One random day in 2022, I found myself standing, staring at paper towels in Costco. When did Costco paper towels start costing $18 a pack?! I thought to myself, “Am I really going to keep doing this? I mean really, I am spending $18 a month just to throw something in the trash and send it to a landfill.” I bought the paper towels but I took them home a determined woman.Â
How hard can it be?
Since entering motherhood, I’ve often contemplated how much more challenging this job would have been in frontier days. How much tougher and more resourceful women must have been then, just to survive. Sometimes, these thoughts lead me to the idea that we have simply made things that should be simple, just too damn complicated. There has to be an easier way. Not necessarily more convenient, that’s entirely another matter. So what was done in the days before modern paper products? Â
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Cloth! The answer is cloth! Use it, wash it and repeat. Again and Again. Really, it is so simple.
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OK…so here is how it make it work.Â
Here's how I make it work.
On the above left is a stack of folded cloth napkins. That tray and the napkins just live on the kitchen table to get grabbed up and used as needed. On the lower right are dish towels, upper right are smaller square towels reserved for light cleaning. The towels were purchased at Ollie’s. Most of my napkins have been bought at Home Goods or Hobby Lobby. I do still buy paper towels for messy jobs and that is only 1 Costco package maybe every 8 months. My original investment to set the system up was under $100 for all the towels and storage bins. However, since making this change, I have saved approximately $264 a year. It may not be much but it money to spend on something else fun with my boys.Â
Storage and Changing Habits
Storage is a consideration! Above are two bins with lids, these were also purchased at Ollie’s. One (see folded towels) is for all that is clean and folded. The other is were my family has been taught to place their dirty napkins. Solutions could also include cloth laundry bags left in a pantry, out of sight. You could really personalize this for your space.Â
Now, I will say that my family did need some help with this change. Old habits die hard. I found the best course was to offer the paper and cloth options together for a week or so. Once they became used to seeing the cloth as an option, then I removed the paper. I find with both boys and men it is better not to insist on hard stops and/or ultimatums (stifled giggle). They all now prefer the cloth options and rather complain when forced to used rough paper against their faces.Â
Wash and Fold
As for the washing, I did say this was a simple concept, not convenient. That being said, here at Rustic Wisdom, my philosophy is about getting away from the negative aspects taken on when choosing more convenient options.
Any Mom that stays busy in a kitchen knows how dirty and stained cloth (anything) may become. So this is my only load of laundry I pull out the big guns for, chlorine free bleach. I typically opt for Seventh Generation’s brand as it is more *safe* than conventional bleach options. I’ve tried to avoid it but I will say these things just become an utter mess with 2 boys. I do wash a load daily, though you could easily accumulate enough towels for your family to put that off longer. I’m just not a wait ’til tomorrow kind of girl.
Overall, my whole family is pleased with this change and not looking back. The added bonus of not contributing endless paper to overflowing landfills gives me some peace. It’s baby steps, for the world, for the next generation but they are worth it. Image the change that could be made, if this was a normal practice across America.
