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It’s time to let go of the paper towels. I know this seems extreme. You may even think I am crazy, but you now have your infused vinegar, your rag basket, and your laundry bucket set up from the challenges this week and you are ready for the next step. Once there is a good system in place and the whole family knows about it, you will start to reach for those paper towels less and less. It doesn’t have to be overnight. Here is an article I wrote about our family’s journey to give up paper towels. Update – the extra role I stashed away is still sitting in the exact same spot. I just checked. I’m pretty sure no one else in the house even knows about it!
Why does this matter? Why should you give up paper towels? Well, if you head to the paper goods section of the store, look around. It’s not only the wasted trees that are the problem (although that is a big part of it!) The paper towel pack is typically wrapped in a plastic film. Look inside and you may just find that each paper towel roll is wrapped individually in more plastic film. This film is difficult to recycle. You can search here to see if there is somewhere nearby that will take these types of film, but I think we can do better than that. Let’s put a stop to it.
Today’s challenge: Hide your paper towels out of reach for 1 day, week, or month. Whatever you think is a good starting point. See if you can rely on your rag basket instead. If there is a big mess and you just can’t fathom rinsing out rags and doing laundry, then by all means, grab those paper towels and give them a whirl, but over time you might just find that the rags work better and one extra load of laundry a week is worth it.
If you need a bigger supply of rags, you can cut up old towels, or purchase some. Here are some that are meant to work like paper towels, but are aptly named NotPaper Towels. Have a stack at the ready so you can still do your grab, use, toss, just like with paper towels, except toss it into the bucket in your laundry room instead of the garbage.
I know this is a big step for some, especially if you have young kids and you are running on fumes. You need to give yourself grace. If you need an extra step to bridge, try out these “reusable” paper towels by If You Care. They are similar to the Swedish dishcloths I use for washing dishes and wiping counters, but are a little bigger and they don’t last as long (you can use up to a week and then they can be composted). If you don’t think you can go even that far, then check out these paper towels from Who Gives a Crap. I use their toilet paper, but have not personally used the paper towel since we have moved on to cloth rags. These are the first paper towels that I have seen not packaged in plastic film. You can also rejoice in saving trees since they are made from bamboo and sugar cane. However, if you are looking at cost, then by far switching to reusable rags is going to win here.
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