oh......thank you all! i'm not crazy after all! one of my caregivers goes through a roll a day because she uses them exclusively to dry her hands! i used them for the same reasons you all listed above and a roll lasted forever. i have spoken with her and even resorted to hiding them.....she found them and used them like crazy all weekend. it doesn't help that ske is germaphobic and washes her hands 50 times a day! i just wondered if i was odd because i never used them for drying my hands...now i feel normal. thanks for the warm welcome.

See if you could have her bring her own paper towels. Stop having them at all, an annoyance of course, but then she will have to get some if they are that necessary to her.

I agree, I just wouldn't buy any for a while, let her bring her own if she's that germophobic. I'd think her hands would be sore, maybe she should looking into the hand sanitizer, no drying needed?

Annie

I do use paper towels for some of the reasons given above. Hardly ever use them to dry my hands....no, wait, make that NEVER use them to dry my hands! Kitchen linen or terry towels are for drying your hands - except at your job or in a public place where they have paper towels for hand drying.

What if you bought a few colorful terry hand towels and hung them very close to the sink, then do a little demo (jokingly) that "these pretty, soft towels here are for hand drying - and the paper towels are going away for a while!" Once you have "trained" her to use the hand towels you can decide if you will put out the paper towels again or not.

I know a nice lady who even travels with her own supply of paper towels because she uses them for everything and doesn't want to be without. I think this is a thoughtful consideration of her host/hostess when she goes to visit anyone. (And NO, it is not me!)

Teresa

Drying your hands is a kind of silly and wasteful use of a paper towel, unless maybe you're in a public restroom, but even there they are phasing them out, I imagine due to the messes people make with them. I have a large collection of hand towels, I wash them every couple of days so they are always clean. Works for me! I have a small decorative basket in the dining room (next to my tiny, tiny kitchen) where I put dirty napkins, wash up cloths, drying towels, and hand towels. Whenever I am on my way by there with a load of laundry I add them to it. I only use paper towels for draining fried foods and for greasing pans for baking. I use old newspaper to soak up grease. I buy special shammy cloths for cleaning glass.

I use paper towels for most of the purposes mentioned above, but also for drying my hands. I have a pretty hand towel that matches my potholders and curtains, but I don't like to use it much because it would fade with too many washings. I wish I had bought a dozen of them.

After using paper towels for hand drying (or other "clean" uses), I don't throw them away; I keep them in a certain spot on the counter, near the roll of pt, for re-use. If they're very wet, I may drape them over the side of the dish drying rack for a while. If they're no longer perfectly clean, I "demote" them to clean-up duties or to catching onion skins or potato peelings when I cook dinner. I don't throw them away till they're dirty or in tatters.

Sue

Hi, and welcome! Your post brings to mind my SIL who also is germaphobic. She dries her DISHES with paper towels! Also keeps "decorator" paper napkins in her bathrooms for people to dry hands on.

I've never used her master bath. I wonder if they dry themselves on paper towels after they shower???

No sponges, no dishclothes or towels in her kitchen. It's weird. I have tons of dishcloths and dishtowels. I use a clean one each morning and just do laundry on a regular basis.

seagrass

I agree. It's pretty wasteful to use them for hand drying, particularly if that is happening so often. I dry my hands on my kitchen towels.

I know what you mean, Sue, about the towels wearing out. When I remodeled my kitchen, I found a towel I really liked. I bought a ton of them. Plus I have several different ones that were given to me as gifts. I figure by the time I wear all those towels out, I'll be ready for a new look anyway.

In the long run, buying a few dozen kitchen towels is going to cost less than using a roll of paper towels a day. I'd probably go the route of just not buying them anymore till she either brings her own or gets the idea that cloth towels are to be used.

So, is she also using paper towels to dry her hands in the bathroom? Or just in the kitchen?

I had a chance to visit one of the largest paper pulp makers in Alabama. I saw endless huge tractor trailers with trees 24/7 none stop going into the factory.

