How to Clean Without Paper Towels

Paper towels are convenient, wasteful, and a quiet ongoing cost that adds up fast. Giving them up is easier than it sounds once you've got a couple of reusable swaps in place. Here's how to clean without paper towels, without making your life harder.

Start with a stack of cloths

The whole trick is having enough reusable cloths that you never feel short. Microfiber cloths, cut-up old towels and t-shirts, or Swedish dishcloths all work. Keep a stack right where the paper towels used to live, so reaching for one is just as easy as tearing off a sheet.

Match the cloth to the job

A simple system stops it feeling gross: one set for surfaces and counters, one for dishes, and one for floors and the messier jobs. Different colors make them easy to keep straight. When they're dirty, they go in the wash, not the bin.

Keep a backup for the genuinely gross stuff

Nobody wants to wash a cloth they used on something truly nasty, and that's fine. Keep a small stash of compostable cloths, or a roll of recycled paper towels, for the rare jobs you'd rather just throw away. Going reusable for ninety-odd percent of the time still cuts almost all the waste.

Try a reusable "paper towel"

If it's the tear-off convenience you'll miss, reusable paper towels exist: cloth sheets you use, wash, and use again for years. Plastno makes a sponge towel that's exactly this, a plant-based, washable swap for the kitchen roll.

Wash them right so they last

Run them through a normal wash, skip the fabric softener (it kills absorbency), and hang or tumble dry. A small bin or bag for used cloths keeps them out of the way until laundry day, so they're not piling up on the counter.

Make the habit stick

Switching habits is easier when you're not relying on memory. If "restock the cloths" or "wash the cleaning rags" keeps slipping, the household chore app Plastnofy lets you snap a photo and set it as a recurring chore, so it actually happens instead of being a someday thing. Download Plastnofy free on the App Store or Google Play.

A stack of cloths, a simple sorting system, and a backup for the gross jobs. That's basically it, and it cuts a surprising amount of waste. For more swaps room by room, here's our sustainable cleaning guide.