Whats the Difference? (Kitchen Towel)

Last week, I was thinking about my products and what the actual impact is by making the choice to switch to reusables. I started to do some research into all the different types of products that I currently offer, and thought that some visuals would help spread the word. I would like to educate people on the environmental impact on some small products that can easily be changed. I have found it really hard to find ANY information on consumption from within the UK. So, most of my information is based on figures from America, but most of our products are imported from abroad.

I think I will start making a little series called ‘what’s the difference’ on a weekly basis just for people to have for reference. I found all the information on today’s post from Eco-family life, which has some amazing facts on the waste of paper towels and goes into great detail.

I always knew that paper towels were really wasteful and I’ve been making reusable kitchen towels (unpaper towels) for a number of years now, but I never quite realised the numbers were so high. I find it really shocking that 110 million trees are chopped down each year for paper towels. I understand the importance of them being used in care homes, hospitals etc for hygiene reasons but on average a family uses about 80 rolls a year. That Is astonishing amount of waste! I know some people say that paper towels are biodegradable. Yes they are, but as they break down, they release methane gas which is contributing to global warming. Not to mention the energy used in creating them in the first place. Here in the UK on average the cost of a packet of paper towels are approximately 91p and if an average family uses 80 rolls a year that’s £72 a year. Which is expensive for something you throw away after a single use.

So why switch? They aren’t just for looking pretty! (although that is a huge bonus!) they are amazing at pretty much everything. Spilt a drink? grab a reusable wipe, mop it up, squeeze excess liquid out and pop in the machine! Its as simple as that!

Here are few frequently asked questions that I get about reusable kitchen wipes

How much do reusable kitchen towels cost?

Well they range in price, my kitchen towels start from as little as £24 for 8 towels, that’s £3 per towel. Just say that they lasted 5 years, the total cost would be £4.80 per year, with a total saving of £336 for 5 years.

How do I wash them?

Just pop them in the wash with your usual washing & wash at 30°c, you can either hang them to dry or tumble dry them.

What can they be used for?

Everything! mopping up spills, cleaning glass, windows, mirrors & much much more!

With taking little steps to be more eco-friendly we can all help change the world for our children and the natural environment. I really do worry about the world that we are leaving behind for our families. I heard a saying in a zero waste group last year that really resonated with me, ‘we don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly, but millions of people doing it imperfectly”. If everyone tried making little switches here and there than it would make a huge positive impact on our planet!