I've got reusable bags from many stores, My favorite are from IKEA they come in an assortment of sizes and patterns. Next best are the target, they have a small one that zips up to the size of a check book, and a big one that is bigger than a paper bag. I try to use paper if I forget them, you can also recycle the plastic bags at some stores. Walmart and Kroger both have a box by the front door for that.

I hate paper towels too. The wife insists on buying them and the 15yo insists on using them for every thing. We have an abundance of hand towels and wash cloths that work just as well. We also use paper napkins at the dinner table. All of the napkins and paper towels(not used w/ chemical cleaner) go in the compost pile, never to be seen again.

We use paper towels for everything in my household as well. My wife feels that rags and towels are germ breeding grounds and does not use them. Personally, I feel that since every cleaner we use is antibacterial, I don't care how wet a towel is, nothing is growing in there. I obviously lost that argument. To make myself feel better, if a paper towel was used to dry our hands after washing them or to wipe up something non-chemical such as a coffee spill, we place it in the recycle bin. Before taking the bin to the curb on trash day, I go through it and pick out anything I can use like the paper towels and the rolls they come on. It all gets shredded along with the newspapers and junk-mail and added to the compost pile. Since all our trees are too small to drop many leaves, this is really the only "brown" my compost pile gets. Just make sure to blend it with water or bury it as it tends to come loose on windy days and turns into litter.

As for the plastic bags, they are too useful for me to go without. I line all the small trash cans like those in the office or bathroom with them. About twice a week, I line an old small trashcan and use it to scoop the dog poop out of the back yard. (Don't worry, that trashcan stays in the garage.) They also come in handy to carry stuff in. (A bag? Who woulda thought!) So if your conscience bothers you about using the plastic bags, find other uses for them. We reuse all of our grocery store bags.

I compost paper towels... white ones, brown ones, printed ones, blank ones...

We have stacks & stacks of inexpensive wash cloths and also cut up old shirts and stuff used as rags. Let the cloths pile up until there's a load and then throw them in the washing machine. Result = clean and sanitary. We still have a roll of paper towels in the kitchen, but we've reduced use tremendously.

"Personally, I feel that since every cleaner we use is antibacterial,"

You might want to do some research into bacterial resistance. There is one line of thought that says all you're achieving is to kill off or weaken the weaker types and strains of bacteria, leaving the field wide open for the stronger ones, which your producets don't kill, to multiply.

Lynxe, your stack of washcloth idea is good. I'll try that.
We use papertowels and paper napkins too, though I am always ripping the towels into half or fourths before I use them. And maybe I'll try to get the family to use cloth napkins too.

I agree with avoiding anti-bacterials. We use a few drops of bleach in a spray bottle of water instead. I know some people don't think bleach is green either, but I think using a dilute solution like that isn't bad.

We have lots of different colored inexpensive washcloths for diferent uses. We us dark blue in the kitchen, dark burgandy as napkins at the table, black for cleaning around the house, etc. All can be washed, dried, and reused. A roll of paper towels lasts several months around here! What paper we DO use, gets composted.

You can even compost the washcloths, when they get ratty!

We've switched almost entirely to cloth in the kitchen. It depends on having a convenient stack of clean supplies and a handy laundry basket. We have a drawer dedicated to clean towels, sponges, wash cloths etc. and a small wicker basket for anything used. Big stacks of cheap cloth napkins from a surplus place that all say Northwest Air. :-] All this gets washed together by itself (no dirty socks or undies), hot water, bleach.

The "cloths and sponges are all germy" thing is overblown. Keep em rinsed, squeezed and spread out to dry not left saturated and festering in the sink, change them every few days, and you're fine. It was good enough for grandma.

I put my kitchen sponge into the dishwasher every time I do a load of dishes. A friend of mine does this, and it seems to work fine. One sponge has lasted me a very long time.

I compost paper towels. I try to reuse them if I can, prior to composting. I'm trying to get my husband out of the habit of using them to dry his hands, but at least he mostly composts them, too.

