All About Reuseable Paperless Towels and Napkins

Hello Reader, and thank you for your interest in our website! In this blog, I am discussing the paperless towels I sell on this site because whether you buy them from me, another website, or make them yourself, the goal is to reduce the waste generated through single use disposable paper products, such as paper towels and napkins. Instead of a paper towel or napkin on the table for every meal, we want to encourage the use of a reusable towel. I chose to use cotton flannel because it is soft, absorbent, and clings to everything. If you use your last tube from a standard paper towel roll, you can roll these paperless towels on one at a time (so they come off one at a time) and they won’t unravel without the need for snaps or Velcro. Being clingy means once rolled up they stay put and you can pull them off one at a time, as they are needed. This makes the transition from paper towels easier, because you still have the paper towel holder on your kitchen counter and can grab and go. If you want to keep paper towels on hand, you can always keep them under the sink, that way if you have a particularly gross mess you do want to throw away, you still have them available, but are more mindful in their use.

For convenience, I keep a basket under my kitchen sink to hold my used towels until I am ready to add them to a load of laundry. Don’t worry if you do happen to get something gross, like from a runny nose, or sticky, like honey, on your paperless towel. You just put it in a bowl with cold water and little baking soda mixed in. Let it soak overnight on your counter and the baking soda will help pull some of the stain, or stickiness away before you add that towel to your next load of laundry. Please also remember that towels in general do not like fabric softener. The softener builds up in the fabric making them water resistant, and that is the opposite of what we want! As you use and wash your flannel, they will only get more and more absorbent.

I am often asked how long my cotton flannel paperless towels and napkins last, and the answer is it depends on how they are used. Generally, they should last a few years, and once I notice they are looking worn (or stained) I graduate my older towels to different projects, such as using them as cleaners. They work great for dusting because of how flannel clings to everything, and are also excellent for washing windows (they don’t leave behind the lint streaks you can get with paper towels). I hope this answers most questions about reusable paperless towels and napkins, and helps start you on your journey to reducing waste!

~Amanda