Few people are aware of the fact that:

"------The pulp and paper industry is the single largest consumer of water used in industrial activities and is the third greatest industrial greenhouse gas emitter, after the chemical and steel industries. However, the The State of the Paper Industry says it's a little better noting that the paper industry is the 4th largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions among United States manufacturing industries, (contributing 9% of the manufacturing sector�s carbon emissions). -----"

I use very few paper towels. I use them for guests in the bathrooms, and to catch fat when making bacon.
I bought 50 14" x 14" cotton shop towels from HD, they are much better than paper towels. They are very convenient and last forever. When they get a little dirty, I just rinse them in the sink, and microwave them dry. When they get too greasy, they go into the clothes washer.

I also use paper towels to start seeds.

dcarch

I basically don't use paper towels, but use bar towels or microfiber towels instead, as well as some plain old "rags" (squares cut from old clothing, worn out towels, etc.) that are considered disposable if the job they are used for makes them too nasty to wash. In the kitchen we keep two towels out, red ones are used for hands and blue used for dishes and they are changed each day.

When only "paper" will do (a dropped egg, or something really icky), I keep a stack of paper napkins purloined from eateries for the task. Newspapers could also be used, but we don't subscribe to one. We dine occasionally at a place that sets a pile of additional napkins on the table and I stick the extras in my purse and take them home rather than see them tossed in the trash. Last week we drove through McDonald's and got an ice cream cone and they handed us 20 napkins - we used one between us and added the others to the stash.

-Grainlady

I use them mainly for draining bacon and for cleaning my granite counter tops, although I use a squeegee on the granite first. I also use them pretty much as LindaC does, except that I do not have a dog. I will also use them when doing a watercolor painting, but I haven't done one of those in a while. Definitely never for drying hands!

Lars

i think i will print this page to show her! the other strange thing she does, at least to me, is washing dishes by squirting the cloth with the liquid and holding the dish under the running water. i asked her if she ever ran a sink full of water which is how i always did it, and she said it was unsanitary to was dishes in dirty water.....

We don't use them very often. Sometimes for spills that might stain my kitchen towels (meat juices, fruit juice), but mostly I use them for patting dry fish and meats before searing.

Jae, I wash my dishes that way, at least everything that doesn't go in the dishwasher.
But on another note, if you are dependent upon her, I would go with HER flow. Does it really matter that much?
Think about how she could passively/aggressively retaliate any criticisms or corrections.
I am so sorry you are in this position, a place none of us ever want to be, yet it does happen and I say this with as much compassion as I have, don't rock the boat over small stuff!

bumblebeez........you brought up some good points. i don't believe she would take any chances of losing her job because of many strange circumstances in her life. but, having said that, why take a chance over dish soap and paper towels. i can just not buy towels and that will give me some feeling of victory......lol. i think i am bothered about stuff like this because of my situation and loss of control over much of my life........or, i've just grown into a grouchy old woman..lol! (i tried to use a different word but gw won't let me!)

I use paper towels for whatever use I have for them, including drying my hands, napkin replacement (for which I normally tear them into fourths), blowing my nose (1/4-1/2), wiping sweat, cleaning and more. I'll often reuse a towel used for drying my hands, sometimes for another drying or more likely used for a dirtier job. I don't go through a roll a day though, nowhere near that in fact. There's a time and place for cloth and there's a time and place for paper. I also use different grades (which also means prices) of paper towels for different jobs. I occasionally find some super cheap towels, stock up on them, but also keep some better quality ones and usually I like to get the "Select-A-Size" type when they're cheap enough since it's easier to use 1/2 towel. 1/2 of a good paper towel will dry my hands. Super cheap ones take 1-2 towels. And I will use extra restaurant napkins in the vehicle or by my chair.

Not to defend her but I've been in places where I would definitely *not* want to use the cloth towels available. When they're clearly not changed daily or more often as they *should*, but are out for days or weeks on end. That's filthy. And in a caregiving situation, I likely would wash my hands quite frequently too. This isn't an insult to you, as I'm sure your home is quite clean but not all will be and if I were in that position I wouldn't jeopardize my health and the health of people close to me for this. I recall dealing with the health department people who absolutely forbade using reusable towels in the kitchen, food prep and cleaning areas. Disposable, single use towels were specified and if they weren't right next to the sink you were written up. My point is before jumping to conclusions, maybe try asking a few more questions and see if there's something rational, or if she's a nutcase.

