It’s easier than you think to replace paper with cloth in the kitchen. Here’s how my family stopped using paper towels and transitioned to a paperless kitchen!
Happy Earth Day! I thought today was the perfect day to tell you about my family’s transition to a paperless kitchen. Over the years, I’ve been on a slow journey towards a greener lifestyle. Certain things were easy, like ditching plastic water bottles, because not only was that a good choice for the Earth, but I also had a vested interest in my family’s health.
Eliminating paper in my kitchen seemed much more daunting. Paper towels and napkins have become so ingrained in our society as the standard, and reaching for them was second nature, making the task of getting rid of them overwhelming. Even though I knew it was a greener, less wasteful choice to get rid of paper products in my kitchen, I wasn’t sure I was ready to let go of the convenience factor.
Well, I’m here to tell you my fears were unfounded. Going paperless is so much easier than I anticipated! These are the steps I’ve taken to replace paper towels with cloth and transition to a paperless kitchen. If we can do it, so can you!
How to Stop Using Paper Towels and Go Paperless in the Kitchen
1. Set a timeline for going paperless.
When I decided once and for all I wanted to go paperless in our kitchen, I set a timeline in my head. I had large amounts of paper napkins and paper towels, but said that once they were gone we’d be completely paperless. I used that time when those products were running out to make the transition, so it wasn’t a cold turkey kind of thing. We started by using cloth napkins for dinner only, and would use the paper napkins other times of the day when we needed a napkin. I tried putting the roll of paper towel in a less convenient place so I wasn’t so used to grabbing a paper towel for every little thing. For us, a slow transition was key.
2. Stock up on enough cloths to replace napkins and paper towels.
You want to make sure you have enough cloths that you aren’t doing laundry everyday. I’m not doing more laundry than I was before. I just throw the cloths in with the rest of the towels I’m washing anyway. We have 20+ cloth napkins on hand. I didn’t buy them all at once. Some are from way back when we got married and registered for them and a whole bunch are random napkins I’ve picked up over the years for my pictures for this blog. We don’t care that they don’t all match, in fact I kind of love that they don’t. You can pick up cloth napkins whenever you see them on sale to start your collection. Great stores to get for great prices, especially if you find sales, are Target, Homegoods, Pier 1, and World Market.
You also want to have cloths for all the things you would normally use paper towels for: dish drying, hand drying, food drying, and wiping spills.
3. Have all your cloths in a convenient place.
Our cloth napkins are in a basket on our dining table. In my eyes, it looks fine for everyday use. If we are entertaining, it’s easy enough to put away and replace with a nice centerpiece.
I bought two cookie jars and put them by the sink, within arm’s reach. In one are the cloths designated for drying food, and in the other are the cloths designated for wiping up spills.
Wiping up spills is probably what you use paper towels for the most. Having these in a convenient place is key. You don’t want this process to be less convenient than using paper products.
If you want to know how to get rid of paper towels and made it stick, my answer is to make it EASY.
The two other types of cloths we have are for hand drying and dish drying. Those are kept on separate sides in a drawer by our sink. One hand drying cloth is kept on the dishwasher handle, used for drying clean hands, and is replaced each day. The dish-drying towels are kept in the drawer until needed.
4. Have a laundry bin close by.
The next part of this process if having a place to put the used cloths. Just like throwing away paper products in the trash was easy, this needs to be easy, too. We keep a metal bin in the pantry. You could use the space under your sink or on the edge of your counter. It just needs to be close so that it’s easy to throw the used cloths in there. The key to success is have a convenient system in place! I clean the kitchen cloths about two times per week, and just throw them in with the other towels I’m already washing.
5. Get who you live with on board.
Whether it’s your spouse, your kids, your roommate, or all of the above, going paperless in your kitchen will be a much smoother process if you have everyone on the same page. I’ll admit that Tim rolled his eyes at me a bit during this process. When he saw the cookie jars with rolled up cloths he asked, “What, are we opening a spa?!” You’ve got to love a husband with a sense of humor. In the end, he was on board because I had a system in place to stop using paper towels and keep the convenience level the same. I know I keep saying that, but only because it’s so important!
This process has been a lot easier than I ever imagined it would be. Once you have a system in place, you’ll wonder why you ever thought it was necessary to waste so much paper on a daily basis. Make the transition to a paperless kitchen and you’ll save money and not lose any convenience.
Helpful Products for a Paperless Kitchen
You can purchase products from my affiliate links to help get your kitchen ready to go paperless! Thank you for supporting Happy Healthy Mama and my mission.
I got my wire basket that I hold my napkins in at Target. Click here to shop wire baskets and find the perfect napkin storage for your kitchen!]
Glass storage jars like these make a pretty display for white cloths.
Stock up on white cloths so you’ll have plenty between loads of laundry.
Find some cute and colorful napkins that you’ll love displaying in your kitchen.
Edited to add: It’s been almost two three years now since we went paperless in our kitchen and it’s still going well! I love our paperless kitchen and hope I’ve inspired you to take the plunge, too.
