"I'm back baby"!
If you do not watch Futurama, I am sorry for that reference, if you do high five!
A quick recap:
I am Sallie.
Even though I try really really hard my sewing machine and I have a love/hate relationship.
I am a big fan of simple projects that pack a big punch.
I have been trying for several years to rid our house of paper towels or at least cut down drastically on the amount we use. We use cloth kitchen towels as napkins but still have
a paper towel roll around for spills and messes. I never wanted to cross contaminate
the napkins (for hands and faces) with the chicken juice towel (ick), so I never used
the kitchen towels for spills. Now with a toddler running around I feel like I go
through a roll of paper towels a day, that may be a slight exaggeration.
Here is my solution to the paper towel conundrum.
Paper Towel Substitute
If you do not watch Futurama, I am sorry for that reference, if you do high five!
A quick recap:
I am Sallie.
Even though I try really really hard my sewing machine and I have a love/hate relationship.
I am a big fan of simple projects that pack a big punch.
I have been trying for several years to rid our house of paper towels or at least cut down drastically on the amount we use. We use cloth kitchen towels as napkins but still have
a paper towel roll around for spills and messes. I never wanted to cross contaminate
the napkins (for hands and faces) with the chicken juice towel (ick), so I never used
the kitchen towels for spills. Now with a toddler running around I feel like I go
through a roll of paper towels a day, that may be a slight exaggeration.
Here is my solution to the paper towel conundrum.
Paper Towel Substitute
What you will need:
Paper towel holder - I used our existing one
Paint Roller/Stiff cardboard tube
Micro Fiber cloths
Velcro
Sewing machine/thread
I purchased a couple of three packs of micro fiber cloths from Lowe's for about $4.00 each.
I also used some Trader Joe's Kitchen Cloths, they were about $3.00 for two.
Both of these absorb a ton of liquid and can be thrown in the washing machine and dryer, however they should only be dried on low heat.
The paint roll fits snuggly onto my paper towel holder, it is too tight to spin but still works fine. An alternative would be to use a stiff cardboard tube and glue velcro to it.
Paper towel holder - I used our existing one
Paint Roller/Stiff cardboard tube
Micro Fiber cloths
Velcro
Sewing machine/thread
I purchased a couple of three packs of micro fiber cloths from Lowe's for about $4.00 each.
I also used some Trader Joe's Kitchen Cloths, they were about $3.00 for two.
Both of these absorb a ton of liquid and can be thrown in the washing machine and dryer, however they should only be dried on low heat.
The paint roll fits snuggly onto my paper towel holder, it is too tight to spin but still works fine. An alternative would be to use a stiff cardboard tube and glue velcro to it.
I cut all of the towels and cloths in half and hemmed the cut edges.
After unraveling my ball-o-velcro (sad, I know) I pinned two pieces on each towel.A female piece on the top side and a male piece on the opposite underneath side.
Then I sewed them, with only minimal sewing machine outrage.
Velcro all of your towels to each other and wrap around the paint roller.
They are not as tall as normal paper towels but they hold a lot more liquid and take up the same space. I use them and then toss them in the washing machine. A great way to not only save money but also be a little nicer to our planet. It really is the little things!
I can not thank Craftin' Texan enough, not only for letting me post
but also for sparking my creativity.
I can't believe that no one has commented yet. I love this idea.How are towels holding up?
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