Household Helpful Hints: Reducing Paper Towel Usage

Today, everyone is either trying to reduce their dependacy on paper products (in turn, saving more trees to the environment), or trying to save money (or both). No matter what your reason is, there are some really good ways to reduce your household need for paper towels, thus saving you a lot of money on your grocery bill over time. Every little bit helps, and it all starts before you go to the grocery store.

Here are my hints:

1) Keep a hand size terry towel in the kitchen. If it's at arms reach of the sink, whenever someone washes their hands, they will be more apt to grab for the hand towel and not tear off pieces and pieces of paper towel to dry their hands with. The towel can just be tossed in with the rest of your laundry and you've saved money.

2) Keep your old dish cloths (the ones you were just about to toss in the garbage because they were getting too thin for washing dishes) or a wash rag under your sink cabinet. Whenever you have a spill or mess on the floor to clean up, get in the habit of reaching for the cloth and not paper towels. Again, these can just be tossed in with your laundry to use again.

3) Keep a few wash cloths in the kitchen drawer, along with your dish towels/cloths. Instead of grabbing a paper towel for wiping little hands and faces at meal time, use a wash cloth. They're a lot handier when kept in the kitchen, and you won't be tempted to reach for the paper towel.

4) Keep a designated dish towel for letting fruits and vegetable drain after washing. This will save you a lot of money AND paper towel, especially when washing lettuce for salads. Rinse your lettuce as per usual, shake off excess or drain in a collander and then let them sit on the towel to dry the rest of the way. You can also use the towel instead of paper towel, to dab off the remaining water. (I use my older dish towels. When they start to fray around the edges from age and usage, I fold them in half and then sew them together. This makes for a more absorbant towel for drying washed fruits and vegetables).

5) If you happen to have take out food delivered to the house, or pick up fast food, often times you will get an excess of napkins with your order. Never throw away the unused napkins. It's a small thing, but you can save on paper towel by saving these few left over napkins to use instead.... and they were "free" with your order! I find these really handy for use outside when we have company over for barbeques.

These are just a few small ways in which to reduce the need for paper towel, but over time, you will find yourself spending a lot less money on this product.