And after having made a concerted effort to wash my hands more frequently over the past couple decades has been coupled with far less colds and flu is basically non-existent. Can I say that's done it? No, but medical experts have stated repeatedly that washing your hands does more to prevent flu than a flu shot. Sanitizer is, well, OK to augment on occasion but it's not a substitution for handwashing. Although you might consider seeing if she's amenable to a jug of sanitizer on the counter for at least part of her sanitation concerns. Another option is some gloves, disposable or otherwise.

Sounds like you should consider parting ways with this person. I'm not going to say either is 100% right or wrong but just two different ways of viewing and doing things, though I do think she's over-reacting a bit. Especially the running water for washing dishes. Now, in fairness, I will say there's times I wash an item in that manner since it's unusually dirty but not all the time. And there's times I"ll change the wash, well more accurately, soak water for the final washing. Sometimes I'll partially fill the sink to rinse dishes too but more often I do have the water run, usually try to turn it on and off though to conserve some water.

I suppose you could lock up the paper towels but that will likely cause some issues. I wonder if she would resort to using toilet paper if paper towels aren't available? I don't know what your relationship is with her but you could just say if she's going to use that many she has to bring her own. Do you have any say on this person? You will *not* change her, that's pretty apparent. And it's not worth stressing over it IMO and it sounds like you do. You could check with her supervisor and see if any of this is a requirement. I would ask her if she washes her clothes in this same manner since it's "unsanitary" to wash clothes in dirty water too, isn't it? Otherwise a stack of cloth towels put out for her and instructions given to use them and put in the hamper for washing.

And if you want to feed the flames a bit... technically, isn't using the same dishcloth on multiple dishes "unsanitary" too? :)

Good luck.

Jae_TN

WELCOME! So nice to see you posting :-)

I don't have a lot to add - all of the reasons I use paper towels have already been mentioned: draining bacon, patting meat dry, wiping up really icky stuff, draining fruits and veggies (and then catching the peels, cores in them before they hit the compost pile), etc.

Hope to see you posting more often

Alexa

I know someone who is a germaphobe that has them hanging in her bathrooms. She has no towel racks, just a paper towel rolls.

cynic......thanks for your detailed response. all i can say is that my house is as clean as she and the weekday caregiver make it! if she's wary about dirt here then it's her job to clean it....lol. seriously, i think she is pretty close to being a nutcase. there is much going on in her life and a past that was ingrained in her by her mother and passed down to her own children. there is no agency since she works directly for me and has for about 2 years. it's just been recently that her habits have become so odd or i was able to ignore previously. in either case, everyone here has validated that her use of paper towels is not the norm and not just my feelings. thanks to everybody for the responses.

If she is that 'germaphobic'.
She probably won't cotton to using cloth towels.
Unless, of course, she can have a clean one,
dedicated for her use only,
Each day she is there.

Cynic, that was a VERY well written
and intelligent response!
It makes total sense.

Rusty

If she were a good "care giver" she would accede to your wishes....which are surely not unreasonable.
I agree.....she's a nut case! Coo coo bird! Seems to have an Ophelia complex.....ask her what it is she's washing away? LOL!
Linda C

Well CLEARLY she and I are in the minority here. I use towels to dry things that are supposedly clean, but seeing damp, dirty towels hanging around breeding gosh knows what while they wait to be used to "clean" something else... well that just gives me the willies!

Which is why I go through about 6 dishtowels a day.

I like the idea of using gloves. If you get a good quality pair that can be slipped on and off easily, she might get used to using them. They would keep her hands dry -thus no need for paper towels.

Cynic - I enjoyed your post. If you are concerned about water waste with turning the faucet on and off, you might take a look at the Delta faucet that turns on and off by using the back of your hand anywhere along the faucet. I find it especially useful when my hands are yucky from handling raw chicken, etc. I don't have to reach across the sink to touch the handle. Just touch the faucet with one finger or the back of your hand - the water flows. Touch it again - the water stops. That's one of the greatest inventions that I'm happiest with when I remodled the kitchen a couple years ago.