Cathy

Here is a link that might be useful: Cathy's site

I have a bunch of "microfiber" towels I use for cleaning. To polish glass and appliances, you actually only need to slightly dampen these with plain water and you get a great shine. They work better than paper towels/glass cleaner with less streaking and lint. Sometimes I add a cleanser when necessary, though.

I throw the kitchen sponge in the washing machine every time I do a load (once a day) There are 2-3 clean sponges in reserve all the time for spills and washing the counters and sink. The kids know the sponge is okay to use and shouldn't smell bad since they are constantly going in the washing machine.

I like the idea above about rags - I should keep some old t-shirts for oily garage/shop chores.

I use soft old towels or pieces of towels when I can;
if you don't have enough, you can always find them at garage sales & estate sales.

When I need to use something "throwaway", say to clean up a puppy puddle or to clean glass, I use newspaper & then compost it.

For rags, I use old flannel or old jersey knit sheets, cut up.

I also like old flannel shirts too.

Sylvia, do use the newspaper with cornstarch solutions on glass? I've always had it in my mind to try that, but then I forget until I've already cleaned it with vinegar...

so can you put shredded paper in the compoat pile too?

I rinse the kitchen sponge then pop it in the microwave for a minute. I have a drawer full of kitchen towels and dishcloths and I use rags (old towels, rags from an old flannel sheet, etc) for most other cleaning. My washing machine has a sanitize cycle, which is nice, but I did the same thing without it. I do use paper towels for some gross things though. We do use paper napkins at dinner, but I have been buying the recycled ones and composting them.

We've been trying to cut back on paper towels, too. I only use them for animal messes. I'm trying to get DW to cut back more, but it's been a tough battle so far.

hadn't heard of using cornstarch, but I'll sure try it!

One very effective way to stop family members from using paper towels is to stop buying them.

Voila!

I actually had to convert my old uncle from cloths to papertowels. He uses a pee bottle in his bedroom and used to use a cloth to catch the 'drips'. Then rather than rinse the cloth or put it to wash, he would turn on the electric heater to dry the cloth. I had to systematically remove and destroy each cloth one by one (he had an amazing collection - it took ages!) as the smell and the electricity bill were phenomenal!!!

I compost all the papertowels when I can, but he hoards them and hides them around his room and I have to race around and search every time he's out of the room to see where his latest stash is hidden and remove them before the smell gets unbearable. His favourite trick is to use the cardboard tube from the centre of the roll to stuff the paper in, interspersed with plastic biscuit wrappers (so I can't just burn or compost the whole thing) and then hide them in cupboards or the back of drawers or down the side of the mattress.

Don't you just love uncles? :-)

I use paper towels and napkins that are from recycled paper. Lightly used ones are flattened and placed in a pile on the counter where they will be used again. They have to get pretty gross before they go into the compost bucket and even then use them to wipe up a bit of mess on the floor beforehan. Even at work or elsewhere, I save the paper towels used to dry my hands and bring those home to re-use. My teenager, however, is not so diligent. :-/

Most paper products go into the compost, including those "sensitive" financial papers which will be buried in a compost pile or used as a layer in sheet composting. Others are used for assorted purposes such as ripped brown paper shopping bags to drain fried foods or newspaper to wipe out painting buckets or trays before cleaning.

I also have piles of rags and dish towels in the cupboard which are used to wash windows, dry dishes, dry clean hands, etc. These are changed regularly.

You know, tesa001, one sure way to get people to think about switching over is to conveniently run out of napkins or paper towels for a couple days... :=]

terrene: I thought I was the only one who saved paper towels at work. I always have a stack of them on my desk drying that I reuse. We're freaks, as far as most of the populace is concerned.

I have just about quit with paper towels. I bought a pack of white bar towels (60 for $10) at Sam's Club & that's what we use for almost everything in the kitchen. I removed about 20 of the & keep them folded in a drawer in the kitchen. We use them for everything from drying dishes to mopping a spill on the floor. Once a week they all go into the washer in hot water and a cup of bleach. Some may look a little dingy, but I know they're clean. When they get too soiled looking, they're moved to the outside shed so we can use them outside. I got the pack about a year ago & still have about 20 that I haven't removed yet.

