How to Make Your Own Money Saving and Eco Friendly Reusable Cloth Paper Towels

For a lot of us, trying to "go green" and becoming more eco-conscious is tough financially. To top it off, there's all sorts of new products that advertisers try to make you believe you need in order to help save the environment.

Most of these are very expensive and unnecessary. You can start being more green just by doing things yourself. One of the things that almost every household uses and needs is paper towels. These are used to clean up lots of messes but are tossed in the garbage. This is not only bad for the environment, but on your wallet as well.

If you don't have the money to buy a decent stash of cloth paper towels you can make them yourself at home. You don't need excellent sewing skills either, I will tell you how to easily hand sew them as well. Although, a great skill to learn to save money and make other earth friendly items is to learn how to sew.

First you'll need some fabric that is 100% cotton or something equally as absorbent. You can use old flannel sheets, old bath towels or any other absorbent fabric you have around the house. If you have a little more money to spend, buy some fabric. I recommend starting simple like 100% cotton flannel. Although you could branch out and use some thin terry cloth.

If you're using reclaimed fabric, cut them into rectangles the size you wish your cloth paper towels to be. If using fabric you bought, prewash and dry it, then cut into desired size. Now you're ready to sew. For terry cloth or thick fabric, it's better to just hem the edges. If you have a serger, just serge right around the raw edges. For a regular sewing machine, do a zig zag stitch at the edge. Those of you who do not have a sewing machine, take a needle with thread and do a whip stitch around the edges. This is a little time consuming but can be done sitting on the couch while watching tv. This will prevent the edges from fraying.

For other fabrics, take 2 pieces and put wrong sides together. With your sewing machine, do a simple running stitch around the rectangle, making sure to leave an opening. The same can be done with hand sewing. Trim the corners and turn right side out. Then just stitch the opening closed and there you have a cloth paper towel!