-Gloria

just a bit more info about her which is 180 degrees from her fear of germs, etc., she's 43, 300 lbs, smokes like a chimney, has already had a heart attack, eats junk food all day long, is sick more than anyone i know.......and fears germs..? she has access to many clean cloth towels and has no problem using them when there have been occasions that i haven't had paper for her. i just wondered if it was common for others to use paper towels in that manner. i guess i am right in suspecting that isn't the case.

Welcome Jae, and please continue to post. Even if you can no longer cook I'm sure you have good info to share.
I buy two types of paper towels, a really inexpensive roll to leave in the bathroom to wipe around the sink after it is used and water is splattered, and a very good roll for the kitchen. Those are what I consider expensive and I only use them when I really need them, many of which uses have already been explained here. I have dish towels, dish cloths, and a pile of clean, machine washed "rags" I use for many things instead of a paper towell. So a roll lasts me a while because I am frugal.

I'm wondering if the lady in question has (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder? She definitely has a problem of some kind and needs treatment. I had a lady who came to clean my house weekly for a while and she was fond of using paper towels for nearly everything. I finally put them under lock and key. There was always a pile of fresh clean "rags" for her to clean with so there was no need to go thru roll after roll of paper towels.

As far as constantly washing one's hands, doctors say that this is exactly the wrong thing to do because we need a certain amount of bacteria on our person in order to build up an immunity where we won't succumb to every little illness that comes along. I have read this time and time again. Sure we must wash our produce and fruits, keep clean linens, wash our hands before we eat and after going to the rest room. Much more than that is a lot of nonsense and if you don't believe it ask your doctor. Doctors also say that washing with bacterial soap does no more good than washing well in regular soap.

I would tell her the maximum use of paper towels at my house was 1 roll a week and other than that she can bring her own. If she was immature enough to retaliate in any way I would probably say good riddance because she doesn't sound exactly like a jewel anyway. There are too many people who do not smoke and eat junk food all day who need a job.

FOAS, I don't leave dity towels hanging around the kitchen. My washer and dryer is right on the west side of the kitchen, in a little "bump out" addition that has the garage on the other side, so I just toss wet or dirty towels into the washer. Like bumblebeez, I go through several in a day of cooking. Since I work all day, I go usually through one at night while I'm in the kitchen, but on weekends, I'll go through several.

On the germ thing, my old doc said we are "sanitizing ourselves sick" and that we need to be exposed to germs to keep our body's immune system strong. There are definitely times when we need to wash our hands, like before food preparation, after sneezing or coughing, if we are sick or are caring for someone who is, etc. However, I use almost no disposables/paper towels, I don't use hand sanitizer and I don't wash my hands constantly. I did get H1N1 last year because Ashley was working in the hospital and had a sick kid throw up on her and I washed the scrubs. I also washed my hands and my clothes, but it didn't help, apparently. I haven't had a cold in longer than I can remember and that's my only case of flu in at least a decade, I'm sick less than anyone I know.

So, I think this person is doing her health more harm than good, although given the description I'm kind of puzzled about her worrying about germs unless she truly is suffering a mental disorder in which case she needs help.

Annie

Beverly:
I learned about the Bacterial thing in the Fifties.
My wife was a Lysol Nut,
until the Doctor told her the same thing.

The kids were always getting sick. She quit using Lysol.

DCarch:
I didn't know that about the wood pulp.

I use the least amount of paper towels as possible and reuse them as some others do, if they are clean.

Keep a couple folded near the sink for water spills but leave them dry out.

I use half a towel for Bacon, etc.

I do use my share of paper towels but do not waste them.
Use cloth towels, also
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

When my DDs come up, the paper towels dissapear.
They will pull out 3 sheets at a time for small teaspoon size spills.

I tell them when the roll gets small enough, I'm going to shove it down your throat.

