This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means if you make a purchase from a link on my site, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. I will never recommend a product or service that I do not personally use or like.
Confession time. Up until about a month ago, I still had a roll of paper towels hanging in my kitchen. I even went to the trouble of moving it out of the shot in my YouTube videos because I felt like a fraud! The truth is that we ditched paper napkins many years ago, we cloth diaper, use cloth tissues, and have stacks of dish rags and cleaning cloths. So why was I still keeping disposable paper towels within reach?
How We Ditched Disposable Paper Towels
Honestly, I wasn’t using them very much. But there were a few tasks that I had not committed to finding an alternative for, like draining bacon or greasing pans. And because the whole roll was still hanging there, folks would just use them out of convenience or habit. So, I knew I needed a few creative solutions and a little DIY magic to create a no-sew unpaper towel set up that would work for everyone.
What About Bacon?!
The bacon dilemma was top of my list. I don’t fry lots of things, but I do make bacon and have always used paper towels to drain the extra grease. I read people suggesting to use other paper stuff instead, like paper grocery sacks or newspaper. First of all, this seems kinda unsanitary to me. But also I don’t have these things! I bring my own reusable grocery bags to the store and we don’t get a newspaper.
Then, I came across the suggestion to simply set the bacon on a wire rack over a plate to drip. It works perfectly! And if it’s chopped up pieces, I use a mesh strainer. Dare I say it actually works a little better! Bacon, check.
Greasing Pans
I often used a paper towel to grease cake pans or casserole dishes. It didn’t seem like a great plan to smear butter all over a cloth that might stain my other laundry. So, I started saving the butter wrappers! They are perfect and they are already pre-greased! I just fold them up and store them in a small container in my fridge door for whenever I need one! You can tear them in half, too, to stretch your stash.
Now what if you don’t use butter, or you’re out of little wrappers? Or, like us, you want to oil your cast iron skillet? A second solution we came up with is to use an unpaper towel or wipe just as you would a disposable. Then, instead of pitching it right in your dirty pail, give it a little rinse with a bit of dish soap. Not a thorough hand washing (although you could) but just enough to feel ok about throwing it in with the rest of the laundry.
Cleaning Lint From My Washer/Dryer
This might be kinda specific to me, but I have an LG front loading washer/dryer that is ventless. It’s amazing and doesn’t require any hook ups or vents! If you live in an apartment like we do, it’s a seriously good investment! But, because of the way it works the lint collects on the front gasket and needs to be cleaned off every time (instead of the typical dryer lint trap). A cloth wipe just got all covered in clingy linty strings and it was a mess. But a sponge works perfectly! Now I have a designated lint sponge and the lint just wipes right off and goes into the trash! Again, this solution works even better than the paper towels did…I’m sensing a theme…
Gross Stuff
Sometimes there is super gross stuff you don’t want to deal with. Dog pee, kid puke, poopy messes… I get it. I’m going to be honest that I haven’t run into any super nasty situations since ditching paper towels. But here’s what I intend to do and some ideas for you as well.
Set aside a stack of old worn out rags or towels for this purpose. I’ve been washing cloth diapers several times a week for 4 ½ years and counting. So washing soiled cloth seems like no big deal to me. If the offending mess is just too much to deal with, use the old worn out rags and then toss them- one final end of life glory moment.
Save a small supply of single use packaging to pick up, ehm, shall we say “solids”. Bread bags, chip bags, produce bags, cereal packaging, etc. This kind of plastic is not usually recyclable. Since it’s destined for the garbage anyway, might as well give it one more final purpose.
Drying Raw Poultry
This one is maybe the most problematic. When you rinse a chicken and then need to “pat it dry,” it isn’t ideal to have a rag soaked in chicken juice hanging around in your hamper. This isn’t a situation I run into very often. But one idea is to toss the dirty cloth directly into your washer, which isn’t always feasible. Or maybe this is another instance where you could use a wipe that is on its last legs.
Setting Up for Success
It comes down to convenience and habit. It’s not news to anyone that a cloth rag or dish towel is usually best for mopping up spills, wiping down counters, and drying hands. Here is where the set-up comes in handy. If you just remove the paper towel roll and expect your family (or let’s be honest, yourself) to dig around looking for the dish towels, you’re going to have a mutiny on your hands, or at least messy counters.
The No-Sew Unpaper Towel Delivery System
I decided to roll out a plan that replaced my paper towels with my no-sew unpaper towels in a one-to-one swap. Using the same paper towel holder, in the same location, I transformed the empty cardboard tube into an adorable DIY unpaper towel holder!
I knew I needed something that would last longer than just the paper tube. When I was researching this project, (I figured surely I wasn’t the first person to use this no-sew hack), I found a very cute project on MyMessyMerryLife.com which inspired my yarn wrapped tube!
Using scrap cotton yarn and a little hot glue, I simply wrapped the cardboard tube. I picked a color that would look cute in my kitchen since I expected it to show a little around my reusable cloths. You could use any spare yarn you have, pick some up from your thrift or craft store, or likely from any of your crafty friends. This is a great “stash-buster!”
