Amnesty to "waste" Paper Towels

[mellowyellow]

Use them.

I have grown up in a household where we always use cloth (a scrap, a rag, an old t-shirt, etc.) Using paper towels seemed like such a waste of paper and money.

But I've realized lately that sometimes using a papertowel is the difference between cleaning an area or not. For instance, my four dirty stairs leading to the pet bowls... I could have filled a basin with soupy water and gotten out my mop and washed it all and then washed the mop and washed the basin and taken the mop outside to dry and put the basin on the dish rack. And then gone over the corner with a rag to make sure it was properly washed.

Instead.
I grabbed four papertowels. Soaked them in water. Used one for each step. Washed and wiped at the same time, removed all the lint/cat hair/cat food/dirt. And then...

I was done!

Total time was maybe 2 minutes. And while I wouldn't eat off the steps, they are clean and shiny, drying with no chemicals and nothing to clean/wash.

[dreamingofchange]

Hey mellow
I would go one step further and use wipes! I have just discovered dettol wipes for kitchen and bathroom and I'm hooked. I don't know if you're in the UK or not but would imagine you would have something similar, if not. They are basically wet wipes but antibacterial.

These are fab. I use them for everything. I have a problem "getting round to" filling basins, mop buckets sinks etc and wringing cloths.I use them for a quick wipe down of the toilet, sink, bath, fridge, worktops etc. It's an immediate effect, no rinsing required and smell devine, a very clean smell and you just chuck them out. WOO HOO for amnesty

They don't do as good a clean as a bucket, mop, wash cloth etc but for a quick instant clean I wouldn't use anything else. For in between cleaning which is all I manage sometimes, LOL.

They cost around a £1.00 for a pack of 36

I would say definitely give them a try, I'm hooked!

Hugs xxxxxx

I

[TheCatsMother]

Hello MellowYellow and DreamingOfChange

Too right about using paper towels without feeling guilty...

I discovered toilet wipes in the pound shop yesterday - really thrilled that such things exist Paper towels aren't much use there and I always worry that I'll lose the last cloth I used to clean the loo and it'll end up cleaning the basin or something!

[MissABCD]

I use a lot of paper towels! I hate dirty dishwater. I also dislike paying a plumber to come unstop the drain. I wipe the crud/grease from my dirty dishes before I either handwash them or rinse them for the dishwasher (very old now--new in 1988). MissABC

[Di]

Go one better give yourself amnesty to buy and USE baby wipes. They clean most anything and are already dampened. They are so handy and so easy to grab and wipe... and in the long run I think they are economical, because by giving myself permission to do things the "easy" way, things get done.

[maggie]

I was going to suggest baby wipes as well. In bulk, the ones I get work out to something like 2.5 cents each.

I figure when my house is in great condition and I'm in maintenance, THEN I can see if a rag routine would work instead of disposables. However, I'm BAD at cleaning and I'm NOT in maintenance -- why should I make the job even harder than it is? I should be doing anything to make it easier.

Also, I read in a Don Aslett book that the problem with rags made out of old t-shirts or socks or whatever is that these days, manufacturers strive to make their material stain and water resistant -- and then we cut that up hoping to pick up dirt and water. If you are going to have rags, they should really be towel type material.

[boyswillbeboys]

Baby wipes are amazing, I find the cheap ones dry out, which is fine for cleaning, give them a quick dip under the tap, and they are good as new, toss when done, I keep a pack of cheapies in the bathroom, and cleaned the whole seat of my toilet today, real quick, without even thinking about it. do not flush them though, they can clog your toilet.

[downandout]

i used two rolls of paper towels the other day to clean my nasty bathroom. if id had to use rags i prolly wouldnt have done it as there was mold involved. i also used disposable plastic gloves cause i couldnt bear to touch the nastiness

i think we can use whatever we need to get ourselves out of the mess right?

[catherina]

I don't know where you are, but you can buy baby wipes for 36p a pack in one of the supermarkets. Nt sure if I'm allowed to advertise it, but in the UK, it's the green one...

I've just started using kitchen towel too. We did have it as a child, but mainly only to dab the fat off fried food, I stopped buying it because I rarely fry anything these daays. But it's great for almost anything - don't recommend it for clear up cat messes though, it has a tendencey to fall apart once wet. Yuk!!!

[fluffernut - now Jannie]

I gave my gas stove and oven a good cleaning. Used a whole roll of paper towels but the stove looked so good it was worth it. I try to buy paper towels in those giant multi-pscks so I don't run out.

[Di]

Last night we had a mess in the kitchen... the little one I was watching had diarrhea... I put on rubber gloves, grabbed the baby wipes and after I changed HIM, I grabbed a few more and swiped the floor (and the side of the cabinet) clean. It made things so easy. Honestly I buy the "good" wipes. Even then they cost less than $2 a package (I don't get the boxes I get the ones in soft pkging) I probably buy 2 pkgs every other week when I go to the grocery. I keep some upstairs in my bathroom and some downstairs in the kitchen. It's so easy for the kids to grab one and clean up a mess, or clean up themselves. It may be "wasteful" in the eyes of some, but the kids WILL grab those and use them. I feel like teaching the kids to be neat will impact the rest of their lives more than saving a few wipes.

Besides I have a VERY LOW "ICK" tolerance. I know that sounds odd coming from a naturally MESSY person who tends to hoard, but go figure. If I didn't make it easy on myself, I would still be living in squalor, because if it isn't easy to finish, I don't want to even bother starting. (perfection thing kicking in)

[def6]

Yes! I sometimes challenge myself to clean the entire bathroom with one paper towell. It is worth the money spent!

[ClutterBlind]

Don't baby wipes have lanolin and emollients that leave a film all over whatever you have cleaned?

I know there are the antibacterial wipes, like Clorox wipes, but they are expensive. They also don't really pick up dirt the way a paper towel does, just push it around. When I'm cleaning a surface, I don't have already clean surfaces, like in the commercials, that just need a wipe down. I either have kitty litter dust, pet hairs or grimy soot on it. I need a wipe that has ridges or something, that will actually PICK UP the dirt, not just push it around. The Clorox wipes and the other brands tend to have too smooth of a surface. They are great for finishing off a job, but not for the actual work. If I have to use a paper towel to start a job, I might as well finish with one as well, not with a wipe.


Other than that, yes, there are times when you just want to scoop everything up in a paper towel and just toss out the whole mess, not have to rinse out a rag or mop.

[scribbliz]

I tend to you baby wipes too, and i find that they don't leave a residue behind; I find that they cut through stuff faster than just about anything. I have even used them to wash my floor once when I couldn't find my floor cleaner. I was down on my hands and knees but it actually seemed to be easier than a mop for getting under the edges of my counters. I love paper towels but I always forget to buy them. But my girls are young enough i always have baby wipes on hand.

[freedom13]

Yay for using paper towels.

When you use one, and throw it away, the GERMS go too -- right into the bag, not into your washer.

I like the kind that are perforated so you can choose quite a little or quite a lot.