Paper Towel Expense - $30/Month!

[BostonAnnual]

We go through at least 1 roll of paper towel a day which I'm finding quite expensive these days. At least I buy in bulk & use coupons so I'm saving on that end.

I'm constantly cleaning down appliances, countertops, kitchen table, etc.. I don't like the idea of sponges & all the bacteria being spread around.

Does anyone have a more economical solution?

 

[hallie615]

I'm curious also. We tried bounty basics last month (cheaper). I think we used twice as much as normal with bounty basic

 

[vacationwoman]

Stop cleaning, lol

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

I had the same problem and would also use paper towels as napkins at every meal.

Solution? Switch to cloth.

I bought 2 big packs of dishcloths and use two or three of these daily for wiping down the counters, etc. They get washed every night.

And we now use cloth napkins at all meals.

I now use maybe 1 roll of towels per 3 weeks or so.

Good luck! The little things do add up!

 

[jjan]

Stop cleaning, lol

BAHAHAHAHA!!!!

 

[HayGan]

Wow I use alot of paper towels but nowhere near a roll a day. I use Viva paper towels and they are very absorbant and I find that I need far fewer of those than others to clean and pickup spills.

Each time you use a towel, think about if it can still be used to pick up another spill/mess or not.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

I had the same problem and would also use paper towels as napkins at every meal.

Solution? Switch to cloth.

I bought 2 big packs of dishcloths and use two or three of these daily for wiping down the counters, etc. They get washed every night.

And we now use cloth napkins at all meals.

I now use maybe 1 roll of towels per 3 weeks or so.

Good luck! The little things do add up!

Agree!! This is what we have gone to. I have enough for a few days supply of dish cloths and cloth napkins then throw them in with whatever I'm washing.

It works great! Of course, it did take some adjusting from using paper towels but I save a lot of money!

 

[Shannon G]

I agree with switching to cloth. I have dishcloths that I use for wiping counters & such, and just wash them often. Or, you could use a sponge and throw it in the dishwasher along with your dishes each time you run it, so the bacteria does not build up in it.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

I use dishcloths as well- but still we go through quite a few paper towels around here... forget to use dishcloth and pretty much I'm the only one that uses it- everyone else grabs for paper towels!

Still I have a huge supply in one closet- will last us a long time especially because I'm sure before we use all that I'll stockpile more up again. You said you use coupons- do you use the coupons at a store that has them on sale so they are free or almost free? And when you do that- get extra coupons (either by buying more papers when the insert has that coupon or trading for more on coupon boards online/etc?) and really stock up on them. That's what I do!
Also I have another trick that might not work for you but anytime an Rx coupon comes out for any stores around here- I have Rx's we have to get monthly... so I take them to either that store and get a $20-30 giftcard or take them to CVS and get a $20-30 giftcard (whatever the rx coupon says, it varies). Then I used the giftcard when the paper towels are on sale PLUS use coupons. So they are not only either free or almost free- but didn't really cost me anything anyway since I used a giftcard that I received from purchasing an Rx that I would have anyway!

I started couponing in the beginning of March. At first I was spending about the same as before- just getting a LOT more for that amount of $$. But the past few months my total paid out that is NOT giftcards from Rx's and after deducting rebates received back that month (I also started doing rebates if I come across them and use coupons too- sometimes make extra doing that) has been ZERO for several months now. And using coupons when things are on sale = stockpiled items so now even if I quit couponing today we could go quite awhile for most things without having to purchase much... maybe bread and milk.

 

[Dory's Twin]

This is funny...
just this weekend I was at Costco and bought 48 cotton towels because we are painting our house and I needed something to clean with...anyway I found them in the automotive section, they are white, 100% cotton and only cost $12...perfect for cleaning!

I used to use my kids old cloth diapers! If you have babies in cloth diapers save them after you potty train them...mine lasted for several years!

