Paper vs Cloth

A few months ago I made the switch from paper products to cloth products. I stopped using paper towels and paper napkins. I also stopped using paper plates.

Stopping the use of paper plates was the easiest thing to do. How hard is it to reach for a real plate over a paper one? No more leaky plates that make messes and less trash in my trash can. I replaced my paper napkins with cloth napkins that I had as "decor" napkins. Seriously, how lame am I, I had pretty napkins that I only used to decorate my table. Why not use them? Paper towels took the longest to get use to not having around. Anytime I had a spill, I used a paper towel. Anytime Emma had something on her face, use a paper towel. We were going through rolls of paper towel like it was going out of style.

Why did I decide to take the cloth route over paper...one reason was to save money, the other reason was to create less paper waste and to better the world.

For those of you who still use paper products, think about how many times you have to replace these items at the store. How much money do you spend on them? I only bought name brand paper towels because I thought they worked the best. It was an expensive purchase, now I don't have to worry about spending money on these items or having to lug around a huge case of paper towels or a huge sack of paper plates.

Trust me, when you switch to cloth napkins you do NOT use as many as paper napkins! Cloth napkins don't really get that soiled during a meal, so we usually keep ours folded on the back of our chairs so we can reuse it and so we'll know whose napkin is whose. Of course, if for some reason you're napkin is really dirty, I don't expect you to keep reusing it. (Sometimes after a spaghetti dinner it's impossible to have a clean napkin). We do not do a separate load of laundry for napkins. I'll throw them in the wash with whatever load is less full. Doing this cuts down on water waste. A good tip to save some money when buying cloth napkins is going to a second hand store or a garage sale and finding some cool napkins. If you're crafty, make your own.

What do I use instead of paper towels? A wash cloth and dish towel. I was using paper towels to clean mirrors and windows, but I use cut up t-shirts for those kind of jobs.

I use real plates over paper plates. Yes, this might cause you to wash a few more dishes at the end of the day but I can live with that. Just be smart when you do dishes. Don't let the water run! I tend to wash up all my dishes and place them in the other half of the sink, then when that gets full, I'll rinse them off. This just helps with not wasting water. ***TIP***If you make a sandwich and you're like, "ahh I really don't want to dirty a plate" use your cloth napkin. And then when you're done, empty the crumbs in the trash can and then reuse it for the next meal.

I dare you to give up your paper products! After just a few days, you'll realize how easy it is to live without them and you'll never have to buy them again. Plus, you'll feel good about saving trees and creating less waste in our landfills :)