|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
During our editor chat Wednesday night we were talking about "going green" by cutting out the use of paper towels. I went on Amazon during the chat and ordered a set of microfiber towels to start using instead of paper towels.
So today I told my boyfriend about this - and he went into the basement and brought up a pack of 20 microfiber towels! He'd had them all along and we never used them! So now we'll have like 40 in the house. Why had he never told me about these things?
I gave one a try today and it was SUPER. It cleaned the counter far better than paper towels ever did. I feel so happy, we will stop using paper towels, use these reusable microfiber towels instead, and they do a much better job too!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
I love microfiber towels. Now that I am in the RV, doing laundry is not as easy as it used to be. I really do not want to use paper towels!
So i bought a nice bunch of MF towels and some of those absorbant chamois towels for doing my general cleaning and dishes. Those are easy to wash out by hand, wring, and place out new for the next day.
The MF towels work great on windows, mirrors, counters, toilets, sinks and floors.
I also have old clothes and old towels to chop up for those rags that will be motor oil and grease and such on them. That way i am using all my old clothes and towels to their best extent before tossing them. One of our RV basements has my stack of old, holey stuff waiting to be used for messy jobs.
For washing our faces and bodies we still use regular towels. Maybe I should think about a giant microfiber towel! I do use one to dry my hair.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 472
Gecko
|
Gecko
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 472 |
The Dollar store in my area has a very nice selection of microfiber products from cloths to sponges to dusters to towels. They are much cheaper at the Dollar Store than at any other store and they are exactly the same thing.
Llyn - Spinning Editor BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
Llyn, i am a dollar store junkie. I get so much useful stuff there. They are like candy shops to me. :-)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
We got two bins to put on top of the fridge - one for clean microfiber towels, the other one for dirty ones. It's making me really happy to use them, thank you all SO much for the discussion and help on this!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
That's GREAT about the bins, Lisa. A neat idea.
You may have 40 towels in the house but i bet you find uses for them all. Sometimes i think about labelling mine with a sharpie to set them for various uses: ones for the kitchen, ones to go with cleaning supplies, ones for my eyeglasses and monitors, etc.
Does anything think there is a need to do something like this?
Does anyone use them as hand or body towels, also?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 170
Jellyfish
|
Jellyfish
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 170 |
I don't know. I don't like to label anything like that because the way my brain works, I don't want to use it for what it's not labelled for. So if I needed to do something, had a few secs, but not the correctly labelled item--I wouldn't. (insert eyeroll here).
I can't get into microfiber. I don't know why.
Heather DeGeorge
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
I'm with Heather on the labeling. I'd rather have them all available for anything and just wash them and reuse them for whatever new purpose.
Heather - what do you use for your normal counter cleaning in the kitchen?
I am really loving these things. Just today I used one to clean the kitchen counter and automatically went to the trash and kicked it open with my footer. Then I stared at the trash can thinking "wait!! I am not throwing this out!!" It was a nice feeling, to think that normally this would have resulted in trash, but now it is not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 170
Jellyfish
|
Jellyfish
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 170 |
I just use water and a cotton dishtowel. Of course, I just ran out of the sample Howard's Naturals sent me for granite cleaning. Good heavens--that stuff ROCKS. When I use that, I use paper towels... but I'm not sure why. I could easily allocate a dish towel for that (until they're washed).
Same for the kitchen floor--hot water and an old towel (cut in half or thirds depending on the size). Sometimes a little vinegar if it's been a while.
Heather DeGeorge
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
OK, that sounds reasonable about keeping the cloths available for anything as needed. I will try that. Sometimes I think things through too much. :-P
And OK, I found a reasonably large MF towel to try to use as a shower towel. I will try it out and see how it goes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
I don't find water works well for me, maybe we cook with really sticky things but we do have to at least use the 7th generation products to get them up from the counter. Even then it requires a lot of scrubbing.
Do you reuse microfiber towels pre-wash? I use them once and toss them into a bin for washing ...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 437
Gecko
|
Gecko
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 437 |
Lisa - can you send me the link to the microfiber cloths you bought?
Barbara Sharpe
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
Lisa I use the cloths for cleanish tasks, like dishdrying, sink swiping and counters, and then try to use them progressively for dirty stuff like swiping the floor on my swiffer head, toilet scrubbing or wiping dirty doggie feet. Stuff like that.
Last edited by Jilly; 03/24/09 11:52 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
Here is a direct non-affiliate link to the microfiber towels I got - Microfiber Towels at AmazonThey come in 3 colors and I really like them a lot. They clean MUCH better than the paper towels ever did and I love that they can be reused and washed. Jilly - that is an awesome idea! Right now we're doing one use and tossing them into the "dirty" bin - but it does make more sense to toss them into a "grungy use" bin to go a while longer before washing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
Okay, here is my report on using a large MF cloth as a shower towel - it worked beyond my expectations! The cloth is blue and about 2' x 3'. When I dried off with it, it took all the water off me, instead of just moving the water around like most towels do. It absorbed so much water that I felt DRY after using it.
I will have to use this all the time now.
I am trying to remember where i got the large towel from. I do not recall, but i buy most things like this at dollar stores, or in the dollar bins at Rite Aid.
Anyway, highly recommended if you can find one this big. For my hair i used a microfiber hair turban that i am pretty sure i found at a dollar store as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
Wow that is awesome news Jilly!! I will definitely look into getting one.
The main problem we're having is where to store the two bins of clean and dirty towels. Right now they're on top of the fridge which is already *full* of stuff. Maybe it is time to clean off the fridge top!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
What do you have up there? Cereal boxes, appliances? Can you put that other stuff in the pantry?
I like to keep my fridge tops clear of stuff so I can keep them dust-free. It gets really nasty up there when you don't give it a little swipe regularly. They get sticky-dusty otherwise. ick.
Or do you have room for the towel bins in a laundry room/utility area? What types of bins are you using?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,136 Likes: 52
Chimpanzee
|
Chimpanzee
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,136 Likes: 52 |
How do you wash them, Jilly? Throw into the washing machine with detergent?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14,392 |
Angie, yes, I just toss them in the wash with my other towels or clothes. I don't put them through the dryer though - i just drape them over something overnight. I wash everything on cold, BTW and use regular detergent. I went to Target today and in the automotive section they had some of those large microfiber towels that I have for bathing/showering. They had two different sizes suitable for this use. The larger one was priced at $7 each and the smaller one at $4, I think.
Last edited by Jilly; 04/06/09 11:54 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
|
OP
BellaOnline Editor Highest Posting Power Known to Humanity
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 22,934 Likes: 4 |
Yes I try to wash everything on cold too. The exception is Bob's underwear / socks which I need to wash with bleach and for some reason our washer doesn't seem to release the bleach unless the water's hot. So we have to do those that way.
We had the fridge top clean at one point and now there's all sorts of potholders and random other stuff up there. I will definitely focus on getting that cleaned off again! The laundry stuff is in our half bath downstairs which is already stuffed full with a litter box and other stuff, one of our cats is very old and can't really get down to the basement any more. So that's a different problem.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We take forum safety very seriously here at BellaOnline. Please be sure to read through our Forum Guidelines. Let us know if you have any questions or comments!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This forum uses cookies to ensure smooth navigation from page to page of a thread. If you choose to register and provide your email, that email is solely used to get your password to you and updates on any topics you choose to watch. Nothing else. Ask with any questions!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|