 

[MinnieMe2]

I'm picking up some cloth towels after work tonight. Probably won't make that much difference -- I'm housebreaking the newest pup -- but every little bit helps!

 

[d-man's mom]

I went to BJ's and bought a pack of bar rags. They are white & wipe up spills easily- then I toss it in the washing machine. I use them during the day and wipe everything down with bleach & water at night with a paper towel. This has really cut down on the # of paper towels I use. I also use cloth napkins.

 

[BostonAnnual]

Thanks for the ideas.
I have just pulled out some cloth dish towels to give that a try.

My biggest concern is all the cleaning products I'll be using with them (ie. Soft Scrub) may cause bleach marks on my other laundry. What do you think?

BibbidyBobbidyBoo: I combine sales with coupons as much as I can & have a huge stockpile of nonperishible items. Some stockplied items last a lot longer than others though.

 

[hsmamato2]

I stopped using sponges(yucky germs) but I LOVE handi wipes...they're like 3 for 6 huge ones, I cut them in half and use as a dish/wipedown cloths- b/c they're so thin, I lay it on the faucet and it dries in minutes- I re use for a while, then wash, and pull out the next one, can be washed and dried quite a few times then they shred, about every 6 months I buy a new pack- very economical- costs about 6 bucks a year- drys fast, no germys or smelly cloths... can be bleached also...

 

[tbelfonti]

My biggest concern is all the cleaning products I'll be using with them (ie. Soft Scrub) may cause bleach marks on my other laundry. What do you think?

Throw them in with the whites? I got a set of two laundry sorting bins so we pre-sort by whites, lights, darks and jeans. Then I just re-sort by light weight / heavy weight when I'm ready to wash - laundry is so much easier since everything is pre-sorted.

Actually, this thread in general is quite interesting to me as we've been using a LOT of paper napkins and paper towels as of late. I think I'm going to have to switch over to cloth for at least the kitchen.

 

[mickeyfan2]

I agree with switching to cloth. I have dishcloths that I use for wiping counters & such, and just wash them often. Or, you could use a sponge and throw it in the dishwasher along with your dishes each time you run it, so the bacteria does not build up in it.

We do both of these too. A roll paper towels last for weeks. We us paper napkins.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Thanks for the ideas.
I have just pulled out some cloth dish towels to give that a try.

My biggest concern is all the cleaning products I'll be using with them (ie. Soft Scrub) may cause bleach marks on my other laundry. What do you think?

BibbidyBobbidyBoo: I combine sales with coupons as much as I can & have a huge stockpile of nonperishible items. Some stockplied items last a lot longer than others though.

Instead of using a cloth and cleaner, when I'm going to clean something with cleanser I use one of their wipes (like Clorox or Lysol) instead, you can usually get those pretty cheap with coupons. Then once a week I will use an old dishcloth (set aside for this purpose) to really scrub the surfaces I used a wipe for. Then I wash the old dishcloths with a load of whites (and the bleach will help kill the germs on them from when I cleaned with them). I also do this because my kids can help clean with the wipes, but I won't let them use spray bottles because I'm afraid they'll spray themselves.

I agree with using the cloth napkins at the table, too.

 

[PlaneJoy1]

I wash my dish "rags" (that's what my mother called them) with either the white clothes or towels. The cloth napkins I wash with whatever. The table cloth gets washed every few days, so I'll usually throw all my kitchen stuff in with it.

 

[summerrluvv]

Paper Towel is the biggest waste of money IMO. I only bought some recently because they had Disney Villian Print ones and would look cute for our halloween party.

A good ole dish cloth and some 409 works fine for me.

 

[MrsNick]

I agree with switching to cloth. I have dishcloths that I use for wiping counters & such, and just wash them often. Or, you could use a sponge and throw it in the dishwasher along with your dishes each time you run it, so the bacteria does not build up in it.

This is what I was going to suggest. Also friendlier to trees as a roll a day sounds to be a bit much.