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Nifty Thrifty:  No more Bounty!!  |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 9:20:27 PM
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Has anyone else given up paper towels? It's been several weeks now that I've been paper-towel-less. It's hard to get used to using rags, but I have so many old socks, t-shirts, etc. that it's a lot more practical to use them. And I'm saving trees!
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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JojoNH
True Blue Farmgirl
1984 Posts
Joanna
Dunbarton
New Hampshire
USA
1984 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 04:56:06 AM
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We use old rags and old towels to help, however, I must confess we won't totally give up the paper towels.
One thing that I wanted to share, the paper mills use the blow-downs for the paper pulp. Think of all the big storms that have hit, the loggers are in removing the blow-downs for paper making. . . without that they would simply leave them and then it becomes intense fuel for a forest fire. I agree we don't want to harvest tons of trees for making paper. . . however, since they are utilizing dead trees for the purpose and practicing good forest management, it makes one pause and consider the options.
Joanna #566
JojoNH
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CountryCents
http://CountryCents.Blogspot.com
http://www.Eastwooddesigns.com "For all your Promotional Needs"
www.JoannasHomeStudio.com "Keeping traditions alive a stitch at a time" |
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SarahJ
True Blue Farmgirl
198 Posts
Shreveport
Louisiana
198 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 06:18:43 AM
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I use rags for everything, but still use paper towels on occasion (one roll probably lasts at least a month, if not more). I only really use them for blotting bacon or sausage after cooking, or when greasing pans.
SarahJ
Farmgirl Sister #116
http://bayoumama.wordpress.com/ |
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countrymommy85
True Blue Farmgirl
898 Posts
Krystle
MT
USA
898 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 07:50:11 AM
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Paper towels were the first thing to go when we started getting tight on money after our 2nd was born. I sometimes miss it but now that I am used to it I don't mind. I have a few towels made from acrylic yarn I use specifically for cleaning my cast iron after cooking it AND for draining my bacon. The acrylic does not soak up the grease and does not hold water. Then I just throw them in the wash with other greasy stuff, add a little extra washing soda and make sure I add vinegar in the rinse cycle. Since I quit paper towels I also fell in love with flour sack towels. I mean LOVE them! :) I am so excited to get some more embroidered!
~We can make the world a better place for our kids and future generations by what we do today!~
http://countryrenaissance.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SunflowersAndHoney |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 08:06:20 AM
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I just can't seem to get used to no papertowels. With 4 dogs, 2 cats and the projectile "whatever" that comes from our Labrador, I simply can't pick that up with a rag and then toss it into the laundry. I do use rags for dusting and for polishing shoes and what not. I toss my papertowels into the compost, so I feel like I'm doing "something" positive with them!
Musings from our family in the Bluegrass http://sweetvioletmae.blogspot.com/ |
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Cherime
True Blue Farmgirl
1222 Posts
Cherime
Wasilla
Alaska
USA
1222 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 08:27:52 AM
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Since I mostly use rags and the occasional paper towel, I buy Seventh Generation recycled paper towels but my present roll is more than 2 months old and I have 1/3 left. I do not have a washer at home I can use in the winter and since I go to the laundromat, I don't want to be washing hairball rags there.
CMF |
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Tea Lady
True Blue Farmgirl
645 Posts
Lorraine
Morris
IL
USA
645 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 2:27:18 PM
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My DH uses paper towels like crazy. If he's helping clean - especially windows or the bathroom - he'll go through half a roll - I'm not kidding. I always have rags available but he loves those paper towels. I've "talked" to him about it but it didn't sink in. I don't think I could do without but I mostly use rags. But like Jonni mentioned, we have a couple dogs and sometimes "stuff" happens - then I'm ever so grateful for the "quicker picker upper." :o)
Lorraine
(aka Tea Lady)
Farmgirl #1819
www.birdsandteas.com |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 3:58:32 PM
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Regarding dogs and, uh, stuff...Boxer got sick one day when I was at work and I came home to a real mess. Since I didn't have any paper towels, I used rags to clean it up, but then I threw them in the trash rather than try to wash them (just too gross). Then I rented a rugdoctor machine and cleaned my carpet, which hadn't been cleaned since I got it. You should have seen how dirty the water was when I dumped it out. My carpet feels so much better now, a lot softer. I didn't realize how filthy it was. But my toes can feel the difference!
