Right now I’m on a bit of a paper towel kick. Paper towels are one of my pet eco-topics and once I get going look out. Hopefully I’ll be off this kick in a week or so and back to a more general eco-friendly post schedule.
In general I think cloth towels can be used for anything you use paper towels for. However, that said, there are a couple of real downsides to cloth use and some imagined downsides too. First up the real cons…
REAL negative aspects of using cloth towels over paper:
It’s more icky. From a purely getting down and dirty aspects cloth can’t beat paper. Paper towels are used and tossed. Cloth towels are used and then you somehow have to deal with the mess that you’ve transferred to the towel. If a mess is really messy sometimes I’ll rinse a cloth quick in the sink before tossing it into the hamper.
Do pets need paper towels?
Pet messes. I haven’t actually come up with a great excuse to use cloth over paper towels for pet messes (like vomit, pee and other icky stuff). To be honest if my son puked a little whatever, I’d grab a normal cleaning cloth and wash it. If though he puked everywhere I’d grab my oldest cloths – the ones on the way out and use them then toss them. Pet messes are tricky and they’re one excuse I hear paper towel users mention that I don’t have a great answer for. This is one major reason we don’t have pets – because I suspect some aspects of their care is harder to manage in an eco-friendly manner. Although that said, I’d use cloth diapers for a baby and deal with it so maybe pet owners should just use cloth and deal too.
PS before you slam me in the comments for comparing pets to children note that I’m well aware of the human/animal difference. I also have many pals who do consider their pets just as important as kids; hence the comparison.
Do you have any ideas that allow you to have pets and skip paper towels? I read one idea at another blog (in the comments) that said, “In the event of the odd, small mess, like your boston terrier’s vomit, I usually have a few paper napkins in a drawer leftover from eating out somewhere.” That’s one decent idea.
Possible negative aspects of using cloth towels over paper:
Germs! People are so freaked out by germs and that fear can result in some very non-eco-friendly habits like using bleach or paper towels. Germs in a purely scientific sense though are totally overrated. Worse super germs are no joke. We keep fighting them like we’re trying to do and we’re only going to create monster germs in the process. Hit this link and scroll down to #7 for more info on super germs. That said there are some basic bacteria and germs you should look out for and cloth cleaning isn’t always the best way to kill off these germs and bacteria. Cloth can be used right though and will rid your house of icky junk but if you use cloth you MUST take the care and time to clean correctly.
Hot water use (to kill those germs above). If you wash your cloths in hot water it can cost you and the planet energy. However consider that most washing machines wash no different on hot or cold. It’s true. Unless your clothes washer has a certified sanitizing setting, washing on hot won’t sanitize. The water simply doesn’t get hot enough so you may as well wash everything on cold and save the cash and energy.
If you garden… Gardeners often use paper towels to test the viability of old seeds. Even I’ve done this and it is super easy. You don’t have to do this though. You can use organic soil instead. Soil is more work though I’d imagine.
IMAGINED negative aspects of using cloth towels over paper:
The following are the arguments I hear (or read) the most from paper towel users. These are also the arguments that I think are pretty much bunk.
“You need paper towels to clean with if you want a clean home.” Not true and I think it all goes back to the germ issue (see above). People really believe we need stuff like toxic cleaners and paper towels to have a clean home but it’s not true.
“You’ll be sick all the time if you use cloth.” Paper towel love is often blown totally out of proportion with regards to germs. In Facts About Paper Towels the author writes, “Cloth towels [are] the main culprit for spreading of diseases and germs in the society. The invention of paper towel made it possible for most of the legislative bodies to create a law against the use of cloth towels, which spreads multiple maladies. ” Um? Good job author for not linking to one source of evidence to back this up.
