$18 for 4 bar mops is ridiculous. Try eBay; depending on how many you buy, you can get them for $0.50-$1.00, shipped.

I simply decided to stop buying paper towels years and years because they're so wasteful, and I'm so used to not using them that I don't need a replacement. Almost anything done with a disposable paper towel can be done with a kitchen towelette like handiwipes. I use a kind that can be washed in the washing machine. As soon as it starts to get a tiny bit grungy - I wash it.
The only time I miss paper towels is when I drop an egg, and how often is that. Also, I don't have paper towels to absorb oil if I fry something (which I rarely do). I just take some pieces of toilet paper from a brand new roll. If I bought paper towels, I'd limit them to those 2 uses.

I bought a 20 pack of Yellow Microfiber towels, about 12 x 17 inches, from Costco for $7 (I think?). I bought them 2 years ago and they are still going strong. I use them for various things from wiping the dogs paws off, wiping down the countertops to cleaning the windows and dusting. Microfiber is the best I have used for dusting and cleaning shiny surfaces! I divide them up and keep several in key areas, like the front door, under the kitchen sink and in the bathroom. They are way better at cleaning than a paper towel. They just seem to "grab" more dirt in one swipe.

I cut up my husband's old fruit of the looms...they work great until we used them for a tile job....they would not come clean so I had to toss them :<

Love that picture!

Great posting. I have some white towels that are fraying and this is a great way to recycle them. Whatever I have leftover will go to my local vet office or animal shelter since they're always thankful for towel donations.
Question for smile:
Do you remember the brand? Do they hold up better than handiwipes? I applaud how rarely you use papertowels!

This really isn't an alternative to the conversation taking place, but I didn't know if you guys had seen this yet. I think this is the future of hand drying in public bathrooms.

http://www.dysonairblade.com/

Smile - sprinkle some salt on that dropped egg, wait a minute or two, and you should be able to wipe it right up. And for draining fried foods, I use the old broiler pan that I got when I lived in Phoenix and had an electric range. Or I'll occasionally request paper sacks when I grocery shop.

Meant to add that in lieu of paper towels, I use worn out bath and kitchen towels, t-shirts, old diapers...

Tis a lovely picture indeed ;)

Thanks for the link, Apartment Therapy!

About the Dyson Air Blade: similar things have been around in Japan for years and years. They work very well, for anyone curious (and are a lot cheaper than the $1,400 Dyson!).

I use old clothes, underwear, and undershirts. I also 'borrowed' a bunch of towels from my dad's garage that he uses when he is working on his cars. They are reddish orange, easy to wash, and you buy a 100 pack for super cheap at the auto part store or costco, or even Home Depot I am sure. The are a little rough, but work great for most cleanup needs around the house.

I almost always use cloth towels for cleaning, however I do still keep a roll of paper towels in the kitchen even tho I rarely ever use them - Might use it up in 12-18 months time which I figure isn't too bad...

..but I'll definately start using the old paper bags that my chinese delivery comes in for draining fried foods - That's a great tip Oceandreamer!

Robbybird, do be careful with those, as the color can bleed if a wet one comes in contact with another fabric for a length of time. I used those once upon a time in a darkroom. We all kept a towel shoved in our back jeans pocket because you're always wiping your hands off in a darkroom. When I tried using those rust-colored shop towels, they bled on my jeans. But part of that could have been the photo chemicals.

I admit that I used to be a paper towel abuser. I still keep them around, but I try to only use one if I really, really need one. Haven't bought new rolls in several months now.

And I quit using paper towels years ago for drying my hands after washing them, especially the brown papery kind. They seem to dry my skin out much faster than if I let my hands air-dry.

I'm curious about what people who've given up paper towels do at work or when out and about. I don't use them at home, but my office bathroom only has paper towels. I would feel weird carting my own hand towel around here, or while out shopping, but I don't really want to use so many paper towels either.

To dry my hands, I find the jeans I am wearing work perfectly well when I am at work.

Jessimuhka, I was just wondering the same thing. I quit buying paper towels about 6 or 7 months ago, but still have to use them at work. At home I don't miss them at all. I picked up some cloth napkins at a thrift store and for windows and mirrors I use either newspaper or those reuseable handiwipes that come six in a pack at the dollar store. They can be washed if they get icky.

Jessimuhka--

I use the paper towels at work or out and about - I figure that my conservation at home fairly well makes up for the abuses at the office.

As far as when I travel - the public bathrooms aboard Holland America ships all have niches next to the sinks filled with piles of rolled up little cloth towels to dry your hands with: no paper and no air-blowers. I don't know about other cruiselines...

Not diging the blanket statement "ungreen for the most part."

That's just not true anymore (Seventh Generation, much?) and TREES ARE RENEWABLE RESOURCES...

For the people using "greener" cloth alternatives, are you washing them in only cold-water with organic soap alternatives? Then air-drying them on a clothes line? If not, then guess what...

those shop towels do bleed profusely. I keep a bunch around as rags for dirty work; but before I use them, I soak them in bleach (yes, not eco-friendly, but whatever, you make tradeoffs). The bleach will take the color out so there is no bleeding when using them for wet jobs.

I use dish vintage towels and cloth napkins at home exclusively. Like bepsf, I do have a roll of paper towels that I use every blue moon.

I used to have decorative paper hand towels in my guest bathroom but I am replacing those with linen hand towels. I am a stickler when it comes to providing individual towels for guests. The communal terry cloth hand towel is just not acceptable at this age.

Patrick -- I do wash my "cloth alternatives" in cold water. I don't use organic soap alternatives or hang them on the line to dry, but I do throw them in with my other laundry, so I am not adding to the amount of laundry I have to do by using these items in place of paper towels. Since you called me out I will look into soap alternatives, but I'm afraid line drying is out of the question since I live in a very small condo.