I buy inexpensive white bar mops in packages of 6 or 12 for napkins for everyday use. They are 12″ white cotton and terry fabric cloths. And they are sturdy and can be used damp for messy meals like ribs 🙂 Great for the little ones too as they can be dampened and used to wash their hands and faces after their meal. They can be bleached as needed and they do not stain much because they are washed frequently enough that the stains don’t set. They’re not pretty but they are clean and so practical! I do have some nice cloth napkins, for when we have guests and special occasions! Now moving on to doing without paper towels as well and planning to continue until we are paper free, except for tissues and toilet paper because ewwww….
Always so good to see how many are interested in our environment. I’ve been buying the small inexpensive white wash cloths at WalMart to use for napkins for my family to use. When friends come I will use the nicer cloth napkins. I cut up old bath towels to use for cleaning. Even if they stain they do not offend me because I know when I launder them they are clean.
That’s a great idea! I was just noticing a bunch of my bath towels are barely hanging by a thread. I think I’ll cut them up and use them for the greasy messes!
Your idea is an absolutely fabulous one. Your display is very attractive. I am certainly going to work towards going paperless in my kitchen. Thanks for the great tips!
You’re welcome! I hope it works for you. 🙂
I’m attempting to go paperless and the paper towel is such a problem for hubby. Bless his heart, he doesn’t just use 1, he uses 3,no matter the job. I purchased 12 bar mops and placed in a basket next to the sink. I faithfully use them. The problem I have is they are so stained after just a few months. How do you keep them presentable?
I didn’t really give mine much of a choice. Haha 🙂
Oops sorry I forgot to answer your question! Mine are pretty dingy, but I don’t mind. I have bought new ones once in a year.
Is there a difference between the cloths for drying food and the cloths for cleaning up spills? Wondering if it is necessary to have 2 separate jars if the cloths are the same? Thanks!!!
I use different cloths for spills and drying food. The drying food clothes are cheaper, thinner cloths than the ones I use for spills, counters, etc.
I went no chemicals and paperless with NORWEX! If you would like to check out my website:
http://www.christinemccombs.norwex.biz
Hello there Maryea. I just popped in from Pinterest. I have as a goal to be paperless in the kitchen before Summer. I loved some of the pointers for making the transition as painful as possible. Especially for the guys. Thanks.
You’re welcome! Good luck, Elena! I hope you’ll come back and follow along on my healthy living adventures. 🙂
Love how you have all this organized! I have been working on going paperless as well. I’ve been meaning to get more organized to get the kids and husband using more cloth for cleanup. I wanted to offer my solution for cleaning up greasy pans and other gross stuff. I save holey socks (after cleaning them one last time). The more cotton the socks have, the better they are at picking up grease. Once used, toss.
Great idea! I always just throw those holey socks away anyway, might as well get another use out of them!
im not sure I agree with this being any better for the environment as papers are compostable and in order to wash all of these rags you’re using a)hot water (which requires energy to heat) and b) presumably Bleach. Now if you have a septic system that your washer water enters, you’re essentially working towards killing the bacteria in your septic which means… No degradation of human waste, filled to capacity septic and the requirement of more frequently having the septic pumped out.
I don’t use bleach.
Thanks Maryea for sharing your great ideas! Your tips, & those of other viewers, have inspired me to go back to using more cloth.
I use bleach. We have a septic system. We’ve lived in our house for 24 years & have never had the septic tank pumped & have never had a problem with it. I think if you have enough cloths to last you thru the week, you wouldn’t need to bleach more than once a week, which is about the amount of times that I use bleach. With that being said, I also use a bleach cleaner on my stainless steel sinks to sanitize & sometimes I soak by utensils & drinking cups/glasses in a bleach water (that was required by DHS when I did childcare), & that bleach water would go down the drain into the septic. I’ve never thought about the idea that the bleach in the septic would keep the waste from degrading. hmmm
Anyway, I’m off to find some great buys on cloths!
To be honest, I’m not understanding why it’s a difficult change over to rags /towels. I did it several years ago before it became popular. I was a preschool teacher and we went through an industrial sized roll of paper towels a day. I bought a bag of shop rags from Sam’s Club and that was that. And when I saw how well it worked at school, I did it at home. We adopted a “one and done ” policy, cause you never know what the rag on the counter was used to clean up earlier. For the wet rags, we spread them on the side of the basket (designated specially for the rags, in the kitchen ) instead of tossing them in, so they don’t mildew. I wash them all as needed, with bleach. All my rags together. Because the washer and detergent gets them clean, the bleach sanitized them . And I do now have some rags made of old towels or t shirts that are colored. I bleach them too. When they get too stained, I retire them to the garage for my husband to use, or designate them for nasty clean ups (dog accidents or illness clean up ) or for draining bacon etc. Then I toss them in the trash. Hope my experience helps people understand how easy this transient can be, and by the way, it saved me the cost of the rags I bought within 2 months. (I was buying the big pack at Sam’s Club almost every month!)
