I decided that I have an addiction. Not drugs, alcohol, TV, food, cigarettes. Nope, it's worse than that. I have been trying to get off the paper towels for months now and it's real, real hard. ACK! Doggie barf, where's the paper towels? What, we don't have any? Then I get the shakes and sweats and stuff. Clean dog vomit with a real, actual towel? Well, then what do I do with the towel? ICK, you mean I put it in the washing machine with my clothes? OMG!So, when Chile decided to host a challenge ridding us of our addictions, I thought this might be the time. See, this is just one last thing that I think I needed help getting over. It's more of a habit, mindset and germ-phobic issue than a need for the towels. And, I really believe that ridding myself of this habit will free me of the constant need to run to the store for "one thing I forgot". I have too many kids, dogs and things to do to be running to the store to buy paper!
Today, I am beating down on this addiction - Zero paper towels used on day 1 of the challenge! And, I wiped up doggie drool, mopped the entire house, cleaned the bathroom and a variety of other household chores that would have had me dragging along an ever-shrinking roll of towels. I have about half of a roll left, and I am hoping that it will last me a long, long time. Ending my addiction, one doggie drool puddle at a time!
6 comments:
Yay! You can do it! I started using cloth rags and knitted dishcloths about a year and a half ago, when I had about one-quarter of a roll of paper towels left. Just a few weeks ago I bought one roll (really sick dog -- he's fine now).
That's it, less than one half a roll used in all that time, and I still have plenty for future emergencies.
If you're reusing cloths and rags, good for you, but if you find you need to buy some I highly recommend microfiber cloths. I bought mine in the auto section at K-mart or Target, where they are much cheaper than if you buy them in the cleaning section. They do an amazing job at cleaning.
No, Chile! Greywater, greywater! I could totally empty the bucket on the trees I planted. The extra doggie kibble bits could be a great fertilizer! :o)
You know what? I used cloth diapers for my twins (not some yucky service that bleached them, but washing them myself), and it may sound really gross, but I rinsed out the "dirties", if you know what I mean, in the TOILET! Many studies have shown that our toilet bowls are often less germy than our kitchen sinks! It's more of a mental thing to get over. :) I must admit, it's not very sexy, but it's easier on the washing machine! And while we're talking washing machine, I love my Fisher-Paykel washer that uses far fewer parts than a machine with belts, propelling the spin cycle with magnets. Gets the clothes almost dry, it spins so fast on much less energy! I now can use my drier on the delicate setting to dry allllll my clothes with no problems. This washer also has a soak cycle, great for throwing some Oxyclean or similar in with your dingy whites, or for over stained doggy drool towels!!!! :)
That's great. I'm able to get recycled paper towels at Costco. My biggest dependence is disposable wipes--I'm working through my stash and then will switch to rags I can rewash.
Admire the local food effort!!
Animals do make life harder for this stuff don't they! Going 'paper towel free' is a mision around here too. Paper towels and tissues are on my list of things to tackle - I figure I'll put a nice box of hankies in the various spots we have tissues! They are just a habit these paper products!
ugh i have the same addiction. i have to admit although i bought some reusable sponge cloths at whole foods, which are great by the way, that i still buy paper towel rolls. i don't use them at much but every once in a while....gonna try nixing them all together. great blog. just wanted to let you know i uploaded your post to to http://sustain.newsladder.net/ (like Digg but centered around
sustainability). It's a great resource and I'm trying to spread the word about it. Please check it out if you can!
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