I have tried to stop using paper towels, but always end up using them... and feeling very guilty about it. We have wash cloths in a basket on the counter, along with cleaning towels in the cabinets below, so I have no excuse!!!

But sometimes the spills and messes seem so yucky that I don't want to even toss it in the laundry. Does anyone else feel they use way too many paper towels?

__________________
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~ Dr. Seuss

I don't know about paper towels because we don't buy them, but I do use a lot of lysol and clorox wipes.

__________________
Mommy to Hope (10.10.06)
Monkey mommy to Allyson (10.13.02)

I do use paper towels, but I'm very stingy with them!!

If I buy regular-sized towels, I rip them into 4 pieces. And I will reuse them (gasp!) if I've only used one to clean up a water spill or something. Like before I bought a new coffee maker (because mine was leaking water a bit) I would fold one of the halves and place it next to the coffee maker to soak up any water leakage. Then, I would hang it up, let it dry, and reuse it for the same purpose. I had two at one time that I used like this - one would be drying while the other one was being used. I don't see anything wrong with that, except I probably could have used a cloth towel just the same. The paper ones just dried quicker...And I do use them (the quarter pieces) for napkins. Probably shouldn't do that either, but I don't have a washing machine, and I'm not able to do laundry every day, so hand-washing all of those would be a pain for me.

I do use rags to wipe up the countertops, though. And I always wash them out by hand and hang them up to dry. (Outside, when I can.)

__________________
Whoever said "Ain't nothin' in life for free"
had obviously never visited
The MommySavers Samples & Freebies Forum!!



Come on over...to the "FREE side"!!
http://mommysavers.com/boards/sample...eebies-offers/

I used to feel mega guilt about it so I simply stopped buying them. If I have them I use them excessively. Now I operate on a wash cloth only basis.

__________________
~Vicki~
Mama to Hailey, 4 and Ella, 2

Maybe you could buy the recycled type of paper towels. I always buy Publix Greenwise paper napkins, I think they have paper towels as well.

Perhaps you can use the paper towels you have on hand as often as you like and for what purposes you like without guilt if you can make the commitment to yourself to not purchase any more.

We've been three years without paper towels, and it's been great but making that initial break was tough.

__________________
I'm a green-living mommy!

I don't buy them often because it takes a long time to use a roll. I mostly just use tem for icky messes, like wiping down the bathroom, or the kitchen table after the cat's been napping there or something. Something I don't want germs to get on my dish towels or sponges.

__________________
"And the state of his bathroom -- I'm not one to gossip, but there are things crusted on his sink that have not simply developed intelligent life but have in all probability by now evolved their own political systems." Cain describes Abel in in SANDMAN #70

I buy the recycled ones from Publix and don't really use them all that much. I have 2 dishtowels in the kitchen to dry your hands with and use a designated wash rag to clean the counters, etc. When I do use them I try to re-use them though. Our coffee pot has a built in grinder so we have 1 paper towel that lasts a few days for drying the grinder and lid. I suppose I could use a towel for it instead but there is always left over coffee bits. We just leave it next to the pot until its covered with coffee, then start on a new one.

I just recently had an epiphany (don't know why it took so long) to use a washcloth on DS after meals instead of 15 napkins (it seemed like that many anyway). I haven't been able to bring myself to using cloth napkins yet, even though I do have black ones so they won't show stains.

i made a bunch of non paper towels by cutting up old t-shirts and put them in a basket on kitchen counter, just ran out of real paper towels and vow not to buy them anymore, if i use a non paper towel for a real messy clean up i don't feel guilty if i throw it away, always have tons of old t-shirts i can cut up and if i run out of them i'm sure i can pick some up cheap at yard sales

__________________
My goal-to live a peaceful and serene life

It had never occured to me to get black ones! Ours are green (mostly). But I have not gotten the family into the habit of using them. I almost had them out of the paper towl habit till we got a puppy. With puppy training messes, paper towels were the best way to go for us. Now that the pooch has been accident free for a few weeks, my paper towel days are over (again). But I think I will invest in some black cloth napkins! Great Idea!