Their logical answer is " Dad, Paper towels are so cheap "

My answer is
" if 320,000,000 people used 6 sheets less in one day,
it would add up to a lot of trees, in 1 year"

They even ask why I rip a towel in half.
Right after that , when I visted them , they had a roll of half size sheets.

Jae_tn

" Sometimes, You cannot teach a new dog , old tricks ".

Lou, said that.
***********************
You have a lot of answers. Wish I could be of help.

Maybe you could make her an offer she can not refuse !!!

Happy Easter

Count me as one of the weird ones! I don't have any towels, rags or sponges in my kitchen. We use only paper towels. I wash dishes the same way as the caregiver --- using fresh, clean water to run over them. I don't wash my dishes in dirty water.

About the use of sanitizer .... The physician that is Chief of Infectious Disease at our hospital is also the father-in-law of a former teacher of my children. He used to supply her with sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer for her classroom. She also had a child each week that was appointed "classroom sanitizer". That child was in charge of cleaning all surfaces, making sure everyone washed before lunch, and making sure everyone had the opportunity to use the sanitizer before lunch. These were his recommendations.

you are right lou! i don't think she is ocd nor truly has a mental disorder sue. the hand washing is the only weird "habit" and it's only done to protect her from other's germs, not her germs from affecting others...thus she has given me a cold twice! her behavior is not that of someone truly with mental problems (otherwise she wouldn't be here) rather than a bad lifestyle and decision making about how she lives her life and has raised, or not raised, her children. all of which has nothing to do with the towel issue. she told me her 84 yr old mother will not eat potato chips from a bag that someone, including her family of germafobe adult children, has put their hand in! they all shake chips onto........guess what.......a paper towel!

In biology lab my students take samples of things for bacteria. You would be surprised where the most germs are. Not a whole lot of difference between hands washed with anti-bacterial soap and just regular old soap. The toilets had some of the least amount of germs, since they were washed frequently. I'll bet in our lives, our cell phones, computers and desks are some of the germiest (is that a word??!!) places. I know when we did the testing, the communal drinking fountain and telephones were the WORST offenders, along with the lab tables. Damp towels that don't get washed often could breed germs, but like most cloth towel users, I have a ton of them and change them frequently. Besides, like some have mentioned, unless you have some illness that compromises your immune system, the body is adapted to deal with quite a large load of bacteria, and many bacteria are actually helpful, so constant sanitizing isn't needed. It is far better to clean frequently with gentle cleaners made from natural substances. As for the paper towel issue, it is probably just her "thing" and it is probably a long ingrained habit that she clings to and isn't about to change. Some people are flexible in their habits and some are not. If she isn't flexible, then no amount of reason will change her. I would imagine with caregivers, really good ones are hard to find, so maybe better the devil you know.

"maybe better the devil you know"....AMEN! at least she takes pretty good care of me........just some weird attributes that i don't understand. of course, she probably finds some stuff that i do, or ask her to do, strange also...lol.

And one of the germiest things in the world, and we all handle it - money.

I don't have a sponge in my house. They definitely harbor far too much bacteria. I would know not to pick it up when it had not been sanitized. However when others are in my house, they might not. Just easier not to use them.

We don't share chip bags or bags of popcorn either. When at the movie theater, we each have our own bag (I order the large, and bring bags from home to divide it up between all of us). We don't share drinks either --- even among family members (except for with my husband).

Welcome to the forum jae! I use them for some things like others mentioned above. For the most part I just use dish towels and wash them. I put out clean ones before going to bed. If I'm doing major cooking or baking I can go through several in a day.

I have to agree that we are sanitizing ourselves way too much these days. Not knocking anyone who does it but it has never been a huge concern for me. Like Annie and some mentioned I can't remember the last time I had the flu or a major cold. Maybe it's in my families genes? I don't always agree with the food police/goverment either. LOL : )

Hope to see you posting and sharing here in the furture.

David

Ok, I don't want to come across as judgmental or condescending, but I'm genuinely curious:

For those of you who use paper towels for nearly everything and/or leave water running to wash dishes...do you ever think about the resources you're using?