There will always be people so terrified of germs (read these blog post comments) that they stick to paper towels. However, you won’t win against germs they’re flipping everywhere. If you don’t believe me, sign up for a basic microbiology class at the local college. Two, I’ve never had paper towels in a home bathroom in 30+ years, my current home has been paper towel free entirely for 4+ years and surprise, no one in my house has died from a lack of paper towels. We get sick like everyone else but no more than normal. Still think I’m nuts, many studies note zero bacteria fighting differences between drying your hands with paper vs. cloth towels.
Fun - but there are other ways to entertain the kids.
“You need paper towels so you can use the recycled rolls for crafts.” Use toilet paper tubes or make other crafts.
“It’s the only way to get rid of grease – like from bacon or other greasy fried foods.” One, you don’t have to cook fried foods. Two you can use a broiler pan. Three you can buy some less linty tea cloths for just such an occasion. That said, with the health risks being what they are along with a stunning obesity epidemic in full force I suggest baking, not frying.
“Paper towels work best if you need to pick up a super messy mess (think egg spills) or broken glass.” You can use a reusable dustpan for this and rinse it off.
“Paper towels make awesome baby wipes.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this. You can make an excellent paper-towel free baby wipes kit that will cost less and work better.
“What if you need a quick coffee filter when you run out of paper filters?” Use a reusable permanent coffee filter
“You need paper towels to dry produce.” This one I actually get because I HATE wet produce especially lettuce for salads. However you can use a basic cloth to dry most produce and for stuff like broccoli or lettuce use a salad spinner which is lint-free unlike cloth or paper towels. I love my salad spinner. Here’s a BPA-free salad spinner
“They’re more time consuming.” It’s true, you do need to wash cloth towels which is more work than tossing paper. However, we’ve got five people living here and during a really bad dirty week we might wash one full load of towels but normally it’s only every other week. That’s not so much time you can’t handle it. It takes me about 15 extra minutes each week to two weeks – I wash and don’t fold – cleaning towels at my house are simply stored unfolded in a reusable bag.
“Lint free mirror and glass cleaning is only possible with paper towels.” Recycled newspaper works good for lint-free cleaning. We don’t get the paper so we use microfiber reusable cloths which also seem to be lint free. Also, I have some old school flat baby diapers I use mostly for glass and windows and they work great – the trick is to use one side with your glass cleaner and then the dry side for a rub down. Mostly though, I don’t think most people care about lint. I’ve never gone into friend’s home and mentally noted how linty their glass is. Mold, sure I’d notice; but lint… really?
“Paper towels make great safe packing material for breakables.” It’s not worth it. Not when you’ve got all sorts of good green packing material choices out there.
“They’re necessary to cover foods that can splatter when cooking in the microwave.” For kids food storage and reheating try Kinderville Little Bites Silicone Storage Jars
AND the big one – “It wastes too much water and energy to wash cloth vs. simply using a paper towel.” I honestly cannot believe people try to argue this point. It takes massive amounts of water, energy and other resources to make paper towels. It does for sure take a lot of water, energy and other resources to make cloth towels too and a small amount of water to wash your towels. However, the life of cloth is so much longer than paper that this point is moot. I’ll cover resources used more in an upcoming post – when I compare costs of paper towels to cloth.
A little more on real negative aspects of cloth towel use. Because I couldn’t come up with any real negatives, minus the two above, I asked my boyfriend/housemate Dave. Dave is not so into green as me and it’s taken him some time to catch on to things like not washing towels on hot, buying organics and carrying reusable bags. In fact eco-friendly topics have started some huge arguments debates around here SO I figured Dave would have scads of negative cloth ideas. However, he didn’t. He says, “I’m no hippie but seriously there are no real negatives of cloth towels.” In fact he even was against me including the “icky” factor under real negatives. After some thought he noted, “If you use cloth towels you might get stressed from saving all that money – if so send me the money.”
If you can think of any other real negatives of cloth or pros of paper towels please let me know in the comments below.
Lastly, if you’re feeling like you want to go paper towel free check out Simple Mom for one mama’s story of going paper towel free. She has some nice tips posted that should help, even if you’re addicted to paper towels.