And here I thought I was being really original with the "stop using so many paper towels by just keeping a large stash of cloth towels handy." A side benefit of having a stack of dishrags handy is that I don't have to worry if someone-who-shall-remain-nameless leaves the soaking wet dishcloth in the bottom of the sink and lets it get stinky... just throw the icky one in the wicker basket with the other dirty rags, and pull a clean one out of the drawer.

We still do use paper towels for doggy messes... I just can't bring myself to re-use a towel after that.

I also have some re-usable grocery bags to try and not use the plastic ones... but the trick for me on that one seems to be actually remembering to bring them to the store with me!

A few years back the FDA did come out and state that the Antibacterial/Antimicrobial soaps are no more effective than any other soap out there and the low levels of those bacteria stats in them will allow disease pathogens to develop immunities that will require stronger and stronger bacteria stats in the future. In other words using them is detrimental to our health, not helpful.

We do a mix in our house - I use dishrags and dishtowels for most things, but still use paper towels for some things. Probably the biggest use is that dh is convinced that hot dogs microwave the best if you wrap them in a paper towel, and ds is on a big (turkey) hot dog kick. I wash the dishrags in the regular laundry, and they seem to get clean enough for me. (Bleach scares me, lol) I do compost most of the paper towels, however.

I also have re-usable bags, but am still trying to get into the habit of actually remembering to bring them into the store. I had asked my sister to get me some that didn't have a store name on them, because I feel weird about bringing those to a different store, and she got me some Chico Bags. They are really cool because the fold down into a little bag, so if you only need one or two, you can have them in a pocket or a larger purse. I also saw some cool ones at Ikea, but I don't know how sturdy they are.

burra, if there's a heaven, there's a special place in it for people who lovingly look after their elders even when the elders have started doing the kinds of things your uncle is doing.

Maybe it's some comfort to know it isn't just him;
hoarding & cleanliness/hygiene problems are not uncommon when people get to the point that they need help with day-to-day things.

Bless you.

Chico bags ROCK!!!!! Lightweight, sturdy...I got them for my friends for Christmas and they love them!

Here is a link that might be useful: Chico bags

If we're talking about tote bags...I bought half a dozen of these. They are tough, hold a lot and go through the washing machine. They don't fold up all that small but that isn't an issue for me, I just keep a couple in each vehicle.

I do find it humorous that they had to add the disclaimer "contents not included" to the picture but I suppose some might think that they could get a bag full of groceries for three bucks! :-)

I guess, being made out of cotton, one could theoretically compost them at the end of their life cycle.

Lloyd

As mentioned earlier the biggest thing about reusable bags is remembering to use them. The longer I've had them the better I am about remembering to put them back in the car after unloading groc, and to bring them in the store.

Lloyd, I have composted a several %100 cotton undies as my kids grow out of them, I just remove the elastic waist band. My son ripped some %100 cotton pants the other day, he and his sister had a great time ripping them to shreds.

Perhaps your kids need a hobby. :-)

I hang the bags on the doorknob at the back door, I have to touch them to get out so I just take them to the vehicle and leave them there. The store has a BIG sign at the entrance reminding me to bring them into the store. After about a dozen times going "DOH!" I now remember to take them into the store with moi.

Lloyd

Lloyd,
I like that those bags are cotton. I bought some reusables at the grocery store. I have been thinking lately that it is ironic that all these places sell the "green" bags that seem to be made from polyester (or some man-made material)... I actually dug out some other tote bags I had as well. At least those are cotton.

I seem to remember to take them on my main grocery shopping trip but I always seem to forget them on the quick trip to WalMart etc. I keep a couple in the car, but never seem to remember to take them in.

I have been using paper towels at an alarming rate. I feel so stupid that I did not know they could be composted!

I bought some microfiber towels, and this has cut my consumption of paper towels way down, and I'll start composting the paper that doesn't have chemicals.

I really love the microfiber towels. They are great cleaners, and wash out easily.

