towels. I had been doing some research and had been using paperless paper towels for a couple of years in the kitchen. However, it did not catch on with my family. They reached right past the folded towels and kept reaching for paper. So I then considered replacing paper with the flannel-type towels that stick together on a towel roller. Then also looked at washable fabric towels that snap together with actual snaps! But I knew I probably would abandon both of those systems quickly. I would not want to re-roll them every time I washed them.
Then I remembered my hair salon. When my stylist moved to a new salon a little over a year ago, I loved how they had individual washcloths for you to dry your hands on in the bathroom. They were individually rolled and placed in a tin holder. When done, you tossed your towel in a "trash" can.
So I went searching for washcloths. After a little more research, I decided on 100% cotton rather than using microfiber.
I know washing them uses water, so nothing is totally environmentally friendly. But I figured I could toss these in with my regular wash that I would be doing anyway.
With a family of three right now (plus other kids who come home sometimes), I knew I would need plenty so I don't have to wash more often. I ended up ordering a pack of 60 white, 100% cotton washcloths made by Amazon. I also ordered some racks to hold the towels in each bathroom.
In the beginning, I rolled the towels and washcloths like they do at my salon. Yes, I unrolled one to see how they did it and memorized the method. LOL
Fold the two side corners in
Plus, I bought a narrow can for the kitchen to hold the used cloth napkins and paperless towels because I knew telling my family to discard them in the laundry room would doom my effort.
For napkins and paperless towels, I shop at an Etsy store called Gina's Soft Cloth Shop. She's a Kentucky businesswoman, which I love (my home state). And I have really loved all her products. I buy seconds when I can. I have tried several sizes and fabrics. My favorites for napkins are the 8x8 two-ply cotton Birdseye fabric Little Wipes (they're made to be diaper wipes). I found the perfect holder for them. (And no, I obviously do not iron them! haha)
P.S. There are NO affiliate links on this post. I only put links there to help you find products if you're interested. I get no benefit.
This is such a good idea! It's just the two of us with very little company. So I don't think we need to do this in our house for hand washing, but since my Clorox wipes supply us running low and I can't find more I have been trying to figure out what fabrics I can use to make my own with multipurpose cleaner. I snagged some in my doterra order this month!
ReplyDeleteKatie, I've been doing the same thing about the disinfectant wipes running out. I have saved one of the canisters to use but never have settled on what to use. I think the single ply wipes of any size might be nice. There was a Kickstarter company that made The Last Straw (that I helped fund) that started a new product called The Last Wipe. But I didn't think the cleaning product they used was what I wanted. Still, it gave me the idea to save my own Cholorox wipe container! :)
DeleteI ordered the ones in your link first :) I have some of the Mrs Meyers cleaner too. So I'm going to try and see how I like using a spray bottle with the 2 ply wipes first. If it works I'll just reuse the spray bottle. If I don't like it then I'll order the 1 ply.
DeleteLet me know what you think, Katie. I'm curious if anything will pull through the opening in the container like regular wipes do.
DeleteThis is a great idea, Missy!
ReplyDeleteOf course, you know that as well as being "green," reusing cloth rather than paper is also "frugal." I call that a win/win. :-)
And I can just see your bathroom. A spa atmosphere in your own home!
I keep worn-out dish towels in a basket under the sink for various uses (most things I would use a paper towel for,) and when I wash them I use the sanitize cycle on the washer. So I don't worry about whether I've used them for a spill on the floor or to clean the stove - when they've been washed, they're clean.
I haven't turned my back on paper towels completely, though. They are SO necessary when cleaning up messes like grease or the things dogs and cats leave on the floor.
I'll be going to your links!
I went to Etsy and made a couple purchases. One thing I bought were some cloth rounds to take the place of the cotton balls I use every day. I'm looking forward to getting my order!
DeleteJan I think I'm going to order the 8x8 wipes. I'll save the next Clorox wipes canister that empties and use it in place of Clorox wipes. I think I use them more than paper towels!
DeleteJan, I almost bought those cloth rounds! I thought it would be great to have a mesh bag to hang to collect them. I just never did jump on buying them because I've ended up using a face wash that also takes off eye makeup. So I don't use cotton balls anymore.
DeleteThe thing that sold me on the cloth rounds is that in the description it said they came with a mesh bag to wash them. After less than a year, they will have paid for themselves.
DeleteJan, I also meant to say that I, too, keep old towels under the kitchen sink. In the rationing of the disinfectant wipes, I've gotten to the point where I only use them for things like raw chicken that drips on the counter or other gross jobs.
Delete