This article may contain affiliate / compensated links. For full information, please see the disclaimer here.
Do you use paper towels to clean your counters, toilets, windows, and faces? If so, this challenge will be a revolution for you. I’m here to tell you that you will get better cleaning results and save a ton of money by using real cloth.
Today’s Challenge: Open up your towel cabinets and scour your house for old washcloths, towels, rags, and microfiber cloths. Next, find a basket and put all your rags inside. You now have a rag basket. This should be kept in a central location, like the kitchen, so that you are ready for messes. I also put a stack under the sink in each bathroom next to the spray bottle of vinegar solution. If you can’t find enough old rags around the house, you can consider purchasing some that are meant to be used like paper towels. These NotPaper Towels are just the right size.
Once you have a rag basket, I will show you how you can put it to use this week to reduce your plastic use in a bunch of different ways.
*A note on microfiber cloths. You may not know that these are made from plastic. Microfibers are small polyester fibers that are tightly woven together. They are excellent for trapping dirt and microscopic material, like bacteria and viruses, rather than just pushing it around. When they get boiled or washed, they expand and release the dirt/bacteria to be washed away. Unfortunately, they may also release tiny microplastics into the water at the same time. The science is still not clear with these types of cloths how much microplastics are released compared to other plastic materials. We’ll touch more on this when we get to laundry week, but I did want to bring it up briefly now if you are considering buying new microfiber cloths. Certainly, if you already have some, don’t throw them away. If you take care of your cloths (i.e. don’t cut them up, don’t put them in the dryer, don’t use fabric softener), they will last a lifetime and may be less likely to shed microfibers.
My rag basket full of old washcloths and towels
→ Back to the Plastic Challenge Homepage
