How We Use Fewer Paper Towels (Without Even Thinking About It)
The Practical Point:
Keep reusable washcloths, reusable paper towels, or Swedish dishcloths right beside your paper towels. If they’re equally convenient, you’re much more likely to reach for them. That’s the trick.
The Story:
Paper towels are easy to use, convenient, and effective but they can be fairly costly. I was tired of constantly buying them. It seemed like we added them to the grocery list every week. We switched from the name brand to the store brand, which helped a little on costs. However, making one change in our kitchen made a much bigger difference than buying the cheaper rolls ever did.
The trick wasn’t buying fancy products or making a big lifestyle change. It was making the better choice just as convenient as the old one. Sometimes changing a habit really can be that simple.
Keep reusable rags in reach. Not in a cabinet, not in the bathroom, right near where you will actually use them. For our family, we keep them on the windowsill behind the sink. I can stand in the same spot and reach either the paper towels or the reusable cloths. Neither option is more convenient than the other. I only have to decide which one makes sense for the job. Convenience is a huge driving factor in changing habits because, if the better option isn’t easy, we probably aren’t going to choose it.
I reach for the washcloths constantly when my kids are eating, which is somehow all the time. I get one wet, wipe their faces, rinse it, and keep going until everything is clean. A single washcloth wipes sticky faces, messy hands, the high chair, the table, and whatever inevitably landed on the floor. Then it goes straight into the laundry. We probably go through 15 washcloths a day, but 15 washcloths is a whole lot cheaper than 15 paper towels.
The same idea goes for the reusable paper towels. For small spills and cleaning, I grab these. Food someone stepped in and smeared all over the floor, drips around the sink, and microwave messes all get wiped up in a breeze. I use them when I spray the countertops and the stove top at the end of the day. I even use them to clean my bathroom, too.
My favorite to grab for any big spills is the Swedish dish cloth. As a mom of littles, I know all too well that big spills happen. Imagine that a cloth and a sponge had a baby, that’s what these are! They are super absorbent, easy to wring out and use again, plus they are machine washable. We actually keep one under the drying rack so the drippy dishes don’t soak the whole counter!
We still use paper towels. They become plates for late-night toast when one more dish feels like it could break us. We use them when poop somehow ends up somewhere other than the toilet or a diaper. We throw one over a dish in the microwave to prevent an explosion. The goal isn’t to eliminate paper towels completely. It’s simply to use them more sparingly.
One Last Practical Thought
Every family, and every season of parenting, is different. I’m not here to convince you to do things exactly the way we do them. I’m simply sharing practical ideas that have made our lives easier. Take what works, tweak what doesn’t, and leave the rest behind. If one small idea makes your day easier, this post has done its job.
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These are the exact washcloths we use. They are incredibly soft when you first open them – bunny soft. They do eventually get more textured after you wash them a million times. At $8.99 a package, I don’t feel bad replacing them when they start getting too worn.
These are the reusable cloths we use, too. I like that they’re made from organic cotton and they’ve held up really well for us. My toddler even uses them to clean up messes, too.
I adore these! They are so useful and by far the most absorbent option we use. Plus, there’s tons of fun patterns and a hook, too! We use them for weeks and eventually throw them in the washing machine to get them fresh again.