Lose your paper towels! No, really. Stop buying them – you don’t need them. With five kids, I used to use paper towels like they were going out of style. I couldn’t imagine not having a big roll of Bounty in the corner. And then my husband went to an overstock store and got two dozen terry cloth towels for $5. He hated the way the kids and I “went through” paper towels and he was even more disgusted with how much they cost per roll. After a week of using only the towels, I was hooked. Not only did they work better, nine times out of ten, I could simply rinse it out in the sink and reuse it. In fact, I liked our new system so much that I went back to that store and bought two dozen more rags to use as baby wipes. Rinsed in warm water, Jack has never had a rash – compared to the small ones he had when I used commercial baby wipes.
It does take a little time to get used to, but soon it becomes second nature – I never even think to look for a paper towel anymore. If you can’t find a good deal on towels (although I’m sure you can), you can use the cheaper end washcloths for sale at most stores, a bag of rags commonly sold at car parts stores, or old t-shirts cut into appropriate sizes (the sleeves are particularly good for this).
Beverley Paine says:
We only ever use the paper towels we inherited over a year ago (too good to throw out) for wiping excessive oil after cooking. These fuel soaked paper towels make great fire lighters for our wood stove!
I tell a lie… I have used the roll of paper towels as serviettes when we had a homeschooling gathering at our place and we had ice cream in cones.
cheers
Beverley
PS great blog!
20th July 2007 at 11:35 am
Meme16 says:
I too now never use paper- found some good enough towels at the local dollar store at 2 for the dollar- also buy an old sheet at thrift store and tear up for rags which I do want to dispose off- those real yuck ones- a sheet last a year or more- cost a dollar and are easy to tear- just do it out side and it cuts the dust–
I also found some cheap wash clothes that pose as napkins for the grand kids- they have color that does not bleed and I love you written on them- kids use them and if eventially they get too stained with sauces or what ever they can still be used in place of paper towel
hugs me
20th July 2007 at 9:43 am
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20th July 2007 at 6:50 am