[images - kitty with towels; paper towel kid; paper towel mess]
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I don’t think that cost is really a factor in paper towels and napkins. It doesn’t add up to a huge amount each year. I think to me it comes down to what is my impact on the earth. If you stacked up your paper towels and napkins in a pile and think about all the houses up and down the street using the same amount or more, and then you look at the growing trash dump that I pass on the highway everyday, then you might rethink it.
Plus processing doesn’t just use water, and everything wrapped in plastic uses petroleum. Do people realize that throw away stuff uses petroleum?
I’m not perfect, I forget my reusable starbucks cup and don’t stop myself from getting the drink (though I should). I think our consumption shouldn’t just be about cost and convenience, sometimes it needs to be about how much of an impact does it have if I do it on a regular basis and what’s the alternative.
As a avid pet owner (since having children I only have a cat and a dog, but have had all kinds of animals from horses to turtles in the past). I still am not a fan of paper towels. I have a stash of “yucky” towels that I use for really gross messes and just toss when I am done, but that rarely happens. Even cat pee comes clean with some hot water and tea tree oil or bac-out.
I am one of those people who gets freaked out by germs (I know it’s silly) and I still manage to use cloth diaper, towels and scads of other reusable things. I actually feel “cleaner” for doing so! My mom is one of those people who uses paper towels in the bathroom. Drives me crazy. She also gets sick more often than my family and I do.
I don’t think being freaked by germs is silly actually – it’s so ingrained in us as a society that it’s way more rare (I think) to be chill about germs. I was just as bad as anyone before I took microbiology. After growing bacteria from totally common day items though, well, it seemed like a waste of time to worry. I can’t win. I think it’s awesome you’re a little freaked but manage to use cloth and feel better about it. You’re a good poster child for those people who are worried – anyone can use cloth you just have to wrap your brain around something that’s not commercialized as much as paper and germs.
I use tea tree oil too! I’m really glad to hear an avid pet owner say cloth is ok. I agree though about keeping some oldest of old cloths around just in case something is so bad it needs tossed.
I’ve been working on the calculations for the paper towels – i.e. what you’d save if you stopped using them, and in just five years it’s not so much. But it does add up. I mean say you’re 30 but live to 60 and quit using them; 30 years of not using them means you’d save something substantial. I LOVE to tell people to stack stuff up. When you see a lot of waste at once it’s soooooo much easier to say OMG! You’d be surprised how many people I run into who have no clue that plastic is made from oil.
The point being made here of seeing all the waste “stacked up” makes me think of the TV show “Wasted” on the Green channel. Have you seen it?
They help one family or small business per episode see not only their waste and environmental impact, but also cash savings if they follow the eco challenges presented during each half-hour episode.
On one recent episode, they showed a fire station HOW MUCH paper waste they had — between the paper towels, paper cups and plenty of take-out containers — and these guys jumped right in to the challenge and saved a TON of cash + energy + resources == then used the cash to help other fire stations reduce their footprints, as well.
I haven’t seen it – no cable at my house. But it sounds really cool. I’m going to look up the Green Channel online and see if any shows are offered at their site. I bet the fire station had a ton of stacked up paper!
Hi, Jennifer!
There are definitely negatives to using cloth towels. Unseen germs and bacteria find the damp towels a wonderful place to thrive! If you’ve ever seen those pictures where the ultra-iolet or black lights show the unseen germs in the kitchen and bathroom? When you dry with a cloth towel there are two downsides:
You don’t get all of the germs off
You actually create a breeding ground
Paper towels “scrape” away the germs that the soap did not remove and are then thrown away… removed from your house.
There are many articles and pretty much undisputed studies showing where paper does a better job. Then the articles began to abound wher hand dryers do better than paper; however that is not totally accurate in my opinion.
Here are a few reasons why:
1. If there are germs still on the hands after washing, the warm air makes them very happy.
2. Paper towels allow you to cover the door handles in public restrooms on the way out so you don’t put the germs right back on your hands by touching them.
