Thursday, May 1, 2008

Experiment without "paper"

Jennifer from Finding Financial Peace asked me how my experiment with switching to cloth napkins and towels is working out. In a word? GREAT! I first posted about it here.


We absolutely LOVE the cloth napkins. In fact, every time we sit down to eat dinner, and the beautiful cloth napkin is at the table, we feel as though it is a special occasion.


We still use paper towels, but on a much lower scale. When I need to wipe up a spill, I use a white cloth, but when I wrap washed lettuce, I use a paper towel (keeps the lettuce crisp). I think we are still on the same paper towel roll that we've had for almost two weeks. We used to go through at least two rolls a week! So, that is definitely a success.


For convenience, I purchased enough napkins and cloths to last a week (I bought them on sale, but you could easily sew them inexpensively). When it's time for the laundry, I wash them all together and use a less expensive laundry detergent.


I can remember when I was growing up, how nice it was to eat at my grandparents home. My grandmother used beautiful china (everyday) and cloth napkins with beautiful pewter napkin rings. It always felt special. I'm just sorry it took me so long to make the switch. It's so simple to make everyday occurrences more special.

6 comments:

Canadian Saver said...

I try to only use paper towels for when the cat pukes...

I can see how it'd feel special with cloth napkins! And you can change the colors each season if you want...

Sharon said...

CS,
I'll have to learn how to make them. I like the color change idea! Orange for October? :)

Anonymous said...

I love using my cloth napkins too. It's amazing how long a roll of paper towels can last when you are using cloth most of the time. I hosted a dinner recently for my friends and they all commented on how nice it was to see cloth napkins. Made me smile and the table looked great.

CT Mom said...

HI Sharon - I followed your lead, and gave up paper plates and cups. We use our regular dishes, which means a lot less trash. My oldest daughter isn't happy though - she has to empty the dishwasher more often!

Lilo said...

Sharon,
I have been using less paper towel as well. I bought some of those wipes made out of cloth for surface wiping etc. It's great! I used to go through paper towels like there is no tomorrow but now a roll lasts me a long time. How do you make cloth napkins on your own?

Beth Dargis said...

This is my next step in being ecologically friendly. I've been looking at cloth napkins and was wondering how it would work. I'm kind of messy :) Thanks for your take on it.