Should you toss your paper towels for reusable towels? Maybe not all of them. Sometimes you really need a paper towel that you can throw away. Are resuable towels actually any better? There are several reasons you may want to make a switch or at least reduce your use of paper products. If you want to reduce your environmental footprint, save some money or lessen your trips to the Big Box stores, you should consider a switch to non paper towels and napkins.
Overall, paper towels and paper napkins may seem not have a huge environmental impact. However, if you consider resources like trees and water used to make them and that they come wrapped in plastic at the store, you really are making a better choice to switch to reusable cloth napkins and non paper towels. And, yes, you use water to wash non paper towels and napkins at your house. However, I have found that many times I can use an non paper towel a few times before I need to wash it. The bottom line is that a paper towel is single use. It has to be made over and over again, bought over and over again and wrapped in plastic and trucked to the store and then to your home over and over.
As far as money goes, most non paper towels range from about $20- $38 for a roll of 12. That roll will most likely last you for years. Like 5-10 years. I have cloth napkins that I have used for 15 years. The ones that have held up the best were made from a vintage house coat! Anyway, I digress. To save even more money and lessen trips to the store, consider making your own with flannel fabric or using old t-shirts.
The best part is, non paper towels are an easy switch. You may not use them for bacon grease or pet messes, but making the switch to non paper towels and napkins, even just 50% of the time, can make a positive impact on your environmental footprint, your pocketbook and your shopping ethics.
