A Paper-Free Kitchen

We don’t use paper napkins.  We don’t wipe our hands on our pants.  (At least I don’t think anyone at our house does that!)  We reach for cloth.  Skipping the paper towels and napkins is an awesome way to use fewer resources, create less trash, and save money.  What’s there not to love?

Going paper free in the kitchen hasn’t been a huge challenge, probably because both our parents were quick to grab dish cloths to wipe counters or clean up spills instead of paper towels.  You know how it is.  The things we learn as kids certainly become huge habits as we get older.  So when a few comments came up on the topic of paper in the kitchen last week, I just knew it was time to show what we know.

So here we go – the ins and outs of making your kitchen paper free.  (Stay tuned next week as we talk about the other paper products in the house.)  I’m going to talk about our home in Berlin because living in the tire house here is living in someone else’s home.  I can offer you more heart by describing the space we’ve created and organized ourselves.  So who wants to go to Germany for the day?!

We have three types of cloth in our kitchen:

  • fabric napkins: on the table or in the cupboard
  • cloth dishtowels and rags: hanging by the sink/on the sink or clean, folded, and in the cupboard
  • rags: under the sink, made from old towels and scraps we’ve cut up

If you want to reduce the paper use in your house, here’s the trick:

Make paper products hard to reach; make cloth easy to grab.

There’s a reason our fabric napkins are already on the table, and there’s a reason we don’t have a paper towel dispenser.

We do keep a small stash of paper napkins tucked in the deepest part of our cabinets.  They’re tucked so deep in the cabinet that it takes more time to get paper napkins out of there than it takes for all the bakery treats and breads to disappear.

Most paper towels and napkins are made from virgin trees.  That means we’re cutting down trees just to make things to clean up with and toss.  In the very least, read the labels and consider spending a little more if it means your paper products come from recycled sources.

Fabric napkins can be used for several meals.  Let everyone pick her own unique napkin ring. Get engraved initials or add names.  That way everyone knows where her napkin is.

I’ve been sewing some napkins and dish towels for us.  It really adds a fun touch!  Here’s a whole slew of fabric napkin tutorials.  Or check out all of these handmade napkins for sale by handmade artists on etsy.

The key to making a paper-free kitchen work is just throwing all those fabric towels and napkins into the washing machine on a regular basis.  You’re doing laundry anyway.  A couple more rags won’t add much space or add more resources to wash.  I don’t know about you, but going to someone’s house for dinner and using a fabric napkin instantly makes a meal feel so classy!  What if that were your house?!

How do you do it at your house?  Is your kitchen paper-free?  Or is it something you’ve considered?  If you’ve got some tips on the transition, I’m sure we’d all love to hear!