cloth towels instead of paper towels?

[ruadisneyfan2]

I understand the fear of those types of sicknesses. My oldest was the only one of mine that went to daycare and she was sick from the time she as 5mths until she was 3. As in standing dr. apps every 2 weeks for her ear infections, months and months of maintenance medication, huge doses of antibiotics because the normal doses were doing nothing for her. She had tubes put in by 10mths and they wanted to take her adenoids out by the time she was a year. And that was just the infections, add in the colds, flu, tummy troubles, fevers and I was long out of sick/vacation time, had call in every family favor, and was working nights and weekends to make up the hours at work. It was rough.

But we still only use cloth towels and napkins at home. LOL. And while she still gets troubles with her ears, she is a very healthy kid otherwise. No flus in this house, barely ever a tummy sickness, colds are barely noticeable. The other 3 are at a max 24hr sickness kids. Nothing hangs round longer than that and we've only had 1 bout of throwing up sicknesses with them.

I wouldn't worry about baby sicknesses now that they are teens. Give it a go and if you all start getting sick then at least you know you tried and it just doesn't work for your family.

I don't worry as much anymore and they are rarely sick now but old habits are still there. Dh is in a job that he can easily call out sick more than me. I'm day shift (breast imaging) so I couldn't "make up" time. We do still have a cloth towel that hangs on the dishwasher handle and another one that loops on the fridge door handle but I don't use them. I change the one out every other day or so.
Really, I'm getting better. lol

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We use the cheap-o washcloths from walmart. You can get a pack of 10 or 12 (can't remember) for like $4. Not something I'd use in my bath as they're pretty "stiff" but they are absorbent and take a good beating being used and washed so frequently.

This is what I use.

The rest of the family still keeps using the paper towels. I even tried hiding them twice so far but my husband found them.

At least the rest of the family doesn't clean as much as I do so I've reduced the paper towel usage to 2 rolls per week. And one of those rolls, the teens use to clean the upstairs bathroom so at least they are doing that.

 

[writersblock42]

Another option if you need something super absorbent would be shop towels. They sell them in the automotive department of places like Target.

 

[Kellydelly]

My friend makes and sells these alternatives to paper towels....people rave about them .

http://www.etsy.com/listing/72036000/24-bird-e-towels-multi-pack-dark-rainbow?ref=related-0

 

[rwielatz]

thanks for all the suggestions! I definitely want to switch over and start saving some $$

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

At Sam's you can get a pack of 60 white terry towels that are 14"X17" for $19.99. I just bought a pack last week to replace the ones I bought when we moved into our house 10 years ago that have seen their better days. And moved the old ones to the garage as shop towels

I too have a Rubbermaid container in the basement one marked "clean" one marked "dirty". Once I get enough to wash I wash them in bleach and then dump them into the clean bin and take a few up to the kitchen and bathrooms.

 

[usnuzuloose]

You can buy some towels from a thrift store and cut them up to the size you want. Works for me.

 

[hsmamato2]

The rest of the family still keeps using the paper towels. I even tried hiding them twice so far but my husband found them.

At least the rest of the family doesn't clean as much as I do so I've reduced the paper towel usage to 2 rolls per week. And one of those rolls, the teens use to clean the upstairs bathroom so at least they are doing that.

I could have written this.... I hide them too,just keep them for animal messes...... I have a big stack of cloth napkins in a box next to our table, a big stack of dishtowels in a cabinet next to the sink,and I clip a clean towel up next to the kitchen sink for hand drying..... it's called a washer and dryer folks! you toss it all in,and it comes out clean!
I also like the little cheapie washcloths from walmart,keep a stack in the bathroom,they dry so quickly!
The only paper goods I LOVE are T.P. and nose blowing tissues (more T.P. lol)
I got the cloth napkins from discount stores,tag sales, hand me downs... dishtowels are cheap,and I keep about 30 in the cabinet.....they just accumulate!

 

[redsonja76]

For those who use cloth, do you just keep a stack near the kitchen sink? We would need around 50 of them for all the times someone washes their hands or else I'd be doing even more laundry. I do around 10 loads every Saturday & not a lot of time on weeknights for it.

I'm not a total germophobe but have missed enough work when our kids were little that I was suspended for 3 days and on the verge of being fired. I'd have done anything to stop germs from spreading. Now they're teens so it's not so hard but we go through a lot of paper towels. I work in a hospital and we have handwashing/infection control drilled into us. I can't see myself reusing.

I keep two baskets on my kitchen counter. One for cleans and one for dirties.

 

[kellyjeanie]

I bought microfiber towel from SAMs, towel size and off QVC, or HSN I think, it was a set of rag size in the multicolor. I have pink for the kitchen, blue for little ones and hei mess, the green for household cleaning and wipe ups, the yellow for the bathroom.

Just don't use softener on them in the washer. They last orever and I've cut my use down on paper towel needs.

This is what we use. I don't separate by color - but that's a neat system. I have a stack of green and a stack of yellow, and they've lasted a really long time - key is no fabric softener.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

I too buy the cheap bundles of wash-clothes from WalMart, and I love the IKEA ones with the color tab hooks.

I only buy white, I use them for many many things.

I think the key to keeping them in good shape is that once I am done using it, I rinse it out, and then in my laundry room I have a separate small basket they go in. I hang them over the size of the basket to make sure they DRY out.

Make sure not to ball them up and leave them damp.