3. Paper can be recycled, but the energy to run the air dryer is lost (not to mention expensive!)
4. Though not as important in the big picture, the blowers are comercial and ugly, not practical for the home
I agree that cloth towels can be a breeding ground for bacteria – IF you don’t clean correctly. Hence the post about it – http://www.growingagreenfamily.com/green-clean-correctly-with-cloth-towels-vs-paper-towels/. Paper towels when used incorrectly though can also breed the same germs. For hand drying – In your own home, where common germs are it’s insane to use paper for hand drying. Even the WHO notes that at home, separate towels should be used when sick, but if you wash up as you should shared are okay in a home setting.
As for using on cleaned surfaces such as hands when out and about, a Mayo Clinic study, among others, found zero difference in the amount of bacteria you can remove with paper towels vs. cloth vs. heated air vs. air drying. All resulted in the same amount of bacteria being left behind. It doesn’t much matter anyway because most major studies on hand washing find that only 83 or so % of folks wash up in public restrooms AND that they do so for just 11 seconds on average.
When I was in college for nursing, we had many hand washing test clinicals using various methods – i.e. soap and cloth towels, anti bacterial soap and paper towels, and so on and the only thing that actually removed germs was hot water + soap + two minutes (at least) of washing + a nail scrub brush. Anything else, even an entire minute of washing + paper towel drying left germs on the hand when we looked with germ lights. Germs are very hard to get rid of and paper vs. cloth makes little difference. It’s how well you scrub that matters. Same for surfaces – you usually need to clean them twice.
I wholeheartedly agree that using paper vs cloth is not going to do much if we don’t wash properly as you outlined. Still, I’m convinced that paper is superior, all other things being equal, even to blow drying.
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The two ways that germs are removed from our hands/dishes/counters are:
1) They are picked up and rinsed away. That’s how soap works; if you actually scrub for 30 seconds as recommended, even the toughest germs are usually gathered up (the soap plus the oils on your hands attracts them)…and then if you rinse all the soap off with running water (any temp), they go down the drain. Which is why you have to scrub and rinse thoroughly, but don’t need antiseptic soap.
2) Or, they are destroyed. This is what bleach and/or hot water do; this also happens with hand sanitizer/soap to a certain degree because of the strong rubbing action. According to the Wilderness Medical Society, water temperatures above 70° C (160° F) kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 85° C (185° F) within a few minutes. So the higher the temperature, the less time is needed to kill the micro-organisms. Bringing the water to boiling point raises it well over the 85°C mark. The hot water bursts the bacteria open and boom they are dead!
Once I understood the basic science behind killing germs – as well as the concept of being surrounded by mostly benign bacteria and a few super-sick-causing ones, I felt empowered because I could adapt this information to choose what works best for me.
I do my laundry at home with the Wonder Wash and Spin Dryer from thelaundryalternative.com which takes about 5 minutes each per load from the comfort of my own tub (it leaks a little). Daily, mine and hubs’ underwear, my washcloths, toilet paper cloths (#1 only), hankerchief, kitchen cleaning cloths, potato scrubber (used on all veggies, and cloth napkins get soaked with 185 degree water for 3 minutes, then I spin it clean (with soap) for another 3 minutes, then spin it damp for 3 minutes. It gets hung up to dry inside and the spin dryer gets it so dry it’s finished in a few hours!
Every week I also wash our sheets and towels the same way in their own load.
Once we have enough regular clothes to wash, those get done in cold water.
Beyond that, I actually do drink raw milk (from a very reputable company), and do not spend most of my time worrying about germs. I wash my hands before/after eating, potty, nose blowing, and I really don’t think I have anything to worry about. I LOVE to learn because I feel like the only way to make the absolutely best personalized decision for yourself is to have the core information and then you can adapt it for yourself, instead of getting generalized advice that had to be complied to meet the needs of a large and diverse public.