Paper Towel Challenge
May 2, 2008 by Peggy
Paper towels can be very wasteful and expensive if used for every little thing like drying your hands or cleaning the counters. Cloth rags are a great alternative.
I’m inviting you to take the paper towel challenge in May. I’m going to do this with you and report my results as well. I’ve come a long way in lowering my paper towel usage, but there’s always room for improvement. My co-blogger Jennifer won’t be doing this challenge since she doesn’t use any paper towels. I’ll talk more later about how my cat is the source of some of my paper towel usage.
Here’s how the Paper Towel Challenge works:
Week One (May 4-10): Make a note of how many rolls of paper towels you used and what you used them for. A piece of paper on the refrigerator should do the trick. You can mark your progress more easily if you use the same brand/size throughout this month. If you haven’t switched to recycled paper towels, now would be a great time.
Week Two (May 11-17): Stop using paper towels for two of the purposes you listed. Use cloth instead. Try to reduce your paper towel usage by one half before the end of the month. If you used two rolls last week, try to only use one roll a week by the end of the month. If you used one roll last week, try to only use half a roll a week. Keep track of how many rolls you’re using and what you’re using them for.
Week Three (May 18-24): Have you made progress? If not, you may need to look again at how you’re using the paper towels. If you’re using them for napkins, try cloth napkins instead. If you’re using them for cleaning, use rags or sponges instead.
Week Four (May 25-31): Come back here and tell us how you did. And if you didn’t meet your goal, keep trying. If you met your goal, let’s party!
Don’t forget to come back here often to let us know how you’re doing and talk to others who are taking the paper towel challenge.
Image via flickr. That’s not my cat.
This challenge rocks. We are almost completely off the paper towel kick. W/a toddler in the house we were using a lot, but we never tracked. Anyway – any suggestions for not using tissues to blow your nose? I could buy brand new hankies, but I’m too cheap and have been hunting for used (clean!) ones. Yeah, there’s a reason I haven’t found many! Maybe flannel? I figured you ladies would have some ideas =)
Great DramaMama. I hope you join us in the challenge.
Tissues are another issue. I think cotton hankies are your best option. Do you sew or know anyone who does? You could make your own organic hankies. That would be nice. For flannel, maybe use old sheets? I have some old flat flannel sheets that I don’t use much since the fitted part got holes first.
I have just switched over to cloth napkins and have already cut back on paper towels but we can always cut back more. This will be a great challenge.
Kisha, please come back and let us know how you’re doing.
I know the dates say it starts on May 4, but I’ve already started a list of my uses since I replaced a roll yesterday.
I’m finding that sometimes I use paper towels because they are handy. Making a list of my uses is really helping me curb the impulse to reach for a paper towel without first asking if cloth would be better. Tonight I found myself covering pizza dough with a paper towel so it could rise. Uh, why didn’t I just use a cloth napkin or clean dish towel? See what I mean…
By the end of the month, it’s possible I could decide to stop buying paper towels. But then I’d have to wash out cat vomit cleanup towels by hand. You know, he only vomits about twice a month, sometimes three times. Pretty normal for a kitty. Maybe I could handle it.
@DramaMama Recycled tissue is your best bet for really bad cold days, because that’s a lot of hankies. My ex loves his reusable hankies (he got a large organic pack cheap). But, with a 7 year old – well, when he gets sick, I’m not crazy about cleaning snot off of everything. When we were kids, my mom made us use old cloth diapers instead of tissue, but they’d be all over the house when we were sick. Kind of germy – and I’m not even too bugged by germs.
@kisha Thanks for joining the challenge! Good luck. Cloth napkins are a good way to start.
@Peggy great idea, I left the comments so I can follow along with everyone.
I’ve cut back on my paper towel use considerably over the last year…most of the “waste” was from the artwork I do, so now when I use one I recycle it into art material. Same with baby wipes, which I do buy because they can’t be beat by anything for some art uses. Wipe paint on them, keep using until full, use in your next project
Hi Cyndi! Great to read about your eco-art use of paper towels. My husband used to also include parking ticket stubs in some of his paintings. He hasn’t painted in a while, so maybe I should start collecting stubs or paper towels to inspire him. ; )
Wellllll…maybe *not* the stubs from parking tickets… LOL!!