Cut 'Em Up
Next, I cut my DIY no-sew unpaper towels out of old receiving blankets, the same way I do for my cloth wipes and tissues, except a little bigger. Because I love them so much, I knew they’d make perfect unpaper towels. They are absorbent, have a little texture for scrubbing messes, and wash and dry well. Plus I already own them, so this whole thing was free!
If you don’t have receiving blankets laying around, they are pretty easy to find at thrift stores and discount shops. You could also use cotton flannel fabric. Craft and fabric stores often have odd sized remnants and scraps for cheap.
For this project, I folded the receiving blankets into thirds to form a long rectangle, and then in thirds again to form 9 rectangles of about 8.5 x 10 inches.
Then, I cut along the folds using pinking shears which keeps the fraying edges to a minimum. (Expect a little fraying for the first few washes.)
Roll 'Em Up
The yarn wrapped tube creates a surface that the flannel unpaper towels will “stick” to. To roll them up, start by laying your cloths in a stack. Roll the first wipe around the tube. Next, bring the tube back to the top of the next wipe in the stack. Allow the wipe to overlap with the end of the one on the roll about an inch or so. Then tightly roll the second wipe around the tube. Continue until the wipes no longer wrap around the tube.
It's Not All or Nothing
I’m just going to throw this out there. But let’s be real. It probably isn’t the end of the world to keep one roll of disposable paper towels tucked in the back of your cupboard. Just in case. For chicken juice emergencies. Making moves towards a low-waste lifestyle doesn’t have to be an all or nothing situation. What’s important is that you just do something- one small change at a time. Start by relocating your disposables to an inconvenient spot and see how you get on. You may find you don’t need them quite as much as you thought you did. I know we have.
What’s holding you back from ditching the disposable wipes? Leave me a comment below and perhaps we can group source solutions for your biggest unpaper towel challenges!
No-Sew Unpaper Towels and Roll
Super easy DIY reusable UNpaper towels made from upcycled receiving blankets- no sewing required! They're absorbent, great for messes, and wash/dry easily.
Materials
- receiving blankets or cotton flannel fabric
- empty paper towel tube
Tools
- pinking shears
- ruler or measuring tape
- hot glue gun
Instructions
For unpaper towels:
- Lay the fabric out flat and then fold in thirds to make a skinny rectangle. Fold in thirds again to make 9 stacked rectangles of about 8.5 x 10 inches.
- Cut along all the folds with a pair of sharp pinking shears.
For crafty unpaper towel holder:
- Apply hot glue to one edge of the cardboard tube and adhere yarn, leaving a short tail. Begin wrapping the yarn tightly around the tube applying hot glue to the tube every few rounds. (Hide the tail under the yarn wrap.)
- Keeping the rounds close together, overlapping as necessary to cover the tube, wrap and glue the yarn all the way to the other end of the tube. When the tube is completely covered, cut the yarn to finish.
To use:
- Start by laying the cloths in a stack. Roll the first wipe around the tube. Then, bring the tube back to the top of the next wipe in the stack. Allow the wipe to overlap with the end of the one on the roll by about an inch or so. Then tightly roll the second wipe around the tube. Continue until the wipes no longer wrap around the tube.
- Use just like you would conventional paper towels. Wash and repeat!!
Notes
Wash and dry your new wipes and expect a bit of fraying the first few times. Simply pull off and discard the strings- this will stop after a few washes.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Which means if you make a purchase from a link on my site, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Good idea, charming presentation, good execution. Next, how about ideas on what to do with old cotton sheets. With the help of your trusty pinking sheers, maybe make everyday no-see kids’ napkins, facial tissues, wet wipes, dust rags, shoe/silver polishing cloths,… or easy-see pillow cases, sachets, doll clothes, tee shirts, book covers,…
Thanks, Chas! What fun ideas! I do have some wipes and tissues that we use for all kinds of stuff. I love the idea of repurposing old sheets…
Thanks for the inspiration, I have used paper napkins for years it’s time to give up paper towels!
You’re welcome and thanks for reading! It was a long time coming for me, too. But I have to say, the transition has been much easier than expected!
As I look at the photos I see a sewn seam. I am totally out of my element when it comes to sewing anything. I worry about kitchen waste! From paper products to foil and plastics. Paper towels are probably the major waste. What am I missing in this post? Sewn OR not?
Not sewn by me! I cut up flannel baby receiving blankets for this project. The sewn seam you see is the one that already existed on the blanket I used- I just didn’t cut it off. These “un-paper” towels are a no-sew project! Hope that helps 🙂
What a fantastic idea. And you did such a great job explaining
Thank you very much! I’m glad you found it useful 🙂
Awesome ! I’m thinking of cutting up my kids old flannel pyjamas that are too rugged to donate to charities !
I love that! I am kind of sentimental about things like kid’s pjs, so I love having the little squares around as tissues and wipes. They kind of live on with the memories I guess!