How to create a frugal Paperless Kitchen.While saving $240 a year!

We all want to find easy ways to save money. If a money saving tip is earth friendly that is better right? Paperless Kitchens are something worth looking into.

On Pinterest you can find pins on how to make unpaper towels. Many use Bird’s-eye cloth which is expensive. Terry cloth is another option. You sew fabric to the back side and add snaps. You snap them together and get them to look like a regular roll of paper towels.

I sew myself and if you do not sew or have the materials making unpaper towels can be expensive. Another consideration is the snaps. I thought snaps could cause problems. With the snap sticking out it has the potential to scratch things. I decided against unpaper towels.

You do not have to sew unpaper towels either Etsy and Amazon sells unpaper towels. 

Instead, I used Bird’s-eye cloth diapers to clean instead. The reason I chose these is simple. Bird’s-eye can clean any surface including glass and are super absorbent. I prefer these for cleaning in general.

You can also opt to use microfiber cleaning cloths. They are cheap and attract crumbs. If you want to save money, this is the best option. They are not ideal for cleaning glass. I notice streaks and lint left behind. I prefer these for surface cleaning.

Rubbermaid sells special glass and mirror cleaning cloths which I prefer to use. I paid seven dollars for two cloths. They should last for years. The cloths do an excellent job and leave no lint or streaks.

Another option is using old socks to dust. Cut up old t-shirts. Re-purposing items is an amazing way to up-cycle and save. You need not spend money if you cannot afford to buy microfiber rags or unpaper towels. Find materials you already have on hand.

Old stained wash cloths or towels make great cleaning rags. Wal-Mart sells flour sacks. They make great reusable cleaning rags or unpaper towels. You can cut them up. I have also found great scrubbing rags at Target and at Big Lots. They last for years.

I use reusable cloths pretty much for everything except for the toilets. To avoid cross contamination, I use paper towels on the toilets. Some people will keep a separate bin for rags used to clean toilets. That can get confusing so I use paper towels on toilets sparingly.

Washing your rags or cloth is easy. I recommend because you are using cleaners and crumbs or dirt will be on your cloth to rinse before washing. When you do laundry, your machine adds water to what is already dirty. So microfiber will have things stuck to the cloth when you remove it. Do not dry microfiber on high heat that is all the special care microfiber needs.

Since I used reusable cloth for cleaning my paper towel usage has gone down. It can take several days to use a roll. When I use generic paper towels, we go through a roll every 1-2 days, brand name about five. Now a generic roll will last five days and brand name a week.

Paper towels even generic are about a dollar per roll. So By using cloth, I am saving five dollars per week. That is about twenty dollars a month. That’s nearly $240 a year!

If saving money is not motivating, you are saving a lot of paper. It’s an easy way to go green without feeling like you’re sacrificing a lot.

Whatever reason you use reusable cloth for cleaning re-useable is a smart and easy choice. Paper free will help the earth and your wallet. 

Click here to read my post on Speed Cleaning. 

Click here for time saving cleaning hacks. 

This post has more speed cleaning hacks.

Read here how I clean my tubs without scrubbing.