Yesterday we talked about getting started with using cloth instead of paper for cleaning around the house, and today I want to go into a little more detail to help you make that switch.
Along with moving your paper towels to a less convenient location, the next thing you need to do is decide what types of cloth you want to use to replace your paper towels. Here are several different ideas of cloths to get you started. You can choose to use just one type for everything, or use different types to fit your different needs.
- Bar Mop Towels – In my opinion, these are the best replacement for paper towels. They are versatile enough to be used for lots of different jobs around the house, including basic and deep cleaning, drying hands or dishes, wiping spills, and more.
- Microfiber Towels – Microfiber Towels are perfect for cleaning all around the house. They are great for dusting, either dry, or just a little bit damp, for cleaning the bathroom, washing windows and mirrors, and even dusting or mopping the floors (I wrap them around my Swiffer mop for easy sweeping).
- Wash cloths – Wash cloths are great in the kitchen for light wiping up of the counters, table and chairs. They’re also much better than paper napkins or towels for wiping little hands and faces after meals, especially if they are a little wet.
- Cloth Napkins – If you currently use paper towels as your napkins, then investing in cloth napkins for your family to use instead is probably a good idea.
- Misc. Cotton Cloths/Rags – These are some of the best types of cloths because they’re usually free! You can cut up old t-shirts, flannel receiving blankets, or any other scraps of fabric that are past their prime and use them for basic cleaning.
After you’ve chosen what types of cloths you will use, you need to set up a laundry system along with somewhere to store your cloths until laundry day.
We use a mesh laundry basket that hangs in our basement and we throw our cloths down there when we’re done with them and usually do at least one load a week, and sometimes two. If I have really wet rags I let them hang over our baby gate that is on the basement stairs until they’re dry and then toss them down.
I have found that the key to not having stinky/moldy rags is to not let wet rags sit bunched up in an unventilated place and to wash often. I wash rags on the heavy duty cycle with hot water and add either Borax or oxygen bleach, which helps to keep them clean and odor free.
There were several great questions and answers in the comments on yesterday’s post about getting started with cloth, if you want to head back there and read through those. Or, you can post any questions you have about making the switch to cloth here too and I’ll be happy to answer them as best as I can.
Also, one question that I get asked often about using cloth is draining bacon and other greasy foods. I usually use a plain brown paper bag from the grocery store to drain bacon and have found that works pretty well. It’s not as absorbent as a paper towel, but it gets the job done. Also, Anjanette commented yesterday that they use a cloth to drain their bacon every morning and just wash it with the rest of their cloths and haven’t found it to be a problem.
If you’re still using paper towels for cleaning around your house, do you think you can start making the switch to cloth?
Go here to read all the posts in the 31 Days to Green Clean series.
Top Photo Credit: storebukkebruse/Flickr
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I have not yet gone completely paperless in our house. I have however made great efforts to cut back on paper use. I don’t know what’s been holding me back from using cloth in the kitchen rather than papertowel. We use cloths to clean Son’s hands but somehow haven’t made the plunge for that to include the adults too. Thank you for your post. It has inspired me to work towards using less papertowel. I have however gone paperless in the bathroom and wonder if you or your readers have done the same? I’ve heard it called Family Cloths. My Son calls it “Mom’s Cloths”, and nine times out of ten he’ll ask to use it rather than toilet paper. The transition was much less difficult than I thought it would be. I suppose the same would be true in going paperless in the kitchen. ~http://gloriouslygfmom.blogspot.ca
Wow, if you’ve switched to cloth in the bathroom then I would think it would be easy to switch to cloth in the kitchen – most people have a much harder time getting over not using paper in the bathroom! But, taking small steps that work for you is definitely the way to go.
I have used cloth in the bathroom and found that I like it much better than regular toilet paper. I have gotten out of the habit of it lately, mostly because I don’t have enough cloths for both cloth wipes for the baby, and cloth for the bathroom. I just need to invest in some more wipes.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I’m going to have to check out those bar mop towels…we haven’t been using paper towels for awhile now. I just didn’t buy any more one day and it’s been fine! My husband gets a little annoyed about it, but I think the bar mop towels would be good to have around…we just have little thin cloth squares that aren’t always very absorbent.
Awhile back, to get started on really using just cloth around the house, I bought a giant pack of cotton terry towels at Costco. I keep them all over my house and use them for everything – cleaning, wiping up spills, and draining my bacon. I throw them in the washing machine (it’s always open), and when my washing machine is full, I wash. I never have any problems, even though I wash everything in the same old load.
Thanks for sharing your experience Amanda!
Love these posts–full of great information and they are pushing my thinking. I’ll add this about the bacon: I cook mine in the oven and place it on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet. That way, it’s not swimming in grease and doesn’t need blotting. I pour the grease into a coffee mug to let it cool. Once it’s hardened, I just scoop it into the trash.
Thanks for sharing Rita! I cook bacon in the oven too, and that is a great idea to put them on a cooling rack!
Thanks for answering my question from the other day about moldy towels! I’ll be hanging them to dry, probably over the washing machine lid, in between washer loads. Thanks!
Of course! Glad you’ve figured out something that will work for you!
Where do you find bar mop towels? We do have some microfiber, but in our place they seem to attract little things if we haven’t vacuumed. Then I have to pull whatever happens to stick to the cloth off before I wash it because it won’t come off. Sigh… We have bought more washcloths and I try to recycle old clothes, etc into rags. We were doing well for a while, but then fell off the wagon so to speak.
You can follow the link in the post to see bar mop towels on Amazon. I’ve also seen them at Target, and I purchased mine from Sam’s Club. Hope that helps!
Kelly, I’ve found that if you wash the microfiber cloths with the jeans load, there is no lint to collect on the cloths.
I’ve been wanting to make some paperless ‘cloth towels’ by sewing together old sheets with cut up old towels and then quilting them a bit. Makes me want to do it right now but … its bedtime! Love this blog!
That’s a great idea Cindy – thanks for sharing! So glad you’re enjoying this series!
~Emily