Reusable Paper Towels: A First Step For Sustainable Cleaning

Whether it’s cleaning the kitchen slab or desk, one will quickly grab a paper towel, use it, and throw it in the dustbin! It seems like a small issue, but do you know how these once-usable paper towels can cost the environment? Making of these can cause deforestation, soil and ocean pollution.

Once-used paper towels will fill up the land and increase wastage. One paper towel has a small carbon footprint, but,in large numbers collectively, it contributes to increasing global warming!

Reusable and sustainable paper towels are the best alternative for this problem.   

What Are Reusable Paper Towels?

As the name suggests, you can use these paper towels multiple times. Most reusable paper towels are made of cellulose, cotton fibers, or bamboo. These resources, like paper, must be grown or taken from the environment before they can be used to make paper towels.

However, since reusable products use fewer raw resources, they are frequently more sustainable in terms of production. Another environmental benefit of reusable paper towels is that they can be composted after usage. You can also make reusable paper towels DIY. After usage, you can compost them by dumping them in compost bins for your home.

Can Reusable Paper Towels Work As Good As The Traditional Ones?

Yes! Reusable Paper towels work as well as traditional ones. As you get used to the once-used paper towels, you may get annoyed slightly to wash these reusable ones. However, once you get used to them, you will never leave them!

You can use them for years when you follow proper maintenance. Just follow the tips below to maintain them properly.

• Buy 3-4 reusable paper towels so that you can use them once when another is drying. You can rotate all the towels according to your needs.
• Once you use the towel, wash it with soap water, remove excess water, and let it dry on a flat surface or in sunlight.
• If you want, you can keep it in the microwave for a few seconds to remove germs. 
• You can also put certain reusable paper towels in the dishwasher and washing machine and let them clean up. Most brands provide machine wash facilities for their reusable paper towels.
• Reusable paper towels usually absorb more liquid than normal ones. So, you need to experiment with them to know how much liquid they can absorb. You can try pouring small amounts of water onto the towel to know how much it can absorb. 

If you follow these tips, you can get accustomed to the towel and can use it easily.

What Materials Can Be Used In Making Reusable Paper Towels?

Reusable paper towels are made from materials that can be easily biodegradable and compostable. Do you know making these paper towels is a green business idea? It is because the items used in making them are eco-friendly. 

Some of the items used to prepare reusable paper towels are organic cotton, hemp, cellulose (prepared from wood pulp), linen, and bamboo. 

How They Benefit The Environment?

Reusable paper towels benefit the environment in many ways. The following are some of them.

• These paper towels are created from wood pulp (cellulose), bamboo, and cotton that are cultivated and extracted in the environment, making them more environmentally friendly and sustainable production.
• As their production doesn’t involve trees, it reduces deforestation.
• When trash sits in a landfill, it emits methane. It is a greenhouse gas that absorbs more heat than carbon. Using reusable paper towels will decrease wastage and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. It may appear to be a minor detail, yet it makes a significant difference.
• Using reusable paper towels will decrease the piling up of waste on this earth. This will reduce soil pollution. 

You can save money by using reusable towels. When you use reusable towels in the long term, you will significantly notice the money you saved by going green.

How To Make Reusable Paper Towels?

Materials Required

• One terry cloth piece, 23cm x 30cm
• One piece of top fabric (23cm x 30cm)

Tools Required

• Fabric shears or a rotary cutter and a mat
• Machine for sewing
• Matching Thread 
• Pins

Stitch Reusable Paper Towels DIY

• Make one top and a bottom rectangle measuring 23cm x 30cm.
• Pin the right edges of the fabric together. Sew a 1cm seam allowance along the outside edges, leaving a 5cm space in the seam.
• Trim the corners and fold the reusable paper towel in half. Wiggle the corners out. Iron it to flatten the fabric.
• Close the seam opening with edge stitching or hand stitching.
• Use them instead of paper towels for cleaning up spills, then wash them once they’re dirty.

As you now know how to make reusable paper towels, you can make them using any cotton fabric for better absorption. These towels will come a long way for years if you use them correctly.

Conclusion

Using reusable paper towels not only aids in sustainable living but is also cost-effective. You can make these towels at home easily. If you want to buy them, make sure to buy them from trusted brands because some brands use plastic wires as seams in towels, which are harmful to the environment.

Frequently Asked Questions