I enjoy the luxury of having a clean paper towel to wipe all and any messes, but I'm not okay with how fast I could go through a roll, the loss of forests, and the expense.
I live in a household overrun with guys so we have t-shirts coming out of our ears. I take 3-4 of the oldest when I see they are getting raggedy, I get out my good scissors and start whacking away. First the sleeves, cut outside the shoulder seam, and trim away the under seam. I trim away neck and shoulder seams on rest of shirt and cut into 5-8 inch pieces, very crudely. Into the rag drawer in the kitchen they go.
I use them once or twice just like a paper towel, from wiping babies chins, to cleaning up a spill. Then into the washing machine. Almost every load has a few of the little rags. If I clean up something like oil, I throw it away. Because they are washed after 1-2 uses, they stay clean, and because I toss them into the wash as soon as I've used them, nobody really sees them for more than a minute.
It doesn't matter what they look like; strictly a utilitarian function. I'm not sure but others might clean more often because they can use a clean cloth whenever they want.
So I have a large supply of ready, clean, dry rags, and no expense, and no eco-guilt.
Source: My own reluctance to see so much fabric go to waste.
By PENNY K from Westminster, CO
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