I'm almost misty-eyed over this one, but, alas, it's time for me to start, yet, another challenge----
*cue the dramatic music*
I'm going to try to live without paper towels. *tear*
I do love a paper towel. So handy, so convenient, so disposable. I know it's clean, it's the right size and will absorb some tough messes.
Oh, how I love thee.
But, then I started thinking......yes, thinking about paper towels.......and realizing that not using them might just be one of the most painless money-saving moves I could make---AND, it helps the environment, to boot!
I kind of poked around looking for statistics on paper towel usage, cost, etc, and really couldn't find anything too definitive. But, let's just say you buy a roll of paper towels for $2.00 and you use about a roll a week, (which, around here, isn't too unusual!!), that equals, about, $104/year. Yes, that's not a horrific amount of money, but it's used on something you throw away!! Couldn't you use that money more wisely???
So, even though I'm in love with the paper towel----I must set it free......at least, TRY to!
Here's how I'm hoping to do that:
- For starters, I am just going to STOP buying them. (Concept, huh?!)
- Next, I'm going to accumulate semi-nice towels, cloths, etc and stack them in a basket next to the kitchen sink. These are going to be used for wiping down counters, the stove, the sink, and anything else that needs to be wiped! Any time I would have gone to grab for a paper towel, I'll grab one of these ACTUAL towels! This sort of cloth can get smelly quickly, though, so I have to remember to change it out daily.
- For bigger spills and messes, I'll keep another basket of "rattier" towels under the sink for quick clean-up.
- I'll use old t-shirts, burp cloths, onesies, etc, for other clean-up projects, such as: windows, shining appliances, dusting, etc.
Now, obviously this will add to my laundry load, but it really won't add much---I have to do laundry anyway, so I might as well throw them in with the rest!
That's a pretty simple plan, but one I think will work! (We'll see......)
It's worth a hefty try!!!
Do you think you could live without paper towels?????
Why not give it a try......
Ahhhhh we have lived w/out Paper towels for over a year now and its been very very nice. I haven't noticed that its effected our laundry usage consider we do quite a bit of laundry just because we're a family of 3 and 4 dogs.
ReplyDeleteThe only hard part is no paper towels for the dog barf, but TP works just as good for that. ;)
you'll live I swear!
And yes, its great for the environment too which is a plus plus!
I can get paper towel rolls for $0.84 at Wal-Mart. ;-) Just saying...LOL.
ReplyDeleteI just CANNOT abide the thought of cleaning cat/dog messes with cloth...I would NEVER be able to reuse them, and throwing them away seems so wasteful, too! YUCK!! So for now, I'm not going to live without my paper towels. I do always use a cloth to wipe up kitchen counters and appliances, though. Even the bathroom counter, too. All that hairspray build-up, you know. :-)
LOL....yeah, I think $2 was the "average" I found---it must be for those big, hefty, mondo paper towel rolls!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure we can do it, but, like I said--I'm going to TRY. I will miss them!!
Thanks for the encouragement!! I have thought about the cat/dog messes and realize I have other paper products for that, if needed: TP or napkins. We'll see how that works!!
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