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Parenting Club Forums > All About Being Green > Paper towel?

Posted by: Nina J Mar 30 2010, 03:59 AM

Do you use paper towels, disposable sponges, etc?

I used to use paper towel and sponges. A few months ago, I got some dish rags and now I only use them for the dishes, cleaning spills, everything. Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

After I do the dishes at night, I put some boiling water in the sink, a bit of eucalyptus, and some hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit then I ring the rag out, hang it up, and use it again the next day. I get a fresh one out every other day. Then just wash the dirty ones when I have a full load of towels to do.

I like them, I don't have an issue with them getting smelly. I have been trying to convert my paper towel friends to them, but they won't budge. I spent $1 on each rag and have about 10 or so, so $10 over the months is such a saving and after they're washed in the machine and dried, they look like new.

Posted by: PrairieMom Mar 30 2010, 04:31 AM

We don't use any paper products other than TP. I cut up old dish towels and other clothes for rags and use those for cleaning, and cut up some spare fabric I had lying around to use for handkerchiefs instead of Kleenexes.

Posted by: moped Mar 30 2010, 09:04 AM

QUOTE (PrairieMom @ Mar 30 2010, 07:31 AM)

No kleenex at your house???????????????

Posted by: PrairieMom Mar 30 2010, 10:01 AM

QUOTE (moped @ Mar 30 2010, 12:04 PM)

QUOTE (PrairieMom @ Mar 30 2010, 07:31 AM)

No kleenex at your house???????????????

thats not the worst of it.

Posted by: coasterqueen Mar 30 2010, 10:09 AM

I've tried to nix the paper towel thing and my husband won't have it.

I make as many changes in our house that will be accepted by all. We don't go through paper towels very fast anyways. We use the shamwows for most spills, clean-ups, etc. and we have a lot of those with the dogs.

Buster pukes at least a 1/2 dozen times a week and if I used paper towels I'd be going through them like crazy.

And no......we will continue to use kleenex in our house.

Posted by: moped Mar 30 2010, 10:16 AM

Ok Tara, so you dont use kleenex or paper towel but you use cut up fabric, rags etc that you have to wash right? So then you are using energy to wash those items as well - so isn't it like 6 of one and half dozen of the other?

Posted by: PrairieMom Mar 30 2010, 10:59 AM

QUOTE (moped @ Mar 30 2010, 01:16 PM)

I don't think so.
Its kind of like the cloth diaper Vs. disposies debate. you use more water, more energy to clean them , so they say that it comes out about even.

But, they way I look at it is that I already had the cloth that I cut up to make the handkerchiefs, so no extra resources were used. Now you just have to figure in the energy cost of washing which I am already doing, a hankie doesn't add that much. ( I line dry)

with paper products you have to figure in the trees being cut down, and the energy cost of processing, not to mention the environmental costs of the chemicals used to bleach the paper, and all that. Then there is packaging and transporting, plus then you pay for it at the store.

That is way more thought put into kleenex than need be.

Posted by: moped Mar 30 2010, 11:53 AM

Ok, so when your kids have a cold and they pour snot - does that increase your load any?

Like how many hankies would you go through if your kids all had colds?

Posted by: PrairieMom Mar 30 2010, 12:14 PM

QUOTE (moped @ Mar 30 2010, 02:53 PM)

Ok, so when your kids have a cold and they pour snot - does that increase your load any?

Like how many hankies would you go through if your kids all had colds?

I don't know, it hasn't happened yet. Not all at once anyway. Mine still haven't figured out how to really blow.
For me, with my allergies and if I get a cold, I can go through 4 a day or so. Maybe 5. but that still isn't a significant drain on my laundry.

Posted by: moped Mar 30 2010, 12:25 PM

You are truly dedicated!

Posted by: MommyToAshley Mar 30 2010, 01:24 PM

QUOTE (Nina J @ Mar 30 2010, 07:59 AM)

Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

Are paper towels safe to flush? Ed?

I use paper towels for the toilet for the same reason. I just can't convince myself that the cloth used to clean the toilet will ever truely be clean again, so I use a paper towel but throw it out.

I use old newspaper and vinegar on glass and mirros...thanks to the suggestion of someone here. Glass cleaner doesn't compare and newspaper leaves no lint!

Posted by: Nina J Mar 30 2010, 04:20 PM

I don't know if paper towel's can be flushed down the toilet. I just use the toilet paper. I used to use the paper towel to clean the outside of the toilet but the toilet paper actually works better for me.

Posted by: coasterqueen Mar 31 2010, 05:18 AM

QUOTE (MommyToAshley @ Mar 30 2010, 04:24 PM)

QUOTE (Nina J @ Mar 30 2010, 07:59 AM)

Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

I'm not Ed, but I think it would be fine unless you have a septic.

I know with a septic you have to be very careful what you flush as it can get caught on the motor and burn the motor up. We can't flush them down ours.

Posted by: PrairieMom Mar 31 2010, 05:30 AM

QUOTE (MommyToAshley @ Mar 30 2010, 04:24 PM)

QUOTE (Nina J @ Mar 30 2010, 07:59 AM)

Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

The results of my ultra quick internet search resulted in paper towels not being safe to flush.
They don't break down like TP is designed to do.

Posted by: MommyToAshley Mar 31 2010, 06:00 AM

QUOTE (PrairieMom @ Mar 31 2010, 09:30 AM)

QUOTE (MommyToAshley @ Mar 30 2010, 04:24 PM)

QUOTE (Nina J @ Mar 30 2010, 07:59 AM)

Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

The results of my ultra quick internet search resulted in paper towels not being safe to flush.
They don't break down like TP is designed to do.

That's what I thought, but thanks for taking the time to look it up.

Posted by: coasterqueen Mar 31 2010, 06:17 AM

QUOTE (PrairieMom @ Mar 31 2010, 08:30 AM)

QUOTE (MommyToAshley @ Mar 30 2010, 04:24 PM)

QUOTE (Nina J @ Mar 30 2010, 07:59 AM)

Although I still use toilet paper to clean the toilet seat/outside the toilet, because I like to just flush it away

The results of my ultra quick internet search resulted in paper towels not being safe to flush.
They don't break down like TP is designed to do.

That does make sense now that you say that. I'm used to thinking more along septic tanks when it comes to things like that.

After looking it up on Google I was amazed at the MANY things you should not flush down the toilet.

I wonder how many people do not know that? I know tp is the only thing I can flush down the septic or else it will burn the motor up, but I wonder for those who live in cities where they are on sewer instead of septic.....I wonder if they know it's not safe - the many things they flush down (including kleenex)?

Posted by: meenu Jun 29 2011, 11:40 PM

QUOTE (PrairieMom @ Mar 30 2010, 04:31 AM)

Same here. In our country, we do not use much paper, as it will make them to cut down more and more trees. We always use cloths, which are re-usable.

More over flushing paper towels is not a good thing to do as it will damage the drainage system.

Posted by: mhsteele Aug 12 2011, 09:11 AM

I am trying to cut down on paper towels, but I cant nix them completely. I use rags for cleaning, not purchased, but re purposed from old towels and T shirts.

Bar mops (like a skinny washcloth) that I do buy are my favorite for the kitchen. I like the suggestion of hot water and eucalyptus for cleaning the kitchen cloths at night.

Regarding the energy used from cleaning rags in the washing machine, if you hang them out on a line to dry, that should be 50% less energy used.

Posted by: Hopwood04 Jun 28 2013, 05:36 PM

There is no way I could go without paper towel with as much of it as I use. I don't see a problem with it, it is usually made form recycled product, it is biodegradable and in many cases you can buy the select a size and use a smaller piece.