Is it a habit that you don't think about, or do you consider germs a big enough danger that it's a worthwhile trade-off?

It's like being an ant trying to move a galaxy Jessica. I really don't think my not running water for three more minutes is going to make one iota of difference compared to the excesses of big business and the practices of most countries.

I very, very rarely hand wash any dishes --- everything goes in my dishwasher, and I don't run it unless it is full. Water to wash the numerous towels I would use is also a depletion of resources.

jessicaml - I take no offense. I've often wondered about the environmental implications of using so many paper towels. (Granted, I will ONLY buy select-a-size and even then it often takes three to four tears for a sheet to be used up.) But this discussion has me wondering what I've wondered before:

You spill a persishable item and wipe it up with your towel. What do you do next? Throw it in the hamper or rinse it with plenty of hot water and soap? Are there other alternatives for someone who will not wipe their counters with a cloth that was used to wipe up raw ground meat a half hour ago?

I can literally watch the oil level go down over a weekend of laundry, and the electricity might be "clean" in my house but it's certainly not clean at the plant where it's produced.

So what's more environmentally friendly? I'm willing to change my ways if it's the green thing to do, as long as I can have relatively streak-free (read: not dirty) glasses, dishes and counters while using towels. Enlighten me!

What an extremely interesting topic. i rarely use paper towels, draining bacon that I cook infrequently, is my main use. A roll will last for months at my house. I don't use paper napkins or paper plates anymore either. foodonastump, this is what I do in place of paper towels for spills. I knit lots of cotton dishcloths of various sizes. If I have a "bad" spill to wipe up, I use one of those and toss into hamper that is dedicated to kitchen cloths. When I have a load of kitchen cloths, both towels,dishcloths, and napkins, I run through the wash with hot water and detergent. When they are no longer serviceable I toss.
My main reasons for trying to go "paperless" were the environmental factor and of course paper products are not cheap. At least the kinds that hold up for any kind of use.
My biggest concern environmentally and health wise now is the excessive use of plastics in our lives. While I just don't think we can get away from them, I no longer buy bottled water or single serve one use products. If I luck out and find a product packaged in something other than plastic, I will buy it. It is getting harder and harder to find them though. But I digress from the original purpose of this posting.....sigh So many issues face humankind these days.

murphy, I agree on the bottled water. Ice Mountain is pumping it out of the ground about 5 miles from the farm, putting it in bottles and selling it back to us and some are actually buying it. Plus adding all those bottles to the landfills, costing in shipping and packaging, etc. My water here in town is awful, so I bought a filter to go on the faucet, and I have a stainless steel water bottle which I fill daily and take to work. I have occasionally bought bottled water when on a road trip.

I have a single sink, not a double one, so most of my dishes get washed in the dishwasher, and it gets run when it's full.

As I mentioned, my washer is just about right in the kitchen. Since I don't have kids, I wash about two loads of laundry a week, so I rinse my towels in hot water and toss them into the washer in lieu of a hamper/basket. I'd never reuse a towel that I used to wipe up meat juice, or something off the floor, etc. My washer has a "low" setting, which I pretty much use all the time, so when I get "enough", I run a load of towels with hot water and bleach.

The environmental issue is important to me, of course, but I'm mostly cheap. I seldom use plastic wrap either, I have containers with lids. I read an article today about 5 things people could do completely without, and it included paper towels, plastic wrap and aluminum foil.

And no, the little bit I do makes little difference. But if 1,000 of us do that little bit, it's more and the benefit increases with each little bit. Someone a lot smarter than me said "think globally, act locally", and so I try to do that.

Annie

Although it's getting OT I too think this is bringing up some interesting discussion.

Before going off, I'll comment on: Definitely better the devil you know. So many are poor workers, thieves or worse so if it's a small issue then probably better to do little or nothing but the whole point I tried to make before is if it's a big thing to you Jae_tn, then for your sake, something should be done. And BTW, glad to see you posting - I remember seeing you around the forums! Hope things are well with you.

