Unpaper Towels

We ran out of paper towels a week ago. That is to say, the roll in the kitchen ran out and I was too lazy to get more from the garage. We buy the giant packs from Costco, you see, so there are always some on hand but lately, what should leave me feeling secure in paper towel wealth has instead left me with the uneasy feeling that I am, again, creating too much waste.

So instead of just walking out to get more, I grabbed my husband’s nearest ratty white undershirt (also Kirkland brand, thankyouverymuch) and cut it into 8 rectangles, each slightly smaller than standard paper towel size. If this were Pinterest, I would have then sewn backing and snaps on and wrapped them around an upcycled and bedazzled piece of PVC pipe… but it wasn’t so I threw them in a pile over the cookbook holder and that was that.

And they’re great! Perfect for small spills and they don’t unravel in the wash. Tonight I sacrificed 5 more shirts to the cause and increased my pile size. We still haven’t replaced the roll of paper towels but I imagine we will eventually. That or buy something with coordinating backing and snaps to fill the empty holder. Extra points, of course, if I paint chevrons on it first.unpaper towels-2 unpaper towels-3

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