unpaper towel users

Aquabee21

yay- finally about to make this step. Probably one of our biggest sources of waste (though we do compost all food related clean-ups).

Questions:

How many do you have and how often do you wash them?

Any special washing instructions?

What's your favorite vendor for organic unbleached unpaper towels? I know I can use old t-shirts or something but I'll get more buy in from hubby if they look relatively nice           

LilyMonster2010

I serged a dozenish towel material into 8"x8" squares. And then some 6ish larger ones and some larger ones made of flannel. Which absorbs wonderfully for drying dishes lint free.

I keep the small ones trifolded in an old napkin holder, next to the sink. Dirties go in a wet bag and get washed weekly with our underwear / socks/ towels load.

I want to get actual cloth napkins for meals, we've been use dish towels / rags currently.

I want more big cloths, so I've been jonesing for some unbleached flat diapers! Hehe

The small ones are perfect since we can use lots without taking up a lot of space. You could get cheap wash cloths designated for this. Or I've hear some people really like the bar cloths. Ive seen them at stores and they look nice! just no need since I already have a system.

Btw, I think having snaps on an unpapertowel roll would be obnoxious. Just go with rags and put in a basket or drawer.

ETA: quantity

tjkdlhb

I ordered these:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/82197836/two-dozen-unbleached-birds-eye-unpaper

I just wash them when I wash my dishtowels, so maybe once a week.  It's only the two of us, so 24 is plenty. I would consider getting another colour instead of white though... so they don't stain as easy. 

meg1974

tjkdlhb:

I ordered these:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/82197836/two-dozen-unbleached-birds-eye-unpaper

I just wash them when I wash my dishtowels, so maybe once a week.  It's only the two of us, so 24 is plenty. I would consider getting another colour instead of white though... so they don't stain as easy. 

Do you know where to find them in colors, where the color used in the fabric is food safe? 

dieselmonkey

just buy the unbleached ones and dye them with food dyes.  tumeric makes a pretty yellow.

tjkdlhb

dieselmonkey:

just buy the unbleached ones and dye them with food dyes.  tumeric makes a pretty yellow.

Good idea!  Thank you!

LilyMonster2010

tjkdlhb:

I ordered these:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/82197836/twodozenunbleachedbirdseyeunpaper
I just wash them when I wash my dishtowels, so maybe once a week.nbsp; It's only the two of us, so 24 is plenty.nbsp;I would consider getting another colour instead of white though...nbsp;so they don't stain as easy.nbsp;

Those look cool! Just a smaller version of the birds eye flats I've been eyeing.

cheesecakerunner

I use old clothes cut up, so they aren't gorgeous, but they are generally bright and nice

I probably have about 30, which is way more than I need. I typically use them to wipe up once and then toss them in with the laundry, which I do weekly. I just toss them in with the towels and undies.

I'll be honest, MH doesn't use them about 50% of the time, he just prefers paper. Even still, we went from buying bulk paper towels at Costco every other month to doing it just three times a year. I guess that shows you who is tidying and wiping up more often in our house! 

ForeverEverAfter

I mostly use white bar mop cloths. Counter spills I use the dish cloth, and I keep a stack of bar mop cloths on a shelf in the kitchen for floor or stove messes. I like white cloths because you can use them on any surface without worrying about colour transfer (ie. from rag to area rug or couch). Staining doesn't bother me, and they mostly wash out. I have a variety of rags for cleaning, but I like the uniformity of these for an out-in-the-open pile.