If they are 100% cotton, you can compost those microfiber towels at the end of their life also.

LL bean has great canvas bags for groceries. You can get misprinted ones from them for real cheap. I like the huge ones; though a little tough to carry when loaded, as opposed to carrying 10+ doubled up plastic ones that hurt your hands and the earth.

ron

I noticed some old paper towels in my compost pile. Do the Bounty select a size ever completely compost? I am concerned maybe they use some sort of plasticizer or film you know how they say Bounty has more strength than most paper towels? Well the old paper towels I find in the compost pile look like a matrix with little pinholes through it and it almost seems like a cloth more than paper once it is in the pile for months. And yes my pile is a hot pile averaging 120-130 degrees.

Another concern I have with paper towels in the compost heap is that they are bleached, unless specified.I use clothe napkins most of the time.I buy them up after the holidays and when I find them marked down.I don't usually pay more than 50 cents to a dollar for them.I have a whole basket of assorted colors.They take up little space in the laundry.The dark ones go in the dark loads and the lights go in the light loads.I do use some paper napkins but that is when we eat some thing greasy like pizza.
I've cut way back on paper towels as well.Old T-shirts and clothes go to the rag bag.When I clean up a yukky mess, I just toss them.They have done their duty.Anyone can do this.Every little bit helps cut down on waste.

I recently saw an episode of "Simple Living with Wanda Urbanska" and one of her themes is that the small things do effect the big picture. As an example she suggested switching to cloth napkins vs. using all those paper ones. I thought "wow! what a revelation" I'm sooo glad to see many of you are already operating along those lines :)

My hubby and I have been using the smallest piece of PT possible and then composting it after as many reuses as we can get. We still have an unopened package from Costco the DnL bought us last year! lol But i'm definitely going to keep my eye out for cloth napkins when garage sale season starts. I like the ideo of reusing old T-shirts, etc. too as rags. DH has turned our garage into a woodshop and I'd much prefer to reuse our old clothes than have him go buy boxes of "shop rags".

As far as the reusable bags go, I have a varied assortment from previous conventions, symposiums, etc. There's always SOMEONE at these functions giving away freebies and lately I've noticed many of them give away a nice bag to carry the SWAG in :) To them it's advertising, to me it's a free handy tote that I can throw in the trunk for groceries or hauling toys or whatever. And many of them are cotton so I can compost them once I've worn them out. If you, your coworkers, friends, etc. happen to attend a weekend function be sure to ask for a tote. My mom dragged me to a convention for fabric vendors and I scored enough bags off other people who didn't really want them to have a handful in each car and few at work and some leftover to share with friends! Just gotta work the system is all lol.

btw, composters are awesome folk!

"Another concern I have with paper towels in the compost heap is that they are bleached"

I'm not sure I understand the problem. The paper was bleached, but the bleach is long gone, isn't it?

I don't buy papertowels, I find them to be so wasteful. We use my daughters old cloth diapers, old hand towels, my husbands old t-shirts and more recently Sham-Wow! :)

Regarding those plastic grocery bags, if your local grocery doens't recycle them, contact your local foodbank. I save mine and mail them to my aunt once a quarter, for her to use at the foodbank that she runs.

I just can't compost paper.

We use 8" by 8" terry cotton towels meant to be used as diaper wipes. They're available at online cloth diaper shops or in the baby section of stores. The size is great. A crafty person could make them from thrifted towels and a zig-zag stitch or serger. We have a drawer full in the kitchen and one in the dining room. When we're done with one we toss it in a towel laundry basket in a cabinet. If it's wet, we hang it on the edge of the basket and toss it in when it's dry. After getting used to them, paper towels just don't "work" for me any more. They aren't as absorbent and useful. If it's a small spill, I can ring it out and use it again, etc... It's just better all around and if you have enough, it's perfectly sanitary for people who are into avoiding those germs I keep hearing about. (Usually from someone with something to sell...)

The best part is seeing people panic when they can't find the paper towels...

What about bacon? How do you drain the fat out of cooked bacon? Do you use the cotton towels? Doesn't the towels get stained?

