Household paper goods are so ubiquitous we do not even think about them anymore, but there was a time when towels and napkins were made of soft, reusable cloth. Nowadays the equivalent of about 270,000 trees are used and discarded each day worldwide. the average North American churns through 50 pounds of paper products a year, including napkins, paper towels, tissues, and toilet paper. While some of these goods are made from sustainable tree farms, native forests are still a primary source. This leads to erosion and loss of animal habitats. Plus, papermaking is a toxic process that is hard on the environment. Many paper products are whitened with chlorine-based chemicals - which are not as harmful as chlorine bleach, but still release carcinogens and toxins into the water. Others are scented, dyed, or treated with "lotion" made of petroleum, silicone, and chemical surfactants.
Thinner paper is more environmentally friendly than thick or quilted varieties. Use paper towels sparingly and reuse them when practical; some brands can be rinsed numerous times. Buy only plain, unscented, white, lotion-free toilet paper and tissues, which are better for the environment.
Help reduce chlorine-related dioxins in the air and water by purchasing paper products that have been whitened with hydrogen peroxide, oxygen, or ozone bleach. "Totally chlorine free" (TCF) is best, "processed chlorine free" (PCF) is at least made without the most harmful type of chlorine, and "elemental chlorine free" (ECF) is the least desirable, but better than conventional paper goods. Unbleached paper products are the best choice.
Look for products made of recycled paper. Among the recycled papers, a high postconsumer waste (PCW) content is best, because it keeps paper out of landfills and reduces the need to use virgin wood fiber. Recycled papers usually list the amount of PCW on their packaging; look for varieties with the highest PCW percentage you can find.
Use cloth napkins and wash them when they are soiled; they are more absorbent than some of the "eco" paper brands. Substitute sponges, dishcloths, or kitchen towels for paper towels. A good way to start is to throw a dish towel over your paper-towel rack, as a reminder to dry your clean hands, countertops, and dishes with a reusable cloth towel instead of a disposable paper one.
Our everyday napkins.Over a year ago I purchased two packs of dish cloths. We have been using them as our everyday napkins ever since. They have survived spaghetti sauce, BBQ sauce, ketchup, mustard, butter, chocolate milk, many spills, and many messy eaters.
Hand drying towels.How many paper towels does it take to dry your hands? One, two? One never seems like quite enough, but one cloth towel is all it takes to get the job done. Our hand drying towels consist mostly of the flour sack variety. They are thin and therefore dry fast. I like to throw one over my shoulder while working in the kitchen for quick access. Otherwise, one is always hanging on the oven door pull - which acts as a dryer while baking.
Cleaning towels.
Cleaning towels.I prefer cloth versus paper when cleaning up spills - no matter how messy and disgusting they are. With cloth one is enough to clean my entire kitchen, it holds up to scrubbing, rinsing is not a problem, it is far more economical, does not come packaged in plastic, and I never run out. These "bar towels" are just the right size for wiping down counters, scrubbing the stove top, cleaning the refrigerator, and catching spills.
By investing just a few bucks I have drastically reduced our waste, my trips to the store, dioxins in our air and water, trees being cut for virgin wood fibers, and plastic packaging; all while getting a far better return on my investment than the one time use and disposal of paper towels.
By investing just a few bucks I have drastically reduced our waste, my trips to the store, dioxins in our air and water, trees being cut for virgin wood fibers, and plastic packaging; all while getting a far better return on my investment than the one time use and disposal of paper towels.
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11 comments:
this post has some great research. i can't believe it took me this long to stop buying paper products!
I switched over a year ago from paper towels and napkins to cloth and it was a very easy change to make. When I made the change I still had one roll of paper towels left. I stretched it out to last nine more months!
At first I bought a bunch of cloth napkins, but having kids I've found that bathroom rags work so much better- smaller and more absorbent. I do pull our the cloth napkins when we have guests, though.
I also reuse the rags before washing. For exaple, I have a hook where I hang a rag for hand drying. After numerous uses, it gets moved to a pile where it can be grabbed for a quick clean-up of a spill.
My biggest issue is in sanitzing the laundry since I also gave up chlorine bleach. I've been using a healthy dose of vinegar, but I do wonder if it works as well.
Over the Christmas holiday my Mom came to stay with us. My gift to her was not giving her the evil stink eye when she used the roll of paper towels she bought.
I keep an emergency roll of paper towels for dog yark but I have to hide it or the kids and hubby will find it and use it!
For some reason I really love all of your photos of napkins and cloths; they look so clean and tidy. Much better than boring, tree-killing paper products!
Thanks for all the information for Thrifty Green Thursday!
Yahoo for cloth napkins/rags! Whenever I'm in someone else's kitchen I can't bring myself to dry my hands on a paper towel. It seems somewhat bizarre now that we've been using cloth towels for so long. On the flip side, friends that come to our house for dinner always seem a little nervous about using their cloth napkins to sop up spaghetti sauce or wipe the floor. But it's amazing how quickly a family can get used to living with cloth instead of paper towels--and the cost savings seems to help with that too! Thanks for joining us this week for Thrifty Green Thursday!
Great info thanks! I replaced paper towels with old towels cut up a year or so ago. Next on my list is tissues and napkins. Cheers, Tricia
A friend of mine had a good tip. In her house, they always had their own napkin rings.
At the end of each meal, if your napkin was still clean, you could put it back in the ring. If you felt it was dirty, you could put it in the hamper and get a new one. This saves having to wash them all every meal and also avoids having to use someone else's slightly soiled napkin.
I love the towels at the bottom of this post! Too cute! Were they purchased or hand-stenciled?
I think the one thing that helped me, surprisingly enough, was a box of rags my husband had purchased when we were painting our first house years ago. I have them in a tote bag in our living room. Strange I know, but our preschooler is trained to grab one when she makes a mess to clean up!
Slice of Pie - My cloths also go through varying stages of dirty. Once the towel on the oven door is beyond hand drying cleanliness I use it to wipe down the counters before moving it to the laundry.
My clothes are not as blindingly white as they used to be, but I have no fear that they are clean. Chlorine bleach kills everything! Good bacteria, bad bacteria, and not to mention your clothes. Vinegar does a fine job of disinfecting and softens your clothes, too. Accomplishes two jobs in one and for less money. Gotta love that!
Pirate Farmer - Ha! Ha! Don't feel too bad. People come to my house with their own heater, thinking they're doing me a favor by using their own electric heater so I don't have to turn my heat up. They haven't quite grasped the concept that I turn my thermostat down to save electricity. sigh
Didn't your mother teach you anything? Put a sweater on!
jen - I love that idea! I always set my napkin aside and reuse several times, but everyone automatically takes theirs to the wash. I got them to start reusing the bath towels, so this is the perfect next step. Thanks for the great tip!
Going Green Mama - the towels at the end are not mine. They are manufactured. They are 100% organic cotton and used water-based inks, but I can't bring myself to pay $20 for them. I think they would be easy enough to stencil. Here's one place you can buy them:
http://www.uncommongoods.com/item/item.jsp?itemId=17255
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