I’d had a whole ‘nother post written about balancing green and frugal, but I looked at it and realized it had turned into a rant about the high cost of supermarket “organic.” Which we all know and despair about, so I decided to do a different, positive, cheery post.
Instead I offer you–a paean to cloth. The knitted dish cloth and its less crafty cousin the terry-cloth or microfiber one. Dish towels, either pretty and bright or faded from long use. The cloth napkin that makes every meal feel festive while helping the environment and your budget. The canvas tote that hauls your groceries, carries your lunch to work, acts as a beach bag, and does a dozen other useful duties. The cloth diaper (whose many merits I can’t discuss personally-any parents care to chime in?) The washable fiber covers, whether fancy microfiber or the cotton knit I’m currently making (in an incredibly loud lime-green and turquoise blend), that replace those expensive and wasteful, yet ever so useful, Swiffer pads.
Even and perhaps especially the humble rag that used to be a flannel sheet, a favorite t-shirt or even one of those cloth diapers. My household hasn’t stopped buying paper towels entirely, since they’re terribly handy for 1) draining bacon and 2) cleaning up the nastiest cat accidents and hairballs. Still, we’ve cut down their use a lot, and while the rags do eventually end up in the landfill, we’ve squeezed every bit of useful out of them. I even use cotton rags for “garden bondage” and at the end of the season, the tie goes into the compost with the rest of the plant.
I’m not saying anything terribly new here. If you’re reading this, you’re probably already a cloth convert, or working toward it.
There are a million ways to use cloth in the home instead of disposables, including ones I haven’t tried, such as cloth menstrual pads (I want to like the idea, but I hate pads!) and washable bathroom wipes, either for baby wipes or for the whole family. I can see the sense behind that notion. Why flush perfectly good trees down the toilet when you can just wash up? Still, it’s not a leap I’m ready to make. If anyone out there in Readerland does it, speak up! Does it work well? How much extra laundry does it generate? Do you keep TP on hand in case of a bout of digestive bug?
So, what are your favorite household tricks with fabric that I haven’t touched upon?
We haven’t totally eliminated paper towels, either, for the same 2 reasons you named (well, substituting ‘cat messes’ with ‘dog messes’) Someday, perhaps.
Just recently, I have taken the dive into cloth pads and LOVE them- but I was a pad user before. Also, it’s fun to shop on Etsy for patterns and styles. I can’t believe I just said that. I have more friends that use cloth diapers than ’sposies, so when it’s my turn to have a babe in diapers, I’ll at least give it a try. Cloth wipes for baby seem like a no-brainer, especially if you’re doing cloth diapers.
We too are making the move from paper to cloth. I use cloth liners for my cycle or the diva/luna cup (which I LOVE). While my spouse and I more easily adapt to this change it has been more of a challenge for our daughters; A18, A15, K14, M14. M14 is with us for only a few weekends a month so the switch in thinking is more drastic for her.
Resistance is futile. =)
I used cloth diapers for our children- although I admit after the first the disposables crept in more frequently. Both my daughter (15) and I use cloth pads as ‘back ups’ for the Diva (which we both also love!) We have used cloth rags for cleaning and pet messes for years. I’m hesitant to take the plunge to cloth wipes for the bathroom for some reason. I’m not sure why since it can’t be any worse than diapers!
Also it’s important to reuse the worn out fabrics that you use. My mom used to sew old worn hand towels into personal pillows for long car rides.
Good point. Like I said, the ultimate destination for a lot of mine–anything that’s all natural-fiber and not contaminated with something really foul–is the compost pile. Ultimate reuse is turning something into dirt, which then becomes dinner!
I used only cloth diapers for my four children. We buy paper towels, mostly for the bacon grease drain and occasional really yucky mess. But, for the usual cleaning, wiping, and dusting, I use cloths. As for bathroom wipes, I’ll start tearing up Crate and Barrel, REI and AARP mags and catalogs before I venture in to cloth ones.