I wash all mine together in 1 load on hot with bleach. They usually last about 4-6 months before they start to wear. When that happens they get moved out to the garage and I get new ones.

I tend to stock up on black-friday, they usually have them on sale for a dollar or two.

 

[charlesmprice]

Terry cloth is better it think. We have industrial paper towels in our office and are kept in wash room and as well as cafeteria. It works great when we are in a hurry and we need not rush to wash. I have also bought institutional towels from Instock supplies online for use in home.

 

[mhsjax]

Love my paper towels. I use cheap rags for cleaning, white ones. I don't want to buy another color or keep up with a separate stack and I darn sure don't want any towel in my kitchen to use for wiping counter tops or hands that I have used to clean toilets. That is just plain disgusting.

Do you all have a system for keeping these towels separate? I think it is more trouble that it is worth and I don't need a bunch of extra towels laying around.

ETA: I also don't and won't share a towel with my kids. YOu all can have my share of towels and I will take your share of paper. I have enough laundry to do.

 

[delmar411]

Love my paper towels. I use cheap rags for cleaning, white ones. I don't want to buy another color or keep up with a separate stack and I darn sure don't want any towel in my kitchen to use for wiping counter tops or hands that I have used to clean toilets. That is just plain disgusting.

Do you all have a system for keeping these towels separate? I think it is more trouble that it is worth and I don't need a bunch of extra towels laying around.

ETA: I also don't and won't share a towel with my kids. YOu all can have my share of towels and I will take your share of paper. I have enough laundry to do.

I use kitchen towels in the kitchen and washcloths for cleaning. I don't clean my toilets with my hand or kitchen towels so I'm not sure how that would be an issue??

I don't share body towels with my kids but I have to share hand towels in the bathroom. We just switch out frequently.

 

[The Princess]

I felt the same way with napkins so I bought a bunch of cloth napkins at bed bath and beyond and use those instead of paper napkins.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

I'm a manager for a large construction restoration company and we do a LOT of fire/mold restoration to homes...so we go through a LOT of rags cleaning.

I buy some off the company to use instead of paper towels to save money on that as well. We buy in bulk from the local dry cleaner, but you can probably get them in smaller amounts. I would check with industrial cleaning stores...places that sell to companies that go through large volumes of rags and can't afford to pay a lot for them.

 

[pennyg]

I use birdseye weave cloth baby diapers (not previously used as a diaper) for kitchen towels and napkins. I used them as burp cloths and they were great so I just kept using them for things around the house. I cut in half and sew up the raw edge for use as napkins and leave the ones I use as towels whole. Never thought of the snap thing to roll them up. May have to look into that. I just keep them in a drawer.

I buy cheap wash cloths from Walmart for cleaning with cleaners in the kitchen or bathroom.

 

[mhsjax]

I use kitchen towels in the kitchen and washcloths for cleaning. I don't clean my toilets with my hand or kitchen towels so I'm not sure how that would be an issue??

I don't share body towels with my kids but I have to share hand towels in the bathroom. We just switch out frequently.

It would be an issue because I don't want to have to separate towels for the kitchen from the little towels I use to clean the toilets. I buy cheap white washcloths/hand towels to clean the bathrooms with. I don't want to have to buy another stack of a different color so they don't get mixed up. I explained all of this in my earlier post. Paper works well for me in my kitchen and on my glass. I will keep my paper towels. I have kitchen towels, ( lots of them) for drying dishes and occasionally wiping up the counter tops, I DO NOT like using them to dry my hands and then use them on dishes. I also see no need to use them all the time for wiping or cleaning in the kitchen. They are called "dish" towels and I use them as such. YMMV.

 

[elphaba91]

We actually use old flannelette cloth nappies! They were first used for their intended purpose about 25 years ago, and have been used for spills, etc. for around 20. They are honestly the best thing for big spills! We do also have cloths for kitchen benches, etc. which are made of a flannelette sort of material. I just found a new packet and they are apparently called 'antibacterial wipes', but in our household are simply referred to as 'yellow cloths'. We then always have a cotton or linen tea towel (for drying dishes) and a terry cloth hand towel (for drying hands) on hand in the kitchen. There is also a good decorative tea towel hanging on the oven door which can also be used on occasion.

We still have paper towels for a few things, but have recently discovered paper towels that come in a tissue box so you only pull one sheet out at a time, so don't waste any, and don't get the rest of the roll yucky if you've got wet/dirty hands!

 

[cheap traveler]

I use roughly 1 roll of paper towels a month, family of 3. We use dish towels for drying hands and dishes, I wash down surfaces with Lysol wipes (keep those kids healthy!), there is a hand towel in the bathroom, I have some ugly washcloths I was gifted for cleaning the bathroom, and we use cloth napkins for meals (actually bar towels - small and absorbant.)

We spend 11 hours every day away from home (my work hours stink) so none of these towels get used very frequently. Some pp's mentioned wiping down the counters 3+ times a day - I'm not home nearly enough for that! All the towels get washed as they need it - one used for drying (clean) hands don't need to be washed after every use, sink-scrubbing cloth goes straight to the laundry.

The thing that drives me CRAZY, is when a friend of mine comes over, she wants to use paper towels for EVERYTHING! Wash a plate? Paper towel to dry it. Wash your hands? Two paper towels to dry them. Baby needs a tissue? Use a paper towel. She grew up in a poor household, I have no idea where this compulsion comes from. I hide them when she comes over now.