If you’ve been in the sustainability game for a while, then you’ve certainly heard of (and maybe even tried) “unpaper” towels. As a regular user for about five years now, I’m pretty sure I’ve found the most practical and economical unpaper towel option out there… and it’s not what you would expect.
Many unpaper towels are made by small sellers with flannel fabric or microfiber; some snap together to mimic a roll; some are worthy of being displayed in fancy baskets on the counter.
This post contains affiliate links.
But my favorite unpaper towel isn’t sold as a towel.
It’s not pretty (although you could easily pretty it up with a little dye).
It is, however, incredibly functional, highly absorbent, inexpensive, sustainable, and compostable upon the end of its useful life.
So, what is it?
That’s right. Cloth diapers.
I’m specifically talking about the birdseye flats by Gerber. Keyword: Flat.
There are other cloth diapers out there — lots, actually — but you don’t want those classified as prefolds (at least I don’t). (Without getting too far down the cloth diapering road, prefolds are multiple layers of cloth stacked and sewn together.)
Just the right size as unpaper towels
Cloth diapers are the perfect size for unpaper towels. They’re approximately 24” x 27” — about half the size of a large, standard tea towel. They’re perfect for drying a single apple or a dozen. They’re highly absorbent, so they’re great for cleaning up spills.
I’m specifically talking about the birds eye flats by Gerber. There are others out there — lots, actually — but you don’t want those classified as prefolds (at least I don’t). (Prefolds are multiple layers of cloth stacked and sewn together.)
Highly absorbent
If there’s one thing that a cloth diaper is supposed to be, it’s absorbent. One of my favorite ways to use it is under the cutting board when I slice a juicy melon or pineapple. After I’m done, I can rinse and use it to wipe the counters clean.
No synthetics
My favorite thing about cloth diapers is that they’re 100% cotton. This means that not only are they highly absorbent and easy to clean, but when they’re so hole-filled that you can no longer use them (maybe 5 years), you can compost them. (A big hooray for your gardens!)
Super affordable
A ten pack of cloth diapers will cost about $15. If you buy two packs, you’re still only spending what you would on a few months’ worth of paper towels.
Storaging unpaper towel
How you choose to store your unpaper towels is up to you. If you choose to dye them, you may want to keep them on display in a basket on the counter. Or maybe you’d prefer to keep them discreetly in a drawer or cupboard. Maybe binder clips in your pantry is more your style. You could also roll them on a cylinder and hang them or tuck them into an upcycled tissue box.
Lots of ideas no matter your storage situation.
If you like the idea of dying them, invite some friends and have a party!
Unusual uses
Cloth diaper flats have some extra functionality that regular paper towels (or even thicker terry cloth towels) just don’t have.
- Use to squeeze remaining liquid from homemade broth.
- Squeeze liquid from grated zucchini before freezing. (Have you tried this? It works!)
- Filter kombucha or kefir after brewing.
- Tie the corners up to deliver a loaf of bread or a keep a small stack of containers together.
A single layer cloth diaper works like cheesecloth, but you can just wash and reuse as a regular item. (Minimalism at its finest!)
Does it have to be all or nothing?
No! We still keep paper towels in the house, but it takes about two months to go through a single roll. These days, our main uses for the standard paper towels are packing in the kids’ lunches and the occasional clean up. (There are some germs I definitely don’t want to share with my food.)
If you’re looking for a more eco-friendly paper towel, we buy our paper products from Who Gives a Crap. We’ve used them for several years now and really like their products. It eliminates our guilt by eliminating all that plastic film.
Conclusion
So that’s our preferred unpaper towel. I’m currently cycling out the set that started it all! We’ve received them as a shower gift when we were expecting our eldest – seven years ago! (We opted for prefolds in our short stint with cloth diapers.)
Speaking of, if you’re looking for tips one how to be more green in diapering without going cloth, check out this post. We learned a lot in our trial and error.
Anyway, if you’re on the hunt for the best, most practical and economical unpaper towel option out there, I hope you’ll give these a try!
– Melissa, Funky Crunchy Mama
I’ve been slowly switching to paper-free products this year, finally going all in literally last week. Lol. It took a bit to get used to, some things being easier than others. Hankies in place of paper Kleenex was the easiest, paper towels in the middle, and toilet paper being totally weird at first. And yes, mine are made by a local woman with pretty designs displayed in baskets around the house. I must admit that I hadn’t considered cloth diapers for this purpose. I’m going to pick up a pack of these and try them out for cleaning. The only thing I hate using my un-paper towels for is cleaning up messes, kitchen spills, and things like that. Some things you just want a huge handful of paper towels in between you and the mess. But these could definitely be a great solution!
I love how you’ve gone all in on unpaper products! Cloth diapers are great for cleaning! Our first round is slowly hitting our pile of cleaning rags and they’re especially fantastic for mirrors.