apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Wasn't this discussed just recently?

I love my paper-towel less life. I don't miss them at all. My husband's old, worn out undershirts work perfectly.

Yep. And you're right; people freak out.

I have been without paper towel for very long time for environmental reason. I agree. If I don't have it, I don't think about using it. Cloths or sponges do the job. Guests are always surprised at first but when they hear why I don't have it, they agree and I converted some of my friends not to have the paper towel.

What about cleaning up chicken juices and bacon fat? That's all I use paper towels for... gross stuff that shouldn't be cleaned up with dishcloths.

Funny - recently I bought my first eight-roll package of paper towels. Before that, I'd bought perhaps eight rolls in my entire 54 years of life. Why the radical paradigm shift? We'd just bought a small house and had gone temporarily insane.

But what do you use for cat barf?

I don't think a paper towel-less life is really possible when you have pets. They do a much better job of cleaning up "accidents" than regular cloth towels, I've found.

No paper towels in this family of 5. It drives my husband and daughter nuts, but I would be buying paper towels three times a week just to keep up with their use (waste) of them. I bought a few dozen cotton baby diapers which I launder every week. (I know, I know, laundry wastes water, yada yada - still this is more economical and less wasteful than paper towels.) They serve as counter wipes, spill wipes and all-purpose kitchen towels. When they become too coffee or tea-stained, they are recycled as furniture dusters.

I'm trying . . . - I agree chicken juice, raw port juice - disinfect the sink after washing the dog - otherwise I use my miracle cloths.

What about the amount of suds, water and energy to clean the things? Does it all work out in the end?

We keep a roll for kitty messes, and used to use them for bacon but now we use brown paper for bacon. Still paper, but we usually have a bag or two around from Trader Joe's or the liquor store.

Cat barf - my thoughts exactly.

I am almost entirely paper-towel-free and have been for my entire life. I lucked out, really. My mother is a flight attendant on Delta Airlines, and Delta, like all airlines, throws out the hot towels from first class rather than washing and reusing. My mom salvages them and brings 'em home; thus, FREE WASHRAG SUPPLY!

Aside from this wonderful source of great free rags, however, I often, though by no means alway, have a roll of paper towels for things like cat puke (thankfully rare in my house) or serious grease (also rare). The rule of thumb for me is that I'd rather throw out a paper towel than a cloth one, thus I only use paper on things that render cloth too gross to keep using. And, really, most times I use the paper napkins delivery places give you, so between my stash of napkins and ex-hot towels, I use *maybe* two rolls a year. I can live with that.

AT posts and readers have convinced me that it's possible to live a without paper towels (gasp!). Yes, there was an earlier post about Trader Joe's "miracle" cloths - I am planning on trying it out thereby minimizing paper towel use. I'll probably still keep a few rolls handy though.

I'm attempting to ween myself off the papertowels. The Male uses them like they are going out of style and he wants to stop too, but I have such a hard time finding towels that are really absorbant enough to catch the spills and such. Does anyone have a recommendation to what types are better for spills and what are better for cleaning? Are those Zorbeez towels worth it?

I'm so grateful for this post, especially the mention of guests' reaction to the absence of paper towels. A certain family member visited last weekend and though she "approved" of our decision not to use them, she also had a little bit of a condescending tone, suggesting that "in reality" (meaning, her way of doing things) you just really do need to have them on hand. She got a bit frustrated -- "What am I supposed to use here?!") -- at one point while cooking dinner, making me feel belittled and a little scolded, as in: You're little eco-experiment is nice and all, but really, honey ... . There was additional commentary on other environmentally proactive choices we've made. Sigh. Anyway, it's very nice to get some validation from the AT community.

Totally echo others. I use 'em pretty much only for puppy poo duty. And thankfully she's a little one and doesn't require too many paper towels. Otherwise, all about cloth towels.

I have been struggling, so it's good to see the reminder. Not having a microwave or dishwasher to sanitize sponges makes it difficult. Not having a place to keep gross towels before they are hauled down to the basement laundry does also. I am trying to limit their use to cat bowl clean up.
The only time I notice a lack in other's houses is when the only alternative (if there is one!) is a mildewed cloth. I know no one here would offer that, but unfortunately I've seen it happen.

