A look at sustainable alternatives to paper towels

ABC News Consumer Correspondent Becky Worley puts some options to the test that could be better for the planet and your wallet.

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[SeaTurtle]

Growing up my mother always used small rags. She would cut up old towels or t shirts into smaller usable sizes, would wash with regular towels. I raiesed five kids and hardly ever used paper towels, mostly will greasy or toxic stuff. Now, it takes me about 6 months or more to go through a role of paper towels. It’s a good habit to get in to.

[Kristina-gzwu]

They're called cloth napkins, rags, and washcloths. I've been using them for years and a roll of paper towels lasts me nine months to a year.

[MsArtistwannabe]

I’ve been using cloth towels and cloths for over thirty years. Saves so much money.

[VanGoWanderlust]

Started using washable rags in 2020 and haven't looked back. I keep a roll of the dead tree stuff for certain really nasty things (oil for instance), but rags for most wipeups. A roll of paper lasts months now.

[anner]

Paper towels can be composted, but it depends on how they were used - no oils, meats, cleaning products, etc.

[mybackyardparrots]

Mainstays - 18 pk wash cloths from Wal-Mart for under $6.🙂

[Its_the_Whole_Everything]

yep I have a stash of older dish clothes that are just used for cleaning.

[___beyondhorizon]

I reused the same dish towels over & over until it's time to replace it

[ReneeJoan]

Um, there’s a few problems with this advice. One, rags made from worn clothing are not always made of cotton — they often have an high percentage of oil-based fibers like polyester, and I find that these fibers do not absorb or clean up spills nearly as well as paper towels. In fact, a lot of the time all these polyester textiles do is “smear” the liquid around without really absorbing it. Microfiber clothes are supposed to be better at absorbing spills, but again, they don’t always absorb that well unless you take a lot of special care of them (I’ve seen the videos — washing them only in cold water, and only with other microfiber clothes, etc.). And if you don’t clean them in exactly the right way, they don’t clean very well and lose their mojo. And never mind the environmental consequences of all that microfiber washing down the drain line into the sewer system. Our current waste water reclamation plants are not set up to cleanse microfibers out of the water, and so it washes out into the oceans where it has negative consequences for fish, plants, other sea life, and the ecology of the oceans as a whole. But the reason I prefer paper towels is the health and hygiene factor. No one can completely cleanse the skin of microbes. Thus, when you wipe your “clean” wet hands on a cloth towel, you inevitably transfer dirt, soap, oils, dead skin cells, and bacteria to the towel. Ever wonder why your bathroom and kitchen hand towels look so dingy after a while? In spite of the super duper washing products you use in the laundry? Well, that’s why. And I really don’t think it’s very economical OR environmentally “friendly” to have single use cloth hand towels in the kitchen and bathroom. Having to do THAT much laundry every day/week is a real hassle, to say nothing of the water and electricity used and the detergent released into the water supply. And if your hand towels are NOT single use, well, then all that grime really starts to build up after two or three days (or weeks, depending on how often you’re motivated to change them), and they look and smell kind of funky. Ich. And it just makes my skin crawl after a while to think about wiping my fleshly washed “clean” hands on that (actually) dirty hand towel. So, I reach for the paper towels. They are single use, and the often made of recycled paper, and frankly, being made of 100% plant material (wood cellulose), they biodegrade pretty easily in the landfill or compost (I think community composters SHOULD allow paper towels in the composting bin). And I just FEEL better from an hygiene perspective using paper towels. But anyway, that’s just me. I do think that in general, most of your advice is valid.

[juliebrocklehurst-woods]

Rags from our worn out clothes work great for many tasks. I have purchased a few miracle cloths for dusting.

[feliciak]

We eliminated paper towels 7 years ago in our home. We have a drawer full of a variety of rags and a basket under the sink for dirty rags to be washed. We use cloth napkins and have a small wicker hamper in the dining area that all of those go in. I wash them in separate loads. It’s worked great for our family of four and recommend it to all.

[mazzyrosebreed]

Being old school paper towel was never on our house .mom had cloth rags .with 5 kids at home boy we had the rags ..

[shavinmccrotch]

I buy a 50pk of microfiber cloths every few years. I rarely even think about reaching for a paper towel now. It actually seems silly.

[jreese]

Oh, how cute, they've discovered using rags. Would Grandma be surprised! I use paper towels, yes; but I'm too cheap to use them much. And forget the poly/cotton T shirt rags, they're not absorbant. I use worn out washcloths, or I buy cheap cotton washcloths and old towels at the thrift store. I throw them in the laundry when they're too wet or dirty; fresh ones every morning. Yup, it's a bit more laundry, but lots less trash.

[L.Spencer]

I have rags but I still use too many paper towels. So I need more rags. I did switch to dish rags, instead of sponges that stink. They wash just as well.

[Sanchej]

Not a new idea, we’ve been using rags when I was growing up back home

[Bobalicious]

You can donate fabric from old clothing.

[deelynn]

With dog hair ever-present, paper towells are certain to be clean and without a stray dog hair. Thats my excuse.The laundry just redeposits hairs on something else.

[missrotar]

So much cheaper and convenient to use washcloths and rags

[JamesEsten]

For a long time, as the price of Chanel increased, I no longer thought I could afford it. I think I'll be happy that I have the kislux as my travel bag that I don't have to take care of. By the way, I'm sure no one will have a hard time telling the difference. Thanks for the comparison.