Maybe I'm the only one with the occasional bad habit of eating bacon.

fiwit, my grocery store recycles platic bags, and I often see people bringing them in. I called our garbage company, and they reluctanctly said that they recycle plastic bags, so I toss them in with my aluminum cans, etc. They said the bags get caught in the machines, so "they" don't like to compost them, so I am not too confident that they are being recycled in the right way. I might just bring them into the store from now on.

Thank You,
Cathy

A brown paper bag is great for draining bacon:)

Even if the bleach in paper towels is long gone when you buy it, the bleaching process pollutes the environment -- it creates dioxin, which is a very toxic and persistent substance. So we all are affected by it. It's totally unnecessary to bleach paper for these purposes, it's only done for looks.

And I also want to agree about the use of antibacterial soap. All you're doing is adding more antibiotics to the water and soil, which in turn creates "superbugs." So, ironically, by using them you're actually increasing the chances that you'll be sickened by bacteria.

Far, far, far better than recycling plastic bags is not accepting them in the first place. I bet I haven't accepted 5 plastic bags in the last 6 or 7 years, but I never run out of them, because they are constantly imposed on me. People bring me things in plastic bags. I mention this because people always justify their acceptance of plastic bags on the grounds that they reuse them. I believe that no one need ever fear not having a plastic bag to line their trash cans with. For instance, yesterday a neighbor brought me a bunch of egg crates in a plastic bag. The day before, a neighbor brought me a Lo Mein dinner, to thank me for some eggs, in a plastic bag. Someone recently returned a tupperware container to me in a plastic bag, which I thought was a tad redundant.

My garbage can bags come from the OPBL that I collect each fall.

I try not to be too judgemental, but it's all I can do when I see a clerk put a plastic quart of milk with a handle on it into a plastic bag (with a handle on it). I make an effort regarding plastic bags because the sight of them along the road when I'm driving, or the sight of them in the water when I'm kayaking, upsets me.

So, when I and a bunch of former Garden Webbers were in a state park in Frederick, Maryland two years ago and had gone on a liquor/food run, I, typically, declined bags for my purchases. My dear, dear friend of eight years, whom I had just met the night before, Hayseedman, was behind me in line with a deck of cards he was buying. I heard him say, "Could you double bag those, please?" I whipped my head around to find the damn fool grinning at me.

Use washclothes. You can put them in a baby wipe container with dishsoap and water already in them each day if you like along with some dry ones - you can use a pack of cheap cotton ones from Target or Big Lots or even used cut up T's or old towels that have torn. I too have tried to reduce the garage going out. I even have little cloth sacks for veggies I take to the store that I made out of cheesecloth towels I got somewhere. That way I don't have a million bags for each fresh veggie either. I use tupperware for the kids lunches and a refillable container for fluids (my kid is only allowed milk or water anyhow). I even use cloth diapers and a service so I don't have to wash them over and over (because HE washers = not as clean - sorry it is TRUE) Another way of shopping smart is to use a large container at the store in your cart for things that are bulky or heavy - just put it in your car filled with the cloth bags too and that way you can just put it in your cart and fill it up! HTH

What I used to do because I was cheap (cloth napkins, old t-shirts/rags instead of paper towels, etc) I do now because I'm "environmentally conscious") I do admit to accepting plastic bags now & again for the cat poop.

Annpat - too funny! I wish I could meet up with fellow Garden Webbers. Sounds awesome.

Kim

That was a funny story about Hayseedman.

Water under the bridge now but I was rereading this thread and someone said they don't use bleached paper because the process creates dioxin. It's probably still true to some extent, but I just read an EPA fact sheet from 1990 that said that at that time one out of 6 pulp mills actually used chlorine bleaching. Hopefully that is even less by now, but I couldn't find squat as far as updated info on EPA's site.

For the record I'm in complete agreement we don't need to bleach paper towels, napkins, and toilet tissue (for Pete's sake!). I would even buy unbleached if the stores around here carried it. I just don't want everyone thinking there's dioxin spewing out of everywhere.