• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Savor + Savvy logo

  • Recipe Index
    • Air Fryer
    • Instant Pot
    • Slow Cooker
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dessert
    • Freezer Cooking & Make Ahead Meals
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Vegan and Vegetarian Recipes
  • Tips
    • Substitutions
    • Air Fryer How-To
  • Printables
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Printables
  • Shop
×

Home » Tips

Tips for Ditching Paper Towels

Published: Aug 13, 2015 · Modified: Feb 1, 2023 by Ginny · This post may contain affiliate links.

Pin15K
Share316
Yum
Tweet17
15K Shares

We switched to using reusable cloths in the kitchen a few years ago. I loved the convenience of using paper towels, but I didn’t like paying for them month after month! It took me a couple of tries to make it work for us. Mainly, I didn’t like how they left tiny specs of residue on mirrors and dark furniture (I’ll tell you how I deal with that below!).Frugal Living Tips : Here are a few simple tips to make switching from paper towels to reusable cloths easier!But now that I have a mix of different types of cleaning cloths, I’m comfortable with our current system and don’t miss the disposables at all!

Have More than you Need

The reason most of us love using paper towels is because reaching for one is mindless and there are always plenty in supply! I think it’s best to approach switching to cloth the same way – have more than you need on-hand and it’ll be almost as easy!

If you’re constantly running out and having to wait until the laundry is done to clean something, it’ll start to feel like a chore! I recommend keeping at least 20 on-hand for kitchen/general cleaning purposes. I know it sounds like overkill, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll likely go through half of that in a day!

You can get started for free by cutting up old tee shirts, for about $5 by going the wash cloth route (18 to a pack at Walmart!) or go with microfiber cloths for about $20 (I use these, comes 36 to a pack and has three different colors so I don’t get the bathroom and kitchen ones mixed up!). I have wash cloths, dish cloths and microfiber cloths and I add to the stash every six months or so.

Have a System in Place

Where do you store ready-to-use cloths?

Where will you stash the dirty ones?

How often will you wash them?

Answer these questions before switching and it’ll make the process 10x easier!

I’ve gone through a few ways of doing it over the years. Currently, I keep my clean cloths in a basket on the counter and I keep an extra stack of under the kitchen sink. I toss my dirty cloths in a lingerie bag hanging from a kitchen cabinet (classy, I know). Frugal Living Tips : Here are a few simple tips to make switching from paper towels to reusable cloths easier!I wash them when I’m running low (not completely out!). I just toss them in with our towels (lingerie bag and all). Keeping them zipped in the lingerie bag while washing/drying makes it super simple to fetch them out of the dryer and quickly fold because you don’t have to sort through the laundry basket to find each one!

Separate their Uses

This may be just a personal preference but I don’t like the thought of cleaning my kitchen counters with something that has cleaned my bathroom! I recommend keeping separate stashes for different purposes. I have a stash for the kitchen. A stash for the bathroom. And a smaller stash for general house cleaning. I bought my microfiber cloths from Amazon and love them! I use the yellow ones in the kitchen, white ones around the house and the blue ones for the bathroom, so they’re easy to tell apart. I have also purchased great microfiber cloths from Home Depot (in store), but they were more expensive at $8 for three!

Know their Limits

If you have darker surfaces in your house, you may want to spring for microfiber cloths. Cut up tee shirts and wash cloths tend to leave tiny bits of lint behind. For mirrors, we actually use crumpled up newspaper from our junk mail. It’s free and if it was good enough for my grandmother, it’s good enough for me!

Buy Darker Cloths

If you use white cloths only, they will eventually get stained. I’m not too fussy about this, but I do recommend keeping some darker cloths on hand to handle tougher messes. I’m kind of a whiz at removing stains (I do use cloth pads, after all, so I’ve picked up a few tricks here and there!), but there are some things that I prefer not to use my reusable cloths to clean because I don’t wash them everyday, so they tend to stain with certain messes. If stains bother you, it may be best to keep a stash of dark cloths or even keep one lonely roll of paper towel for the occasional mess that calls for it.

If you use reusable cloths in your kitchen, please share your tips in the comments below!

« A Week of No-Cook Freezer Lunches
Free Printable Meal Planner »

About Ginny

Hi! My name is Ginny and I know how busy life can be! I am a mom working hard to prepare healthy meals for my family that is always on the go!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jacqueline says

    July 11, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    Hi Ginny!
    I’ve been using microfiber cloths for a while in the same manner as you do!! I love them too and feel like I’m doing my part for the environment as well! I actually use the white ones for the bathroom and then wash them with bleach so I know they’re sanitized!
    You have a new follower!😊

    Reply
  2. Shaumesr Latiahra says

    August 30, 2020 at 5:18 pm

    How do newspapers work as far as cleaning the windows?

    Reply
    • Ginny says

      September 09, 2020 at 6:52 am

      They work great to dry the windows! This is an old trick from our moms and grams! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Jean Selman says

    July 08, 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Do you sew/serge around them or just let them ravel? I am somewhat OCD, so I would probable want some of them to be the same size too. I use Odoban in a second rinse when I do my pet bedding. It is a deodorizer, sanitizer, virucide, air freshener, etc. I also use it as a second rinse on my husband’s clothes in the summer when he perspires a lot and in my mop water. Leaves everything smelling oh, so good.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Family Photo Hi! I'm Ginny and for over 30 years, I've been creating simple and easy recipes without sacrificing on taste for our family on the go. I can't wait to show you how to do the same for your family. Read More...

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Search

join our facebook community for printables.

As Featured In

graphic showing all of the publications that feature Savor and Savvy.

Popular Posts

bowl of teriyaki chicken over a bed of white rice, two chopsticks and sprinkled with sesame seeds

Honey Teriyaki Chicken Recipe

This oven baked eggs recipe is an easy fix for rushed morning breakfasts! These eggs are baked in muffin pans and are ready in just 15 minutes.

How to Bake Eggs in Oven in Muffin Tin {15 Minutes Meal Prep}

How to Clean Stove Drip Pans Naturally

top down view of a desk with three printable pages on top.

Dot Grid Paper Printable for Bullet Journaling + Planners: U.S. Letter, 8×10, A4, A5, A6 and Pocket, Personal Sizes

Adorable pet care binder cover sheet with paw prints and a grey heat

Adorable Pet Care Binder FREE 12 Pages of Printable Worksheets

After cooking, the livers will be golden brown as shown on this air fryer tray

Air Fryer Chicken Livers

Several pages of worksheets from the medical binder over a marble background

Medical Binder Printables with Worksheets

This easy cilantro lime rice recipe will feed your chipotle cravings, without having to leave home! This easy side dish is the perfect addition to a homemade burrito bowl or any other simple meal requiring an extra kick of flavor.

Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Accessibility Policy

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.