The first place we were able to go low waste in our household was with our kitchen paper products. Even at the time with a toddler, we found using cloths and cloth napkins more practical considering the amount we went through. After adding another baby to the family, we continued using our kitchen cloths and haven’t looked back.
Paper towels
What if I told you, most things you think require a paper towel can be done with a cloth? Some people have a hard time wrapping their heads around it, but here some ways you can eliminate paper towels in your kitchen.
Unpaper towel
If you feel like you can’t get away from the rolls, try unpaper towel. It is made of cloths that snap together to look like roll. Once used, you can store them in a waste basket or laundry bag until wash day.
Cloths
Any type of cloth can be used for kitchen messes. If you can sew, you can get fancy with it and make cotton cloths yourself. Cut up t-shirts or towels are also great for spills. I have 2 types of dish cloths (knitted and cotton) that I use for different things. If space provides, you can put a small waste paper basket or mesh laundry bag under your sink or near your laundry to store used cloths. Wash like normal and use over and over.
Napkins
Personally, the only time I ever really used napkins was for parties and special occasions, making this an easy switch. I got my first set of cloth napkins at Value Village during half price day, so I paid $1.50 for 4. We tried them out and liked them so bought two more sets of 4. Twelve cloth napkins is plenty for our family of 4.
Again, if you are crafty, sewing cloth napkins is as easy as making your own cloths. We store our soiled napkins with other dirty kitchen cloths until there are enough to wash.
