Saturday, February 21, 2009

Going Green, Frugally

We used cloth diapers and homemade cloth baby wipes from the beginning. But there are more changes we've recently made that are happily both frugal and green.
Paper napkins are easy to replace with cloth.
We're working on switching off paper towels for cleaning. So far, my favorite for paper towel replacements are squares of doubled flannel.
Then there's toilet paper. The term used most often for cloth TP is "family cloth". If this is the first time you've encountered that concept, then take a moment, breath deeply. It takes a little time to get used to the idea. I waited at least a year before making the switch. Some people use cut up t-shirts, which is what I'm using now. But I think I'll be much happier with a combination of flannel and velour, like the wipes I made for baby. Cloth diapering mamas know that fabric softeners ruin cloth absorbancy. So, if you, or your t-shirt source, used fabric softener, your squares may not initially be as absorbant as desired. Some stripping may be necessary.
This article summarizes the changes you can make in the kitchen: How to Eliminate Paper Products in the Kitchen

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