I've cut my use of paper towels by 90% since I bought microfibre clothes to take their place. Haven't found a better solution than paper towels for pet surprises.

while we're on the topic of reducing, can someone give me some perspective on this?

http://simplystated.realsimple.com/adventures_in_chaos/2008/06/this-just-in-ma.html

am i taking it too literally?

here's her letter: isuwannee.blogspot.com/2008/05/i-mad-again.html

Love being paper towel-less. It's been at least a year since we last bought a roll, and haven't once wished I had them. Old, cut-up t-shirts and boxer shorts, even pillow cases (we had a few that had been cut wrong, and it really bothered me to put them on a pillow, so I re-purposed them) are perfect for everything from cleaning (especially washing dishes!) to wiping your face (cheeeeeap napkins!).

I've lived without paper towels since 1990, when I had a young child and couldn't afford such "luxuries".

@darcidoodle, roccos, Erin K., Cassis: I usually have enough ratty rags (or newspaper, or a napkin) around that I can wipe up something gross and simply throw the old rag in the trash.

By the way, to the folks who are grossed out about re-using WASHABLE material: What do you suppose your grandmother used before our society became so wasteful and lazy, and started developing all of these 'conveniences'? I don't think anyone died or contracted diseases from the typical clean household back then...

We're such a germ-leery society. It's no wonder people are sick all the time.

The best thing for cat barf is a dog. Gross, and won't work for everyone, but my dog does a very good job of cleaning up after the pukey felines and the humans who make messes while cleaning.

How does everyone deal with wet cloths till laundry day. We don't have a washer/dryer and I normally hang them on the side of my tub where they look and smell horrible. I use both cloth and paper for this reason.

dog and cat accidents........why not toilet paper?
Oh me of no pets.......so I may not know.

Ariel— I have a nail inside the under-sink cabinet in my kitchen and I hang my current "gross rag" on that till the time comes to wash and rotate. I'm sure you could do something more official if you wanted, like a hook or small ikea towel/hook bar. Hope that helps!

I do keep a couple of rolls, usually one in the holder and a spare but it'd take me months to actually use the roll up and i only use it for when I do cook bacon (not too often) or for wiping up poultry juices and that mostly it. Occasionally I do use them to dry my hands when I have not put out any clean towels in my kitchen, again, not often.

Outside of that, I've never been much for using paper towels.

@ lilithslair: I definitlely agree that we need to to ask ourselves WWGD (what would grandma do?) a little more often.

However, due to the practices of our food industry, there's actually been an exponential increase over the last 30 years in Salmonella bacteria and the like that just weren't a major problem in our grandparent's time. But hey that's nothing a little rinse in super hot water can't solve.

So do you all use washcloths instead of toilet paper? Or rags instead of sanitary napkins or tampons? Same theory.

@950 Oops, I meant to say humans who make messes while cooking not cleaning. Coltrane loves breakfast burrito day more than anything.

JOJgirl: rags, eh? You bet!

http://www.hagrag.com

Best rags ever!

I lived without paper towels for a long time, then a cat, who is hairball-prone, came into my life. I have decided that when he ralphs up a hairball, I don't want to clean it up with a towel I then have to rinse out--I just want to be rid of the grossness asap.

i say bravo to people who even use the occasional paper towel when they deem necessary.
i think the important part is reducing your use, not just being able to outdue one another- "well, i havent touched a paper towel in 10 years, i dont see what the problem is."

really theres no reason to argue or criticize someone who uses a couple rolls a year vs. someone who uses none at all.

:)

@950: But then what do you use to clean up the dog barf? A bigger dog?

I would LOVE to go paper towel-free. However, with a pair of incontinent 17-year-old cats and a big dog with a bad habit of eating all manner of things that disagree with him, I've cleaned up messes that would require an entire wardrobe's worth of rags. And no, I'm not exaggerating. I wish I were.

WWGD? Well, first, she'd never allow all these filthy animals inside her house. But forcing pets to live outside seems to have fallen by the wayside in these crazy modern times. Therefore some of us pesky young whippersnappers have to buy the odd roll of paper towels.

