How Much Cash You Can Save By Quitting Paper Towels (And We Promise You'll Still Have A Clean Kitchen)

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Quick: You've spilled something in the kitchen; what are you grabbing? For most of us, paper towels are our first instinct. They're quick, easy, and tend to get the job done. But using paper towels is a common kitchen-cleaning habit that can do more harm than good; not just for the environment, but for your wallet, too. Even if paper towels don't seem pricey when you're stocking up at the supermarket, they're a single-use cleaning supply and you're likely utilizing them multiple times a day every day. Depending on the size of your household, you could be going through one roll a week or more. Sure, there are cheap brands at the dollar store and on Amazon — Sparkle, for instance, is just under six bucks for three rolls, coming to less than $2.00 each. Higher-quality brands, though, like Bounty, can get slightly more expensive. Two albeit triple-sized Bounty rolls go for about $9.70 on Amazon.

The number will vary based on what brand you tend to use, if you get regular or double- or triple-sized rolls, and how many people in your home are using paper towels however frequently. But looking at a brand like Sparkle, if you go through a roll a week, that's about $2.00 per week for 52 weeks of the year, amounting to $104. Your total could go up from there if you prefer another kind of paper towel. And triple-digit price totals are significant. Wouldn't it be nice to save that $104?

United States consumers go through 13 billion pounds of paper towels every year. This creates an incredible amount of waste, plus the production of these disposable goods requires 17 trees and 20,000 gallons of water for every ton of towels. If you switch to a reusable product, you'd save money, be more sustainable, and possibly even get cleaner results.

One life-saver option? Swedish dishcloths. Swedish dishcloths are unique because they're essentially extra durable, reusable paper towels — you'll get the clean you expect from the latter, but without tossing the towels each time. They're made of cotton and biodegradable plant material, and are ribbed for some abrasive texture that helps scrub stubborn spots and mop up spills. They can also absorb 20 times their weight. You can find a 10-pack of Jecole Swedish dishcloths for $10, and get plenty of use out of them by washing them by hand, in the dishwasher, or in the washing machine.

Microfiber cloths are cleaning heroes in the kitchen, too. They're textured for help scrubbing up spots, but super gentle so won't damage surfaces. They're effective, don't leave lint behind, and are easily machine-washable. They can also be a bargain, too — grab 12 Homexcel microfiber cleaning cloths for just $7. If you need something delicate, you can use cheesecloth, and if you need something super sturdy, try Arkwright heavy-duty cotton terry cloth towels. To effectively quit paper towels, have a few options from cheesecloth to microfiber to terry-cloth towels, keeping them accessible at different stations in your kitchen so they're always within reach.