How Cutting Out Paper Towels Saved Money
True Story- my family used a ton of paper towels every single day. From spilled milk in the morning to wiping off the counters- we used a lot of paper towels. On a bad day- we could go through an entire roll. That’s a lot of paper towels (and thus a lot of trees gone and a lot of money in the trash can.) Paper towels are expensive- even with coupons and a sale! It seemed like every week we were using roll after roll. A 6 pk wasn’t lasting too long.
I decided enough was enough about a year ago and we haven’t looked back. In fact- the number of paper towels I’ve purchased has dwindled to nearly NONE! I have had the same packs in the garage storage for nearly a year now! I only buy them when they are super super cheap to keep on hand for those messes I just can’t stand to use a dish towel for- like body fluids (human or our 4 footed friend) or for the super super messy things like kids finger painting!
As I’ve found clearance hand and dish towels I’ve snatched them up. It doesn’t have to be a “kitchen” towel- I’ve found very little difference in the mess cleaning power of a rag labeled “kitchen” versus one labeled “wash cloth”. The wash cloth sized towels have been perfect for our family as kitchen towels. They have such enough space for most messes but don’t take up a lot of room.
I’ve found great deals at Dollar General and JcPenney and Kohls. I got a cute basket at the Dollar Tree and keep the washrags and towels in there. As they are needed we simply take one out. Sometimes we can use the same one all day- rinsing it out and wiping off the counters with a little soap and other times (like the day the blender exploded milk shake all over the counter, me and the floor) we use it and immediently place it in the laundry basket. At this time I have about 50 of the small washcloth sized towels- this is important for my family because I hate doing laundry and will put it off as long as possible (until one of us starts to run out of socks or other necessary apparel items!).
The rags are lasting me at least a year so far- because I have so many they are not getting used or washed too often so I think my investment is paying off.
Estimated investment into cloth rags: $20.00 (I grabbed lots of 10 pk for around $2.50 each during after dorm sales and on clearance)
Paper Towel estimated cost: .50 roll x 3 rolls a week = $1.50 week x 52 weeks =$78.00/year (and that’s pretty conservative for my family!)
The $20 in towels has already lasted me a year and even tossing a few due to wear and tear or extreme staining I expect that they will last me another year. So $10/year in rags versus $78+ in paper towels…. $68 might not seem like a lot but besides the cost savings, we are being “greener” to the environment by not having trees harvested to wipe up messes to less trash bags we’re paying to be picked up- it really has made a big impact in our daily lives.
Even if I buy a 6 pk or two of towels a year ($6 or so after sales and coupons)- we’re still coming out far ahead reusing cloth towels. And the cost in water and detergent is minimal since I have to do a load of regular towels every week anyway – these small scraps of cloth don’t really add any measurable extra cost there.
What disposable item have you swapped for a reusable variety?
9/10/15 update: I just wanted to update on this. I am still loving being paper towel free! In the past several months we’ve used only about one roll and that was because we had a cook out.
2/20/16 Update: We’re still going strong and loving it. A few have worn completely out and I found some clearance deals
4/7/2020 Update: Still going strong. Of the originals from years ago…we maybe have one left? if that. But as I find clearance deals I add them to the stack and the worn out ones go to the garage.
love this!
i have cut out napkins this year. i rarely use paper towels (love my dish towels and rags!) — but napkins were a different story. i purchased about 40 or so from the love for earth etsy shop and they have been great so far.
We use cloth diapers. I cannot tell you how happy I am to be avoiding the price insanity that is disposable diapers — in addition to the silliness! “Buy this so you can throw it away three hours after you use it.”
What a great idea! I don’t know if I could ever stop my paper towel habit, but i will consider it. I have 4 rolls in my kitchen. I do not live in a mansion, but my kitchen is long. There is not a rule anywhere that says you can only have one roll in your kitchen, right? All of my friends say I am crazy, and I embrace that. I follow your posts so that I can afford my habit. My husband says it’s un American not to use paper towels, he’s hilarious! LOL! Thanks for your hard work!
I used to be the same- paper towels everywhere but the cost savings alone made me switch! Plus the more I thought about it the more I realized I was wasting money on the towels AND paying for more trash bags full of them!
I do the same thing – rarely use paper towels. There are some tasks such as soaking up oil from cooking that the towels seems to be essential for. Another item that I never, ever purchase is napkins. I purchased or made some cloth table napkins and they save me tons of $$$.
My problem with cloth rags is that they somehow get smelly (mildew, I think) presumably from sitting around damp until I wash. How do you prevent/combat that? Do you always make sure they are dry before you toss them in the wash?
I do laundry daily so they never sit around too long- Maybe set up a bar in the laundry room or a string with clips to hang them to dry until you can wash them? It’s easy for me with 4 kids we do a LOT of laundry!
I have a huge basket packed full of washcloths in my kitchen for wiping down things in the kitchen. I also have a laundry shoot in my house. It’s right in the hall outside my kitchen so whenever I use one, right down to the basement into a hamper it goes! I do a small hand-wash cycle in my washing machine and that cleans them right up.
Hang them up to dry, get a batch and wash on sanitizing cycle.
Add vinegar directly to the was
Paper towels are definitely not a necessity. I learned that during hard times when my husband lost his job. It was one of the easiest things to give up and the only time that I really thought about it was when a friend came over. He asked for a paper towel to dry his hands and we said we didn’t have any. He was like “You’re joking right.” I hadn’t even thought about the fact that we hadn’t been using them. I have a few rolls in the house now, but the only time that I really reach for paper towels is when I fry food and I want to lay it on something to drain the grease off. I haven’t found a suitable substitute for that.
Growing up my mom always used paper grocery bags to drain fired foods on.
wash rags with vinegar and baking soda. should take the smelly/mildew smell out. avoid using scented detergent/softener.
Thanks for this idea. I am quite sure we could save a ton doing this with napkins. Just wondering if there is also an associated cost with washing and drying, detergent, etc?
For my family I expect it adds to pennies- we wash a load of laundry everyday and tossing 2-5 cloths into the load doesn’t make that much of a difference. Plus it saves me a ton of space in the trash can and we have to pay for each can we have.
My husband and j use cloth napkins. Our guests always feel special because we are “super fancy”, but it saves us money and does such a better job!
My big TIP of the day – I do not buy the foamy soap refills for my hand dispenser!! I simply use the cheaper liquid soap (about 4 Tablespoons) and 2/3 cup of water. You have to have the foamy dispenser – but pour your homemade concoction into it, wait a minute and WHALAH! Works like a charm. Much cheaper.
I’m making my own butter now . We haven’t had a good sale in months, and I saw a great recipe online using heavy cream and adding salt. My hubby has always called me a paper towel Nazi. I keep them in a cabinet to discourage wasteful use.
I would love to have your recipe for butter!
We bought these from Sam’s yeeeeears ago and are just about ready to need to repurchase! They wash great! They come to 36cents each.
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/mm-terry-towel-14-x-17-60pk/prod10750104.ip?navAction=
Though I’ve not purchased this set, it’s even more economical! They come to 30cents each!
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/restaurant-towels-white-red-stripe-12-pk/178002.ip?navAction=
My family all likes their coffee different so we bought a Kerig instead of wasting 1/2 pots of coffee. We were using disposable coffee cups at $5 -$10 a pack. Was getting expensive. Found reusable coffee mugs with lids (travel type but nothing fancy) at Dollar Tree and a 6 pack at Walmart for $3.75.
I buy used towels, wash cloths, even small hand towels to use as napkins at the holidays, at thrift stores. Very cheap. I use bar mops (especially colored ones) for napkins for everyday.