Cindy
"Vast floods can't quench love, no matter what love did/ Rivers can't drown love, no matter where love's hid"--Sinead Connor
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers
Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/ |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 4:39:00 PM
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| One way to save a few more paper towels if you use them for greasing pans. When you unwrap a butter quarter, save the wrapper in your refrigerator. When you need to grease a pan, just use one instead of a paper towel. It will already have a little butter on it and you can add more butter or oil or whatever you use to grease the pan. |
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JojoNH
True Blue Farmgirl
1984 Posts
Joanna
Dunbarton
New Hampshire
USA
1984 Posts |
Posted - Mar 30 2011 : 4:00:17 PM
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Hi Cindy, I have to admit, you got me rethinking my position on paper towels and I have come up with a few solutions that I am loving at the moment. I have re-purposed a few flannel shirts into 8" squares with a surged edge. Now I have the perfect thing for wiping up spills, dusting, cleaning etc. Washing them is easy enough and I have a pale for the really greasy ones to pre-treat before putting them into the wash.
Thank you for posting this and giving me a challenge. . . some of us do need a push to get us going in the right direction and rethinking the way we do things. . . I can be stubborn for sure and I am so happy I came around to understanding how much better it is to go with out paper towels! 
Joanna #566
JojoNH
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CountryCents
http://CountryCents.Blogspot.com
http://www.Eastwooddesigns.com "For all your Promotional Needs"
www.JoannasHomeStudio.com "Keeping traditions alive a stitch at a time" |
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Arctic Flower
True Blue Farmgirl
85 Posts
Marjorie
Nenana
Alaska
USA
85 Posts |
Posted - Apr 02 2011 : 12:40:33 PM
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Well, we use them just for wiping excess oils from pans before washing them. We try to keep all oils/fats out of the septic system. I also take old bath towels, cut them into 8 x 10 and surge around the edges with what ever thread I have on the machine at the time. My towel drawer is never empty now and they absorb really well.
Farmgirl #2416
Believe in the power of Love! |
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longbeachfox
True Blue Farmgirl
322 Posts
Mary
Long Beach
WA
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2011 : 6:19:13 PM
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Thank you so much for all of your great ideas. I have always gone really light on PTs, but would like to just not use them at all. The rag idea sounds like a good way to go and if they are too gross, just toss them, but wash the others. I remember my husband's mom used to always wash her mirrors and windows with vinegar and water and then dry them with newspaper! They were always beautiful! I have tried this and it works! Vinegar is very cheap and lasts forever. It is good for all kinds of things. Newspapers are usually free to use. FGHugs, Mary
Farmgirl # 2532
With God...Nothing Is Impossible!
http://foxontherunarts.blogspot.com
www.etsy.com/shop/longbeachfox
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CMac
True Blue Farmgirl
1074 Posts
Connie
Ashland City
TN
USA
1074 Posts |
Posted - Apr 15 2011 : 8:54:43 PM
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I took my GD's receiving blankets and cut them into 18 inch squares and surged the edges. I keep a stack of them on the counter near the sink where I used to keep paper towels. The heft of them is similar to paper towels. They bleach well if needed and dry quickly. Plus I smile every time i see a duck or bear. :)
Connie
"I have three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for company."
Author: Henry David Thoreau |
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SusanScarlet
True Blue Farmgirl
317 Posts
317 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2011 : 6:08:10 PM
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| Also, I purchased those really cheap washcloths at Wally World (12 for $1) and keep those in a basket to use in my cleaning. I just wash them with other bleachables. |
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DebraJean
Farmgirl in Training
12 Posts
Deb
Washington County
OR
USA
12 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2011 : 8:09:27 PM
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A clean cotton rag was the most comfortable makeshift "pad" I have ever used while on "the rag"! ;)
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anaïs Nin |
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Nifty Thrifty: No more Bounty!! |
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No more Bounty!!
