Frugal Friday: Paper-Towel Alternatives

I used to manage to go through a roll of paper towels in about 2 days. This not only created a lot of unnecessary waste, it was also not very frugal. However, I was opposed to looking into alternatives because paper towels were just so convenient. And also, how else could I clean glass and mirrors without leaving big smudges?

When my husband began operating our commercial cleaning business, we quickly realized the need to look into a less-wasteful, more-frugal alternative to paper towels. He purchased a few bags of cleaning rags. These worked great for his needs. As time went on, he also discovered that microfiber rags work perfectly for streak-free cleaning of glass and mirrors.

This was when I realized that I could just as easily make the switch from paper towels in our home. I now use cleaning rags for just about every cleaning job, and a microfiber rag for cleaning windows and mirrors. I use a variety of things in the kitchen. For liquid spills, my dishrag does the job just as quickly and easily as a paper towel once did. For any raw food spill/leakage, I use a rag that gets put in the laundry room immediately afterwards. I also use kitchen towels to dry my hands, cut-up receiving blankets for quick wipe-ups, and a cleaning spray and rag to disinfect. I don't know why I was so slow in making the switch. I definitely do not feel we need paper towels anymore. All of these things were purchased for less than $10 and will last indefinitely.

Even the washing is not hard and really doesn't add much extra to our laundry. Kitchen towels, dish rags, microfiber rags, and the cut-up receiving blanket squares get tossed in the wash with a regular load of laundry. Cleaning rags and the rags that I use to wipe up raw food spills are kept in a bucket until they are all washed in bleach. This is so simple I don't think we will ever go back to using paper towels.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, please visit Crystal's blog.