I hate jumping on my soapbox again, but my boyfriend is a home dialysis patient, and paper towels are essential to our hand hygiene. Using a cloth towel more than once can spread disease for immune-compromised patients. However, I'll be the first to acknowledge that we're not a normal household, and where we can do so, I've cut back on our paper towel usage.

Also, as Patrick (the other one) points out, we're all using electricity and water when we clean cloth towels. Nor do all of us want to dry our hands on our clothes when we're out in public.

i love the dyson airblade. they have it AMC25 movie theater in times square. it's kinda fun!

I just keep a stack of facecloths/washcloths in the kitchen for anything I'd use a paper towel for.
I do keep the paper towels around, but luckily, I can compost those as long as there isn't fat on them.

We just started using cloth towels in the bathroom at my workplace. The girl who designed the bathrooms bought about 50 white washcloths and two baskets for each bathroom. We fold them in half and roll them up, then put them in one of the baskets near the sink. You take one, dry your hands, and throw it in another basket right under the sink. It has drawn a lot of compliments! It's homey but sanitary, because you don't use someone else's cloth.
At the end of the week someone takes the washcloths home, wash them in hot water with bleach, and bring them back.

Since we started that I have noticed that a lot of our female clients stop by our office on one pretext or another when they are out around town and need to use a restroom!

The GIRL who designed the bathroom???

I've had the same roll for over a year now. The only thing I use them for is rubbing oil into my wok to season it. I use bar mop towels for everything else, and I got them really cheap on sale at target. I suppose I could use them on the wok, too, but it seems weird. I guess I'll have another year or so to figure out---I'm not even halfway through that roll!

I do use paper towels, but not often. Instead, I usually use white cotton dish towels that look like large napkins (not terrycloth.) They are all the same because when they are all dirty - I wash them all at once and air dry them. Besides a dish sponge, I also have a designated sponge for the bathroom (just cut a corner off an old dish one - to differentiate them) and newspaper and vinegar is excellent for cleaning windows.

I use paper towels for cleaning up some pet accidents. Wet accidents are soaked up w/ newspaper, but the floor still needs some spray cleaner & a paper towel or 2. Otherwise, I have lots of dish towels, and wash them as soon as they're at all grungy.

Cloth napkins are so much nicer to use than paper, just don't get polyester; it's not absorbent.

Newspaper works well to soak up cooking grease; inks are soy-based, and your food doesn't pick up ink, as far as i can tell.

Microfiber cloths are handy, too. When the kitchen sponge gets ratty or torn, it gets trimmed and becomes a bathroom cleaning sponge. Sponges go through the wash just fine.

I probably use a roll every month or 2. It's not hard to reduce consumption of disposables, and it saves money, since cloth napkins and dishtowels go in with regular loads of laundry. I don't get too fussy if I do use some once in a while.

I am weening myself off of them, but there is one job I just can't bring myself to clean up without a paper towel.

My cats get sick often, I use them and throw them away. I know I could wash my towels just like any others I use for spills and cleaning, but I am so disgusted by pet-mess that I don't want to handle it any more than I need to.

I need to get over this, I know.

I use white terry towels, often sold as car rags. Cheaper than buying them labeled as "bar" rags, and they are a bit thicker than most bar rags. They work good on my StickMop too.

There's always room in the washer for cramming the dirty ones in with the rest of the clothes.

Sorry, Taureg? She's another female and my same age. I guess I still think of myself as a girl. Quick, call the thought police.

Great thread due to the large amount of consumer response EcoLabs told us that the Profoce Towels are coming back!

See our story:
http://www.sustainableisgood.com/products/2008/08/proforcetowels.html

for other related stories:
http://www.sustainableisgood.com

For any of the above that don't seem to work the best with dish cloths because of sanitary reasons, wash the cloth in hot and soapy water and either run through the dishwasher if you have one, or pull out your steamer and steam the cloth on the stove top, then air dry.
For draining bacon and fried goodies, I always use newspaper or paper bags to drain them. They are very absorbent, and I always seem to have them on hand.

If you're looking for ways to stop using paper towels when you're in a public restroom, then check out this new product. www.peopletowels.com -- they are personal reusable hand towels with cute designs.

just wanted to say thank you for the peopletowels suggestion! i just ordered some for a gift and am really excited to see how they are and if i should order some for myself :) have a great day!

ladybug5: I also live in a small apartment, and air dry. One method I use weekly to air dry clothes [or wash cloths] in my apartment is a t-top ironing board with the fabric cover removed. If I'm drying too many items to lay them all flat I drape them over a hanger and hang these around the perimeter. This works best with diamond patterned boards vs solid-top. Try it, let me know if this mod works for you :)

PeopleTowels is starting a new eco-habit (like water bottles) of bringing your own reusable hand towel. Check it out - www.peopletowels.com

Great post, if we each make choices like these I believe that it will make a huge difference in the environment. I do keep paper towel around, but the roll lasts for a very long time. We use old towels, old socks, bed sheets that are worn out get cut up into rag size. Then the rag box is full enough to allow a choice to discard the rag when the spill or mess that was wiped up would be difficult to wash out. http://zolemia.onlineproductsconnection.com/home.html

I keep a basket filled with clean dish cloths handy in place of paper towels. For floor wipes, I keep another basket filled with cut-up old bath towels. I had several frayed white towels, so all my floor wipes are white too, which makes them easy to launder. Others interested in kicking their paper towel habit, might like my easy four-step guide at http://www.squidoo.com/kickyourpapertowelhabit.