Can you live without paper towels?

[Cassandra]

I'm not sure when paper towels became a popular item in households.

I know that there were paper napkins at restaurants and stuff, even when I was very little (early 70's) but we didn't buy that stuff for home.

I don't know if it was because we couldn't afford it or what. We just didn't have them. The only thing that we even would have used them for would have been draining food. But we didn't use them for that. When we had a big fish fry (fish from our own pond) I remember mamaw would tear open a paper grocery bag and use that to put the fish on.

Latey at my house we've been using 6-8 rolls of paper towels a week (about a dollar a roll.) We ran out day before yesterday. I just know (dh) John is waiting for me to go buy some more since I've got the grocery money. I just haven't take the time to stop anywhere. I am very tempted to not buy any and see how long it is before he starts complaining. LOL He is the type who will pull off 3 or 4 of them to dry his hands. The one time I said anything to him about that, his reply was along the lines of "I work 40 hours a week, I should be able to use as many as I want."

:| Indeed!

Anyone live without them?

Cassandra

 

[ticks]

I can live without them....

 

[FarmerChick]

I hear ya on the paper towels. I too went thru tons of them...pure convenience. They are good for so much.

BUT---I use alot less now but YES, I still buy them. I am not giving up things that make my life easier when needed, but I do now consciously cut down use by alot. Step in the right direction for me.

I did switch to linen napkins which personally I don't like, but I feel they do the trick OK but I have to wash them, which isn't a huge deal...but you know..HA HA--but I do use them now and that cut paper towels out alot.

When something is spilled, I used to reach for paper towels. Now I reach for sponges and rags and such.

I never buy napkins.

My Mom when she made french fries would put them in a paper bag we kids used for lunches. She would shake to get the grease out. For some reason her fries were great!

So cutting down on consuming here but not cutting out.

 

[Beekissed]

We use them for lining a plate for greasy items or just for wiping our mouths...granted, I'm the only one who actually does this! Boys, you know!

We might go through a roll each month, month and a half, so they aren't a big deal to us. I keep a rag bag in our kitchen closet and any stained towels, washclothes, dishrags get recycled into the rag bag. These are used for literally everything from spills and cleaning to painting and checking the fluids on the car. Couldn't live without my ragbag!!!

 

[patandchickens]

We use them for lining a plate for greasy items or just for wiping our mouths...granted, I'm the only one who actually does this! Boys, you know!

Yup, that's our main use too - also for wiping pooey messes off diapered bums (for various reasons I won't go into here, but they involve peculiarities of how our laundry machine operates and is plumbed, since I am no longer using cloth diapers I prefer to keep other sources of poo out of the laundry as well). The 4 yr old can usually just go wash his hands and face at the sink after a meal, but with the 1 yr old it works VASTLY better to decontaminate him while still in his high chair

I don't use them for major spills but I won't say I've never used 'em for, like, cleaning up cat barf when I'm in a hurry, or that sort of thing. I get the half-sheet ones, which I think are SUCH a better thing than the usual ones -- there is relatively little in life you need a full square sheet for, and heck you can always grab several half-sheets if really needed.

At least, as a paper product, they are reasonably renewable and decomposable, although of course there is still the issue of processing and transportation.

If I were going to feel guilty about disposable kitchen products I would feel more guilty about plastic wrap and plastic bags -- except they do SUCH a better job for some things that I am just going to carry on using them for now.


Pat

 

[ShellieESterling]

I can live without them.
Actually, I ran out to Kmart and bought a pack of prefold cloth diapers a few years back. Now I have reusable 'paper towels'. I use them for everything around here.

 

[Beekissed]

I get the half-sheet ones

Me too! I love those...and you are right, one rarely needs a full sheet.

 

[MorelCabin]

I buy paper towels once in a while, though we are not users of them. I pretty much only use them to line a plate when I make bacon. We are huge rag users here...and my favorate are the microfibre cloths...once you use those you get hooked! Just don't put them in the dryer, they harden and the fibres don't work like magic anymore.

 

[Cassandra]

LOL about decontaminating the one year old. How well I remember.

I really don't so much feel guilty about it. It irks me spending something over $300 a year on flippin' paper towels!

I could double my husbands life insurance for that...





Cassandra <muahahaha>

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

I could definately live with out them, but my DH and 3 boys seem to think that using them for absolutly everything is OK. I no longer buy them and my DH knows it. If we run out he has to go get them and it does not come out of grocery money!! I just can't get past how wasteful it is just to dry your hands on paper towels and them throw them out when there is a new clean towel just steps away!!
Drives me crazy!!!

Edited to say that I hope this doesn't sound bad. It is just one of my pet peeves. Everyone has those right!?!?