Now for the off stuff! I guess being normally pretty moderate leaning in most things, pragmatic on virtually all and try to be guided by common sense and other values of "Cynics", I know that it's good for the world to try to conserve resources but there's practical times when it makes more sense to do things for my benefit. I use a water filter on the kitchen sink but also I buy bottled water and won't hang my head doing it. Fiscally it's responsible for me since I buy it for anywhere from $1.50-$2.50 per case of 24. I also try not to exaggerate things. The water I buy is *not* simply "tap" water from someplace. It is filtered, sometimes I buy spring water. I do not buy much in the way of soft drinks, though I have been getting hooked on the iced tea from Aldi. The bottles are convenient to take with me and I don't buy drinks when I'm out, even if I go through a drive-through for eating. One saved can or bottle pop purchase pays for about 1-2 months of bottled water. Good tradeoff for me. Plus with physical limitations, it's not as easy as for most to just "get up and go to the sink". And BTW, I recycle all of the bottles so they're not going into the landfills as so many try to say too. Please don't blame the bottles when people won't recycle them!

I sometimes use cloth, sometimes paper, for cleanup. I use CFLs for nearly all of my lighting and bought LED lights for Xmas decorating. I do not buy or use disposable diapers. Now these are *not* recyclable and they *do* all go into the landfills! What a waste of resources in so many ways! I could see using them on occasion, similar to using cloth and paper cleaning items but diapers are a big peeve of mine, especially when someone complains about resources. Many are quite hypocritical there IMO.

I don't do 20 loads of laundry a week. I'm willing to wear something more than a few hours. Heck, if I'm just sitting around I'll wear the same shirt and pants for a couple days. I'm not a surgeon needing to change gowns after each operation. I don't need to shower 2-3 times a day most of the time. And I don't have to marinate myself in colognes and sprays to keep myself from offending peoples' olfactory systems. I'm quite proficient at offending people in other ways! :D

Along with money, keyboards, phones, steering wheels, doorknobs, TV remote controls are all grubby. Period. Few people, admittedly myself included, clean them often enough though I've always had a thing about a dirty phone. That's where I approach "OC". People also seldom realize some of the filthiest parts of the body are eyes and ears. People wipe them all the time and (shudder), well you could probably be better off bacteria-wise to scratch your butt!

I like to use tongs or scoops for things when multiple people will access it. I keep sanitizer by the computer if I am going to eat by it. I keep some sanitizer in the vehicle too but I don't use it all that often. I know what it did to Howie Mandel, but that was his own OC that got him into trouble. Misusing things isn't the responsibility of the product.

And also I'll use certain resources but I also contribute in other ways too. I use reuseable bags at the stores often, but not always and never for drippy meat. I have planted literally hundreds of trees, and saved trees on properties which helps clean the air, save moisture, promote wildlife and other things. I don't use tons of fertilizer & weed sprays. I think an occasional dandelion is just fine. And I haven't run a sprinkler on my lawn in 20 years. Rain and snow wash my vehicles. So if I use a paper plate or two, and enjoy the convenience and savings of a bottle of water I'm able to sleep at night!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a sandwich and a salad (from a plastic bag) put it on a paper plate, grab 1/2 a paper towel and have my din-din! :D

bumblebeez - I see where you're coming from. I was recently at a big franchise buyers market and was appalled at all the waste. Not to mention the overstock merchandise that big box stores like Home Depot and Walmart buy just to always be in stock, then throw away because it's more cost effective than training customers to buy cheap. I certainly questioned for a moment whether my time spent recycling, composting, line drying laundry, and monitoring water and energy use was worth it in the face of such excess.

dlynn - I agree that it's hard to find a balance on what resources to focus on, and it may vary by lifestyle. For only myself and my husband, I don't find myself using so many towels that it adds additional loads of laundry, but if I were home more or had children...or perhaps even a higher standard of cleanliness...I suppose that could change.

Like Annie said so eloquently, I try to do my insignificant part in many areas with the hope that lots of us doing so will add up to something that's worthwhile.

Thanks for entertaining my question, everyone!

Sorry for hijacking your thread, Jae! Sounds like you're coming to a good compromise.

jae_tn :

See what you started !!! I love it.