"I know, I know, laundry wastes water, yada yada "

Yada, yada to wasting water? Sorry to be so noisy about trying to save the planet. Wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone.

I'm making the switch. The paper towels I like the most for tough cleaning or for the bottom of the bird cage are Brawny but the prices have become too high for me to justify the expense. Cheaper paper towels are, well, cheaper but you end up using even more of them. I probably will keep one roll for emergencies, like if I was sick with the flu and couldn't do laundry or drop it off to be done.

I agree it's easier to make this change if you don't have pets that get sick.

i quit with the paper towels some time ago. i use cut up t-shirts, enough of them so i always have clean ones. i keep a cute plastic basket from target hanging off a hook in the kitchen. all rags go in there until laundry day.

biggest misstep was not buying cloth napkins for dinner fast enough. ended up having a dinner party before i realized i needed cloth napkins. i was embarrassed to have nothing to offer my guests, but thems the breaks. good news was it was the perfect excuse to go crazy the next day buying cute cotton napkins on etsy.

for cat barf, which is usually fairly solid, i reach into the trash or the recycling bin, get a piece of paper or whatever that was already going to be thrown away, scoop up what i can, and then clean what is left with a rag and some citrus cleaner. rag goes immediately in the to-wash basket. no problem.

I am an evil paper towel user. However, I've been de-papering more lately. I actually find I can successfully use one small rag to clean my entire bathroom, something that would usually take multiple paper towels. When I have dirty rags, I keep them in a bag near my laundry.

I can't believe how much pet mess there is--I'm not a pet owner now, but my dog growing up never made a mess (at least in the years between being a puppy and a senior)

I am also an evil paper towel user.... BUT, I use the "selecta size" ones and most often choose the small single sheet. Living alone, I go through about 4 rolls of paper towel a year, so I am not going to feel guilty about it...

hagrag? Now this I really dont understand. ewww.
Divacup or mooncup is much better option.

Ariel, if your question is about wet rags that get sour and smelly waiting for laundry day I have a tip. Keep them soaking in a small covered bucket in soapy water.

It keeps the smell out of the air and the few days of soaking mean fewer stains.

I now feel like I have single handedly killed the planet with my gratuitous paper towel usage.

my boyfriend and i decided that once our supply of 4 rolls runs out we're not buying anymore. That was 4 months ago, and we still have 3 rolls. i think we've transitioned nicely.

I have not used paper towels since 1999! First it was a money saving move, but then I realized I didn't need them. I do buy pretty paper cocktail napkins though... I like to have a set on display for looks and available for visitors to use.

While I still do keep a roll of paper towels on the counter, I switched to bar rags about 2 years ago. It now takes about a month to go through a roll of paper towels. Restaurant supply stores are a great source for bar rags that you can buy in packs of a dozen. These rags are very inexpensive, nearly indestructible, environmentally friendly and super efficient.

The Martha Stewart show did a feature on rags vs. paper towels a while back and her daughter has a neat trick; she keeps a cute metal bucket on the floor and puts the dirty rags in there once they are ready for the wash, then she just totes the dirty rags en masse to the laundry room.

I brought a half-used roll of paper towels to my new home in 1989, and found them again when I moved out ten years later. That HUGE home held me, a large messy husband, three kids, two dogs and lots of teen visitors. I have never missed the paper. Cloth towels and rags are so much more convenient--and environmentally kind of course.

Buying attractive kitchen towels is just another way to bring clean design into my life. The better ones, made of tightly woven cotton, are not very expensive, and investing in 6-12 costs much less than a few months of paper towels. When a kitchen towel becomes too stained, I draw a big red X on it, and leave it in the rag box. Between those, old socks and cut-up t-shirts, I have more rags than I could ever use.

BTW--Rags make great gifts for someone moving into their first apartment!

This is so good to read. Way back in the 70's I really got into "reuse, recycle, make-do" motto... I bought muslem from the fabric store and cut it to napkin size, paper towel size, ran a quick stitch around them and used them forever. As to the really ukie ones had a container in laundry area with baking soda in it. Now I have a cat and he gets upset tummy I use the really bad one to clean that up and toss. Great going people. And love the micro fibers. MAJ

Oh and my non-paper-towel usage has nothing to do with "holier than thou", just "broker than thou".