Good luck to you all!
*Transition
I think it’s the idea of it that makes it difficult, but in reality, like you said, it’s not that hard! Thanks for sharing your story.
I’m happy to see so many people going paperless! 🙂 I use cloth napkins at dinner, but during the day for quick meals like a sandwich, I use 100% cotton bandanas as a cute and colorful replacement for paper napkins. I recently picked up a set of vintage inspired 100% cotton 12×12 hankies and these work great, too. I was sent a sample of Bambooee, which are machine washable, reusable, bamboo paper-sized towels. I was really impressed by the softness and durability and am going to pick up a set of these to use for the stickiest, messiest spills that inevitably happen. Great post, thanks for the inspiration!
Oh I will have to check out Bambooee–thank you!
I love this post! I think your cloth napkins are pretty! 🙂
Thanks, darling!
I like this post. Paper towels are so expensive and not good for the environment. I go to the thrift store to buy clothes napkins. I can get 8 napkins sometimes for $1. A lot of times they have barely been used or not used at all. I like the cotton variety, but the polyester type resist stains more yet don’t absorb the same. I have been collecting for a couples of years now and have about 70 to choose from nice is the variety. We have towels that are set aside for drying dishes- they ate a different color/style then the others- to prevent cross contamination of bacteria.
Wow I will have to check the thrift stores!
i purchased cotton yarn for the cost of a pack of paper towels. I crochet my own dish cloths, over mitts and small towels. Sturdy fabric scraps can be made into napkins.
Wow that’s wonderful! I’m not much of a sewer or crocheter, but always wish I had those skills.
Hi Maryea,
Would you please tell me what. Kinds of cloths you designate for each task? And how do you know what’smore absorbent wwhen you buy? Is it just trial and error?
THank you.
Eliah
For drying the food, I just use flimsy dish cloths. They work fine for drying food. For the messes, I use a microfiber cloth that is more absorbent. I could just tell when I bought them that they’d be better for cleaning up spills, etc. For drying dishes I use a variety of different kitchen towels.
I love this post, we try to use less paper, but we still buy paper towels… Your post gives me encouragement to try harder, by having alternatives available… Thank you for sharing…
You’re welcome, Karen! I’m glad I could inspire you.
great article! We do very similar things to make paperless easy at our house too! One thing we started a few years ago, to further add to our reduce/reuse/recycle lifestyle was to cut up old clothing (mainly tees and sweatshirts/pants, kid leggings, etc.) into cleaning cloths if they wee not appropriate to donate. Sometimes we use those for washable projects (counters, drying dishes, etc.) but sometimes we use those for things that I don’t want a truly resuable cloth (drying and application of grease to my cast iron pans; toilet cleaning, etc.)
Great idea!
Hi,
I enjoyed your article and have two comments.
One – Regarding washing the towels – I use mostly just water with microfiber cloths. When I do need a cleaner, I use a ‘green one. If you use hot water, the towels can all be washed together without any harm.
Two – I use bar towels for wiping up spills etc They are white and bleach beautifully. For napkins – we just use dish towels from Doller Tree! They do the job, wash up nicely.
Love the idea of going paperless.
One of my challenges to my paper-free house is how to wash all the cloths I use to clean — meaning, which cloths to wash with which / or NOT to wash with which. I use several different cloths in the kitchen, as you do::: napkins (for people during meals), wipes (for counters and spills) and towels (for hands and dishes). I tend to use a “natural” brand of counter-cleaner to spray on counters and wipe with cloth wipes — but sometimes I do get nervous that the wipes which cleaned the counter with counter cleaner get washed with my napkins, which then get used on my kiddos face….. Anyone else nervous about that?
Secondly — I also have another stash of cloths (stored out in my laundry room) that I use for house-cleaning (bathrooms, spills on floors in house, cloths I use over a mop with floor cleaner). I go through fewer of these — and feel even more hesitant to wash with other towels, etc — but can’t just have them sitting around waiting to be cleaned.
Thoughts on washing all these cloths???
I wash all my towels all together with hot water. I use mostly water for cleaning my counters because I have ecloths, which are antibacterial cloths that work with only water. (I should have mentioned these in the post, I guess…I store these under the sink) Maybe someone else will chime in and give you different advice; I hadn’t thought too much about washing all the different towels together, but now you have me wondering.
i wash all of my towels/rags/cloths together. i use vinegar and dish soap for almost all of my cleaning (bathroom, kitchen everywhere). the washer gets it clean. i make my own laundry detergent, but ill buy commercial stuff and wash my rags with it because of the better oil releasing properties ( i have 2 kids who are learning to cook and have a tendency to have a heavy hand with the olive oil!). if you are concerned that the cleaner you used didnt get all washed out, wash your rags twice. if your concerned about the germs and cross contamination, use bleach and hot water.
I love how much thought and organisation you have put into this – great idea for the convenient storage, I love the basket on the table and cookie jars full of cloths!
Emma xx
http://www.littlehouselovely.co.uk
Thanks, Emma!