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Not buying paper towels simply saves me a lot of money. Depending how many you buy, you can burn through $15 of paper towels a week. Some people I know go through almost half a roll cleaning up a mess!
I wash my cloths with soiled laundry that I'm washing on high heat, so I don't have to wait until there is enough to build up a load :eww:
I use cloth for just about everything. When the pretty dishtowels, hand towels, etc. start to show signs of wear or get stained, they become cleaning rags. Cut-up old cotton T-shirts, flannel nightgowns and even socks and cotton undies become rags as well (the undies stay in the basement out of sight from polite company ... LOL ...). I've got a never-ending supply.
There's a hierarchy of rags, too -- the recently demoted towels are kept in the kitchen for cleaning countertops; as they age, they're used on the floor. The grosser they get, they move to the bathroom and then into the basement. When even the hottest, longest wash cycle can't get them out of their funk, they're either tossed or if they're all cotton, composted.
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Yeah, my opinion is why in God's name is this being discussed?
If you're not interested in the topic, why don't you just back out of the thread?
There's a hierarchy of rags, too -- the recently demoted towels are kept in the kitchen for cleaning countertops; as they age, they're used on the floor. The grosser they get, they move to the bathroom and then into the basement. When even the hottest, longest wash cycle can't get them out of their funk, they're either tossed or if they're all cotton, composted.
We do the same thing at our house.
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If you're not interested in the topic, why don't you just back out of the thread?
In all fairness, this thread started out in "Great Debates" where it most definitey did not belong.
Yeah, this is one of the topics that inevitably crops up. On usenet, in the frugal forum, it was usually sandwiched in between two other threads - re-using toilet paper, and "the keeper." Nearby would be a thread about taking and using the napkins and condiments from the fast food places. <sniff> Those were the good ol' days.
Around here, furballs are going to get cleaned up with a paper towel. The ecologically challenged can just deal with it.
I use both paper towels and cloth... I purchased a large amount of plain washclothes very cheap- at walmart. They are used soley for cleaning. I wash them in my loads of whites or towels. Germs are nothign to be concerned about really- they are washed after use. when im done cleaning the bathroom with one, it goes down in the hamper, when i finishe cleaning the kitchen with another, down to the hamper. I never run out and I dont waste an entire load just washing my rags or something. So yes, I do believe its worth it and can make a difference on the environment in the long run...
Changing little things in your life that are better for the environment, while they may look tiny in the big scheme of things, its SOMETHING and that matters.
I cloth diaper, use natural household cleaners, use mostly reusable rags to clean things (i use paper towels for things like pet messes or something of that sort)... I use reusable grocery bags, I compost everything I can. In my lifetime I will have prevented alot of things from sitting in our garbage dumps and I dont care how small of an impact I might make, collective efforts of people everywhere can make a big impact.
I only use paper towels for really nasty things (like pet accidents) or grimy things that stain (like greasy motor oil). Everything else is cloth... either towels, washcloths or rags. If I'm simply dusting, then rinsing the rag and hanging it to dry is fine to use it until it really gets dirty. If I'm doing something like a particularly gross toilet, I'll rinse it out well, give it a quick dunk in a 10% bleach solution and then hang it in the laundry room for the next wash cycle. Kitchen messes are usually fine for a few days if I dunk in the wash water and rinse well for reuse as long as they hang to dry between uses. Of course, you do have to use some common sense... don't use a rag to clean your toilet and then go use the same rag to clean your kitchen sink! When doing the whole house at once, if you want to use the same rag for some reason, start from the least nasty (like dusting and countertops) and move to the most nasty (like floors and toilets), then it's off to the laundry. I normally keep my kitchen rags and bathroom rags separate between washings to be safe. I mop my floors, so usually just use the dusting rag (if I haven't used oil on it for the wood furniture) to dry up. Cheap and cheerful!
In all fairness, this thread started out in "Great Debates" where it most definitey did not belong.
Yep...it only belongs in there if the poster asked if using white paper towels made you a racist.
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I use those paper towel half sheets for a great many things...including those coffee filters I'm always forgetting to buy. I clean with regular cloth rags just because they work better and it saves money.
Even with the water and soap you have to use to clean real towels, they're much better than paper towels.
Paper Towels and Napkins vs. Cloth | Healthy and Green Living (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/paper-towels-and-napkins-vs-cloth.html - broken link)
Yep...it only belongs in there if the poster asked if using white paper towels made you a racist.
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I use those paper towel half sheets for a great many things...including those coffee filters I'm always forgetting to buy. I clean with regular cloth rags just because they work better and it saves money.
Get a reuseable coffee filter. They come in metal and even hemp ones!
Earth stuff aside...everyday you will be so happy that thing is always there. LOL
Just a rag tip:
- get a small trashcan with a lid to toss your dirty cleaning towels in. This is great for the kitchen ones because it contains the cloth and scent and wont draw bugs like a hamper can (apt person here and paranoid about roaches)
- I boil a pot of water with a plosh plop of white vinegar and sea salt. Drop the towels in and it gets them cleaner than any washing machine.
I like those walmart bin rags too! They are such great scrubbers!
Maybe this was a discussion about types of cloth that clean better things?
I dont know?...but yes...I notice that. I love my old flannel sheets rip rags and newspaper to polish the glass and mirrors.
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ROFL
