Some people hate cleaning. Me? I'm a XY-chomosomed mean cleaning machine who finds the daily activity satisfying and rewarding. Do a little each day, instead of waiting for it to pile up is my mantra. But that does mean I tend to go through a wasteful cycle of using a lot of paper towels...maybe too often. So I'm embarking on changing my cleaning habits and incorporating a very simple system that will save not only the environment, but also my wallet, by incorporating super absorbent cloths.
I've already weaned myself from a dependence on those Swiffer cleaning cloths (or the knock-offs you can find at the 99 Cents Only Stores), using the Method microfiber mop pads for floor cleaning duties. And in the same vein, I'm switching over to using microfiber cloths from Trader Joe's for daily cleaning, designating the yellow coloured cloths for counters and surfaces, and blue cloths for windows and mirrors. A couple of sets allows me to use one set while the other set is drying.
No, we won't be completely ridding ourselves of paper towels...we still keep a roll or two around for pet messes (our poor feline friend Eames is battling a urinary infection) and other accidents. But we've never really believed in a strict all or nothing lifestyle...thoughtful moderation can go a long way, whether for the home, budget or environment.
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I still throw them out at the end of the day, but I find that the Bounty Shop Towels (they're blue) are thick and absorbant enough to be rinsed and re-used (unlike the kind of papertowels marketed as rinse and re-use, which I found were falsely advertised).
view TexanNewYorker's profile
I use a combination of microfiber clothes and fabric diapers to clean. The diapers do a great job on the floors and you can use them on a swiffer mop.
view lorijo's profile
i have a cat named eames, too!
view kimberlykc23's profile
My cat's name is Eames too!
view chairgal's profile
I've been making the same switch from paper towels to washable cloths for cleaning up in the kitchen. There's still a few things I keep the paper towels around for, but since the switch I have noticed I buy the paper towels waaaay less often.
view randomname's profile
If you want to use Swiffer in a more environmentally friendly way, I suggest using moistened rags. We cut an old t-shirt into pieces and use them instead of the Swiffer sheets (for floors AND cobwebs around ceilings). You can wash and reuse them as many time as you want.
view denada's profile
Yah I was going to recommend t-shirts as well. My roomie and I split a fantastic housecleaner once a month. She has a little pile of cut up t-shirts that she's stashed at the house. She just throws them in the washer when she's done. I had never thought of it till she started working for us. Plus they don't leave little paper particles all over.
view richie rich's profile
Rags from old clothes, sheets, towels, socks, whatever. use them and wash them. i can't figure out why people buy cleaning cloths, i've got more than i can ever use. sheets are particularly good on glass.
view damova's profile