We brought up all the problems of the Universe.
Did not solve anything but " what else is new "

I can-t go back over, all the threads.

Someone mentioned " Common Sense "
That may be the Key.
There is not much of that going around today.

Cynic:
You forgot to mention the nose.

I was doing a job at a Florist Shop.
It was on a corner, that had Traffic Signals.
The owner asked me to observe the people who stop,
at the Red Light.
You would be surprised at who and how many would be picking.
Mostly the best dressed, in the best auto-s
I could not believe this.

The owner laughed and said " believe it ".
*********************************************

Another sure treatment for Germs , is a Plastic Bag.

Put one over your head and tie it very tight around your neck, so the Germs can not get in.

If you can do this for 15 minutes, you will not have to worry about germs again. LOL !!!

Do kids still kiss a piece of candy or cake, up to God,
that has fallen on the ground.

Just brush it off and it is good as new.

Happy Easter, again

LOU

i'm enjoying the conversation! the subject of my original post has been here since noon yesterday and has about 2 towels to go until the roll is empty.....was about 2/3 on it when she arrived. there are no more so she has to suffer until monday morning. haven't broached the subject.....yet. she helped me clean the garage tonight where she told me that she had no interest in recycling anything......really? i live in an area that requires us to take trash and recyclables to a dump station. she has always taken them by herself until last week when i happened to be with her. she tried to throw the bags of household trash in the wrong container, because it was physically easier for her, and tried to throw cardboard in a container marked clearly "no cardboard" and was offended when i made her take it to the recycle container. thank goodness there are conscientious people like you all here that counter balance slobs like her! i can feel some changes in the future around here....

Okay, I've read this thread with interest, but to get completely off topic, I'm still stuck on the smoking thing. Jae, I sure hope she doesn't smoke in your house.

I'm probably opposite of a germ phobe. I have better things to worry about than germs. I go through a roll of paper towels in about 6 months to a year. I do use them sometimes to clean up cat messes, but usually I just find a dirty rag to do the job, or use toilet paper. (Which, I know, is paper. Thats the only paper product I use strictly - I can't imagine doing otherwise, lol.) I use cloth napkins, rags and towels, of course. I cut up old tee-shirts into strips to tie up tomatoes, or whatever. I use my own shopping bags. I use empty kitty litter bags for trash bags. I do use aluminum to wrap up the bread I bake, but I'd love to get a bread box, or some other storage device for bread that's re-usable. I re-use aluminum foil and parchment paper (Okay, I forgot about using parchment paper for baking) over and and over again until it's too worn out to re-use again.

What I am a fanatic about is consuming as few products or resources as possible. I buy second hand clothes, except shoes. I carry a glass of water with me in the car. When traveling, I even go into convenience stores and refill my water glass from the water tap in their drink dispensers. Yes, I guess there's germs involved, but the rim of my glass touches nothing. The water is free. I did recently buy gallons of bottled water when the well at our place in Tahlequah had to be bleached, but that was an exception.

All the disposable stuff that's pushed on us drives me crazy. There's supposed to be a "green" movement where people are more mindful of the environment. The only green I think people are mindful of is money. Companies make money off of everyone that uses disposable everything.

Sally

sally.....don't worry! she is banished to the outside to smoke and must spray herself with air freshener before coming inside. she doesn't like it but, oh well! she tells me that others tell her she doesn't smell like an ashtray.....yeah, right! thanks for the concern.

I use them with warm water to clean my grandson's bottom and then to dry it. They're so much gentler than baby wipes if there is any soreness or rash.

I'm sorry that you are in a position that makes you rely on others for day to day care. When a person loses the ability to manage on their own it is certainly a difficult situation.

I know that I may be missing the whole point of the original post, but one thing I do know is that it can be quite difficult to find good, caring and capable caregivers. If she is good in other respects then perhaps it might be to your benefit to continue to overlook some of her quirks and foibles. It is probably to your benefit to have someone overly clean rather than the opposite.

It might be easier to think of that roll of paper towels as her daily bonus in addition to her salary.

Keep smiling and good luck.