How I Quit Paper Towels and You Can Too

This fall I was getting ready to move to a new apartment. My first solo space, a new job, a new city—everything. I had recently moved from New York back to my home state of Oregon and was eager to live in a way that reflected my values. Moving felt like a fresh start and a time to stop scrolling through Pinterest “Zero-Waste-Living” pages and actually live those practices. So, during my move I simply decided to not buy paper towels. Lucky for me, my amazing mother was getting rid of a bunch of t-shirt scraps and cut them up and to make a big basket of cloth rags. As I moved in, I made a few simple changes (outlined below) and found that I really never missed them. Keeping paper towels out of my life was so much easier than I thought when I had them on-hand all the time!

Keeping a clean kitchen is essential for food safety and feeling comfortable while cooking. If you’ve ever lived in a communal situation with a messy roommate, you may know how hard it can be to cook when every surface is covered in last night's crumbs and last weekend's spilled beer. Keeping plenty of safe, accessible cleaning supplies on hand is part of providing a healthy cooking environment that allows you to spend less time worried about sticky surfaces and more time on experimentation with flavors and having fun! 

Those who have lived with me may have noticed that my “clean freak” character trait has gotten worse over the past several years rather than better… Even still, with a little diligence, my tiny kitchen is actually cleaner than anywhere I’ve ever lived—and I’m still not using paper towels! Rather than being necessary for keeping a clean cooking space, paper towels and Lysol wipes are just an easy convenience that companies have convinced us we need for clean spaces. We can all go beyond just choosing the “environmentally friendly” paper towel brands, and quit them all together. 

Lastly, as an AmeriCorps volunteer, budgets are tight and not buying paper towels every month gives me just a little extra money back in my pocket. I do spend a bit more doing an extra load or two of laundry each month, but it feels better to be spending money on reusing something rather than buying more waste. Making the switch away from paper towels has made me more comfortable in the kitchen, knowing that my space is clean, I’m living a bit more sustainably, and I am saving a little money too! 

So without further ado… Here are some quick tips for quitting paper towels! 

1. Simply stop buying them. 
   Yep. That’s it. Want to stop using single-use products? Don’t have them around. 

2. Make a bunch of cloth towels.
   I’m talking about 30-50 scraps of cloth here folks. Running out is always a bummer. Old towels, t-shirts, flannel sheets, whatever you have around, cut them up and throw them into a basket. Many stores market new rags as sustainable, but they still used a lot of water, chemicals and energy to produce. Cotton is one of the most water and pesticide intensive crops in the world so try to not buy new cotton products whenever possible. This means seeking out products at thrift stores or slowly adding to your rag collection instead of throwing things away. Whatever works for you, try your best to give something a second life rather than buying new goods. 
   Some people use a sewing machine to make nice edges or try to color coordinate their towels so they look nicer in a stack on the counter. I’m not at that level yet, but if you are, go for it. 

3. Have a separate laundry hamper for your rags.
   Maybe I’m a little picky, but I don’t like my soaked rags recently used for cleaning my kitchen in with my blouses and other laundry. I keep a seperate laundry hamper in a closet right by my kitchen where I dump all my rags from both the kitchen and bathroom cleaning. This keeps them away from clothes and allows me to do one massive load when the hamper is full. I put them through the washer on ultra hot to get the grease and grime off, but don’t worry about a spare pair of nice underwear getting caught in the mix. 

4. Invest in natural cleaning sprays that you like.
   Ugh between Mrs. Meyers and Trader Joes I could fill my cabinets with fun cleaning sprays that are natural and chemical free—my favorites for cleaning kitchens and fridges. By having a scent you’re excited about, you can focus on how clean the kitchen is getting, rather than the fact that you aren’t using a perfectly bleached piece of paper to clean your space. You can also make your own cleaning spray using 1/2 cup white vinegar (distilled), 1/2 cup water and 12 to 24 drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle. This is a great way to pick your favorite scents and keep your plastic waste to a minimum. Interested in learning about the safety of different products on the market? Follow this link to look up your favorite products.

5. Keep sponges on hand.
   Most of the time we use a paper towel for tasks like wiping down a counter that can easily be done with a reusable sponge. By keeping sponges (natural non-plastic ones hopefully!) on hand, you’ll naturally grab those first rather than a paper towel. 

6. Don’t use nice tea towels or dish towels that you care about. 
   If you’re a kitchen nerd like me (which if you’re on Grounded Grub you probably are…) you may have an obsession with cute dish towels too. From veggie puns to holiday patterns, dish towels are a go-to gift from my family and friends and a favorite purchase at farmers markets and Goodwill. I often hang these towels on my oven handle or somewhere in my kitchen, but it’s essential that I keep the rags close so that I can grab them in a pinch instead of a nice dish towel that I care about. Some grease or red wine stains just don’t come out, and ruining a veggie pun towel is not a fun day. 

7. Get used to doing more laundry.
   Okay yeah, you might do 2 more loads a month (if you’re super clean) but paper towels require an extraordinary amount of water to produce, so by reusing cloth you’re actually reducing your net water use. Also, if you use scrap cloth rather than buying new, you’ll be just making the most of something that otherwise would have been thrown away. 

In college I felt my life was busy and out of control. While I did a lot to reduce my waste there were many times when convenience took priority. I often beat myself up for not doing more to live more sustainably. While I hope this article inspires you to live with less waste in one more aspect of your life, I hope you are kind to yourself in the transition process. Small changes when you’re ready is more valuable than putting yourself on another guilt trip every time you grab a paper towel when something spills. While I tried to frame this change as “easy” everyone’s lives are different and it might be harder for you. 

---

Do you have another way that you are seeking to reduce waste in your kitchen? Please reach out and share with us on Instagram, Facebook, or shoot us an email! We’d love to hear from you.