Cyndi. LOL. I meant parking garage stubs. : )
Considering we have three kids in the house, our paper towel usage is really pretty minimal. I went through a few extras this weekend, but that’s only because all the hand towels were in the wash. :p.
Now toilet paper is another story. I’m certain potty training is a direct cause of deforestation.
Bald Man, Potty training = deforestation? Now, that’s a funny thought.
Oh good! I feel much better about being your friend now. I don’t wanna hang out with no criminals LOL!!
Hallo Peggy
) Noreen over at hankeringforyarn
Can’t take the challenge because we rarely use paper towels. We’ve been using rags for years rather than paper towels.
Thanks for helping to get folks to shut down on paper towels!
I am signing up for this challenge! And I am getting my teenage daughter on board as well. She is the worst about the paper towel usage in our house. She *tries* to not use so many, but she still goes through a lot in a week. I need to pick up more/new cloth napkins this week also.
This is a great idea. I can’t wait to see how far you get and how much you can reduce usage.
Hi Noreen. It’s good to hear from people who don’t miss paper towels.
Jodi – Great to have another person/family taking the challenge. If you can get your daughter to make a list of what she’s using the paper towels for I think that will help so much. If she’s a really big paper towel user, maybe she can pick 3-4 uses to eliminate.
Thanks jennydecki!
This is great! I need to get my fiance to kick the paper towel habit STAT!
We don’t use too many paper towels here. I think the dogs are the biggest cause for our use of paper towels. When they have an “accident” (doesn’t happen often) we are either low on paper towels or completely out, never fails.
I do need to get some cloth dinner napkins, that would cut our paper towel usage to almost nothing.
Good idea Nix! : ) Glad to have you join us.
Linette, I noticed a big reduction in my paper towel usage when I started using cloth napkins. The pet thing is tricky though. I prefer to use paper towels to clean up cat vomit.
A little more than a month ago, I hatched a plan to replace our kleenex boxes with little baskets of hankeys. We’ll then put a plastic box somewhere for dirty hankey collection. My husband and two boys already use hankeys. I’m the last one hanging on to heavy kleenex usage. A couple weeks ago I bought recycled tissues for the first time, and given how rough they’ve been on my nose (since I’m sick this week), I don’t think this recycled tissue phase will last long. I’m gonna check the thrift store for a flannel sheet–thanks for the great idea!
We already use handmade dish clothes, dish towels, and other rags in place of paper towels. I think I freaked out my mother-in-law when I cleaned up some toddler puke with a rag instead of paper towels, though. We keep one pile of rags in particular for the nasty jobs. Thank goodness my two-year-old doesn’t throw up as much as your cats!
Katherine, I totally understand about the rougher recycled kleenex. That’s difficult if you use them often. I’m glad you like the flannel sheet idea!
Now that I’ve been keeping track of my paper towel use, I can say my cat has only thrown up once this month! : )
I stopped using paper towels all together years ago, by simply not buying them, period. I have an abundance of rags, t shirt rags, receiving blanklet rags, literally about 50 clean ones ready at any time. I use rags for any wipe ups and napkins with the kids etc when we run out of cloth napkins. We use cloth napkins for eating, for messier things I use wash cloths with warm water. I use baby wash cloths with warm water for diaper changes, they work much better than disposable wipes and cause no skin irritation. People used rags in the olden days, they are reusable, once they get too ratty they can be composted, and can do anything that a paper towel can do. I say the best way to quit a habit is cold turkey, and we’ve never looked back on the paper towel habit, it’s become very normal to us over the years to not use them at all.
The energy cost and environmental impact to produce, transport, stock, purchase, and dispose of (ie: add to landfills) is dramatic and totally unnecessary.
I haven’t purchased even a single roll of paper towels in eight (8) years. I use cloth towels and rags that are washed along with my laundry (hung on a clothesline instead of using energy-wasting dryer) and re-used for years. I also use cloth napkins. Toilet paper you ask? Well, I implore you to at least take some steps in the right direction.
Please be part of the solution and not the problem. Americans are way too wasteful and consume too many disposable items. Please STOP!