Use Rags Instead of Paper Towels

If you use paper towels, think about going green and switching to rags. You can make your own non-paper towels with your own old t-shirts, baby blankets, flannel shirts, etc., or you can find them cheap in thrift shops. Sometimes thrift shops will have grab bags of t-shirts very, very cheap just to get rid of them.

Try to use fabric that won't fray after it's cut, so you don't have to hem it. Just cut them into rectangles of the size you want, and when you would use a paper towel, use your green cloths. They will absorb more, and you can scrub with them and wring them out. Wash in hot water, and reuse.

You can keep a pile of them in an old tissue box with the top cut off, or something similar, to keep them handy in your kitchen, bath, and laundry. Some of those tissue boxes are very pretty. Just make enough to meet your needs between wash loads. Try to use fabric you can bleach, if you want, and that you can sanitize in the microwave. To do this, take your rinsed out rag, wring it out, and zap it for about a minute. Just don't try to take it out until it cools. You might find that you don't need very many of them, since you can keep rinsing them out, and sanitize them every morning. Of course, if I use one to clean in the bathroom or to wipe up after preparing meats, I put it right in the laundry room to be washed there. Finding old dish towels and cloths at thrift shops is also a real good source, since you don't have to cut them at all.

By Free2B from North Royalton, OH