Can you live without paper towels?

patandchickens

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ShellieESterling said:
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.
Oh yeah, well-used cloth diapers (the flat prefolds, not the weird newfangled fitted things they sell) are the GREATEST. THey are like the household version of baler twine and duct tape! Yet another benefit of cloth diapering ;)


Pat
 

BrookValley

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patandchickens said:
ShellieESterling said:
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.
Oh yeah, well-used cloth diapers (the flat prefolds, not the weird newfangled fitted things they sell) are the GREATEST. THey are like the household version of baler twine and duct tape! Yet another benefit of cloth diapering ;)


Pat
I have a couple dozen plain Gerber prefold diapers somewhere around here (that have never been on my baby's bum because I am admitedly a terrible cloth diaper snob and will only use Indian prefolds :lol:). DUH why have I not thought of this? Thank you for giving me a clue! I need it every now and then.

Ah, baling twine and duct tape. Holds the world together. ;) Mine, anyway.

I do occasionally use paper towels for disgusting messes that I can't bear to use a rag on. Dog poo comes to mind. They are also handy if I need something quick to wipe a face or a bum on my child and there is no cloth wipe handy. So I do keep them around, but I always buy the half-sheet ones--and I always think before I tear one off--most times there is another option besides actually using the paper towel.
 

Cassandra

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I bought some flour sack dish towels that I really like, too.
 

heatherv

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I use about a roll a year. (for greasy drippings mainly)

Under our kitchen sink we keep a stack of rags, some old towels ripped to smaller size, others just cloth diapers, and other rags etc.

I also keep baby wash cloths (the soft ones you know) for washing off messy toddler faces/hands/BODY etc. after meals! :) If they're easily accessible.. they're easier to remember to use. If she's too messy, she goes directly into the tub... or if it's hot out... to the hose or sprinkler! :) Yes, I've been known to squirt spaghetti noodles off w/ a hose! W/ giggles all the way!

I used to be a paper towel addict... and it took me awhile to recover, but I do pretty good now. As long as the rags are nearby where needed most. At our old house I kept a big pile on the shelf near where the kids ate. Quick 'n handy for spills at mealtime!
 

hoosier

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I use one or two rolls a year for draining bacon or fish and for super disgusting messes.
 

Cassandra

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I still haven't bought any (and he still hasn't mentioned it.) I have almost decided to keep a package of paper picnic napkins in the cabinet for draining greasy food and stop buying paper towels.

I have those napkins because we always do family gatherings at my house and my mom or someone always brings a pack of those napkins, And they leave them. (Sort of my payment for allowing all the riff-raff to hang out at my place. LOL They always leave me lots of left overs--food and otherwise.)

But we stick them up in the cabinet and forget about them. Hardly use them ever. So, if I left them up there, they would last a long time, but be there if we had any greasy food to drain or dog vomit to clean up.

Good compromise? (especially if I can keep on getting them for free! :D )

Cassandra
 

me&thegals

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I think we use about 1 roll every 3 months. They get used here for draining bacon or wiping up possibly contaminant messes like chicken juices that we don't want on washrags. Otherwise, we use dishtowels for our hands, napkins or dishrags for our faces :) They're stuck away in a hard-to-reach cabinet, so nobody even thinks of using them!
 
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