Thrifty Tip: Going Green by Doing Away with Paper Products!

Here is one of my favorite ways to go green and save money too.  About a year ago I gave up paper napkins for cloth ones.  Originally I started using cloth napkins everyday because I thought they looked more elegant for our evening meals, and then I noticed how much fewer paper napkins we consumed, which also meant less paper waste going to the landfills.  

I also switched out paper napkins for cloth ones at breakfast and lunch.  I even pack a cloth napkin in my kids' lunch boxes.  It's funny.  I still have half a package of paper napkins in the top of one of my cabinets.  It's over a year old.  we will probably use it up on our camping trips.

I love using cloth napkins.  They seem so much nicer to wipe your mouth on, and they make the table so much more appealing.  Another surprising aspect of using cloth napkins is that they actually do not take any more work to use them.  Since I am doing at least one load of laundry every day, I just add the used napkins to that day's load.  I do not iron them (except for special occasions) and just pop them back in the drawer right next to the kitchen table.  (I have a set of napkins in the washer right now!  LOL!)

Hand in hand with using cloth napkins, I also love to use cleaning cloths instead of paper towels.  I find them to be more absorbent and better at those things that need a little more scrubbing power than paper towels.  I keep a few stashed in each bathroom for handy cleaning.  When they are wet or dirty, I just lay them on top of the washer to wait for the next day's laundry load.  

I do still use a few paper towels.  I still find them handy for really greasy jobs such as cooking sausage or bacon.  I bought a six-pack of paper towels last summer, and I still have half of them unused.

Have you substituted cloth for paper in your home?