I may be over the top on this one...but maybe not...
I was reading a post by one of my blogging buddies at Sustainablog, Paper or Hot Air? Bring Your Own Hand Towel, and was struck by how much my 6-year-old son would like this solution.
My son, an original eco kids, constantly chides me and my husband for using paper towels. He refuses to use paper towels in the bathroom or kitchen, preferring to wipe his hands on a cloth towel (or my bathrobe which hangs tantalizingly close to the sink in one of the bathrooms).
In public restrooms he carefully and casually wipes his hands on his pants…and chastises me if I do not do the same…which becomes a bit of a problem during those rare occasions when I actually am attired in expensive and delicate clothing. (Then I wipe them on HIS pants.)
It turns out my son is a far seeing eco kid. A student at The University of
So, on a daily basis I use at least 10 paper towels, or 50 paper towels a week, or 200 paper towels a month, or 2,400 paper towels a year! That is a lot of paper. But, I have to wash my hands and I have to dry them. Yet, every time I grab the paper towels, I feel a tinge of guilt. So, I started trying to find ways to conserve paper towels.
Just for some perspective, 2400 fewer paper towels used saves you somewhere around $50 per year…per person….if each person uses just one towel. No guarantee on that, especially if you have children in the house!
Obviously not a huge savings but, add in the fact that you’ll be saving trees. There are some complicated statistics on how many trees are used to make paper towels and the carbon dioxide exchange benefits lost, here.
So, I decided to check out the option suggested by our
A 4 x 4 microfiber hand towel, available at camping stores,l costs about 80 cents and appears to come in some interesting options and colors. It’s washable and more or less seems to fit nicely in a child’s pocket.
But, oh, wait – aren’t these just the thin waffle weave towels you buy at the grocery store in for kitchen clean –up? Would it be dumb to just cut one up and carry it in my pocket or in his?
What about at home? If I purchase some microfiber hand towels (they are available in attractive colors) put them in the kitchen and designate them "hands only? Am a getting loony?
I think I’ll give it a try. What do you think?
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12 comments:
love this! your son rocks. if no pockets, i have found a carabiner to be ever so helpful if you have loops anywhere accessible on clothing. (I never would have thought of this btw, i love how i can constantly learn from children)
I started hiding our paper towels about a year ago (because my MIL would come over and use soooo many) and since then we've stopped using them altogether - we use towels, too. I think bringing one along when you go out is a great idea, we'll have to try it! Thanks :)
I think it's a great idea...like using hankies instead of tissues. Generally we don't use paper towels except to dry our cast iron pans (seems like too much grease for cloth towels) and wiping up truly icky stuff like raw meat juices. In the bathroom we use cloth towels. You're not loony!
I love that you wipe your hands on his pants when your clothes are too nice!! That rocks!
This is such a simple idea. We've broken our paper towel addiction at home, but not when out and about.
It's funny I never thought of it before. I mean I bring cloth wipes for diaper changes and cloth rags for wiping mouths at restaurants when we are done, but never ever thought of a towel for hand drying in the public restroom.
Brilliant and easy! Thanks for sharing!
I'm sort of all about the wiping-on-the-pants option. But, once you are out of regular mommy-wear, it loses its practicality, yes.
I have these small 6x6 square cloths that I received in 2001 for my first baby. Not sure what they were intended to be for, functionally, but they are small enough and absorbent enough to tuck in a purse or backpack. Hmmmm. Thanks for introducing this thought.
There are many times in a public restroom that I dry my hands on my clothes but not for green reasons. Usually it is because I hate to take the time to use the blower or scratchy towels. Now I have a virtuous reason to do it!
I think your idea is great. In your home I would just get rid of the paper towels altogether. We hardly ever use them--we just never got into the habit--so life can be lived just fine without them. It is funny, though, when people come to our house and do things in the kitchen and walk around in circles looking for the paper towels. They are tucked in a lower cupboard because we don't use them often. Then we look at each other like we are both weird.
Final note--in some cities, paper towels can go into the yard waste for composting if you don't compost yourself.
Over here in India, paper towels used to be stuff you found in hotels and restaurants ONLY. Over the past few years, they're more freely available, but most people will still use cloth towels. Involves more laundry, but that's how we are. It saddens me to see the young and upwardly mobile lot splurge on paper towels because they treat it as a symbol of prosperity. That's quite a child you have there. Give him a hug for me. :) Btw, my son is six too.
I'm not sure I'm 100% with the idea of carrying around a towel in my pocket or purse that would become damp, but I can see sticking on in a resealable bag in the diaper bag or such. At home I rarely use paper towels--I have a huge drawer of dishtowels and when they get really ratty looking I throw them into the pile for use while cleaning the bathroom, washing windows, etc.
Love the pants solution, your son is awesome!
I bought 2 dozen cheapie washcloths from Target (clearance, about $3.50) and keep them in a neat stack under the kitchen sink. Before and after meals I wash up my son's hands and face with one and then chuck it in the laundry pile. I now buy less than half the paper towels I used to, and such a small addition to the laundry does not require an extra load. And the washcloths do a better job and are less gross.
As for being out, we carry recylced cotton handkerchiefs with us.
All these awesome suggestions! these are some great ideas.
I like the ideas for in home and the alternatives for outside the house!
We have cloths at home that we hang over the paper towel rack. This has helped with our addiction.
Granted - I still keep a roll under the sink to deal with pet-pukey-accidents that require disposable attention. And for company. Funny how some guests just don't like the hand towels...they are clean!
Hey, some great ideas here! What a boy - looking to save already.
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