Marigolds and Meat

Eco-Friendly Reusable Kitchen Cloth Wipes in Minutes

by 41 Comments

Replace paper towelling with reusable kitchen cloth wipes in minutes!

stacked cloth wipes to keep your kitchen clean

As you already know, I like to reuse, recycle and re-purpose anything that I can.  I collect old t-shirts, towels and socks to chop up and turn into kitchen wipes over a few months and then hey presto, I get a new batch of reusable kitchen cloth wipes in minutes!

If the clothes we want to discard are wearable and in relatively good condition I will donate them to people in need. But sometimes, we have garments that are not wearable. And this is a way of reusing, re-purposing and recycling them!

Quick and simple is my jam

I’ve seen numerous posts about making cloth wipes for your kitchen and they look absolutely beautiful. But they don’t take 5 minutes to make. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the time or inclination to sit in front of my sewing machine, hemming 20 squares of material for my kitchen.  I think everyone else’s efforts are commendable and are aesthetically top-notch. But for those of you out there who want to make kitchen wipes in 5 minutes and don’t care too much about how they look, this post is for you!

5 Reasons for Switching from Paper Toweling to Reusable Kitchen Cloth Wipes

  1. Using reusable cloth wipes is an act of caring for our earth. At the bottom of this post, I will add a few links that will give you some more information on this.
  2. It will save you money. In Zimbabwe, paper towelling is pricey. I know that this is not the case overseas but overall, it will save you money wherever you live.
  3. One wipe cleans a whole lot more that one piece of towelling. The wipes that you make will absorb more moisture and remove far more dirt than a piece of paper towelling. When I used to use paper towelling I’d often use more than one piece to clean up a mess. With a cloth wipe, I often don’t have to use more than one and if I do, it makes no financial difference so who cares!?
  4. They are simple and free to replace, and they don’t sit in a landfill for the next 400 years, like some plastic-based scourers. When your reusable kitchen wipes have turned to threads you just have to reach for an old holey and tattered t-shirt, cut it up and boom! You have some more.
  5. They will perfectly compliment you recently made chemical-free lemon and vinegar cleaning spray.

How to Make Eco-friendly Reusable Kitchen Cloth Wipes in Minutes

1 – Gather your old and tattered garments

If the material will absorb moisture, you can use it. In the photos here, I have one old red t-shirt that my husband had annihilated in his workshop and two very old tea towels that have holes in them and in some part are threadbare.

Old clothes that you can turn into kitchen wipes

2 – Decide on a size and start cutting

Decide on the size of wipe that would best suit your needs. I have found that around the size of your hand works best but it is nice to have a few bigger ones for bigger messes. In this batch of wipes, I have made myself bigger sized wipes because I’ve been making big messes lately – oops!

Remember that this tutorial is aimed at getting as many wipes as possible in as little time as possible. If you have a bit more time on your hands, you could hem your wipes, but it really isn’t necessary.

You can choose whatever size best suits you when making your cleaning cloths.

3 – Pick a Storage Container

Sticking to my commitment to reuse, re-purpose and recycle, my wipes are stored in old formula containers and placed on my kitchen counters. I don’t put the lids on the containers because it is much easier to quickly dip my hand in and grab a wipe. I am quite sure you will have a cute container lying around to store your wipes in.

So that is how you get reusable kitchen cloth wipes in minutes!

What Happens After You’ve Used a Wipe?

Well, this is up to you but let me tell you what I do.

The system that works best for me is that once I have used a wipe, I dust it off into my composting bucket (depending on the contents) and then place it at my sink. When I get a moment, I take all of my dirty wipes and put them in the laundry basket, waiting to be in the next wash cycle. They dry quickly so in no time at all, they’re back on my kitchen counter waiting to be used again.

Old formula tins make a great storage container

Curious about the impact that paper towelling has on our environment?

Here are a few article to read:

The World Counts

Ocean Conservancy

The journey of a paper towel

Take a look at some of our latest posts here:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cecil Edwards

    Thank you…I enjoyed reading your latest post and appreciate the rationale. My only reservation is that I dont think we generate enough “throw-away” garments to keep us in a constant supply of wipes. Still worth trying it out. Would love to visit your home, one day, and see how an Eco- friendly Reusable kitchen operates.

    Reply

    • marigoldsandmeat

      Thanks for a lovely comment Revcec! I see what you’re saying about not generating throw-away garments. Some families generate more than others, I guess. What may help you is if there is a jumble sale near you. You may pick up a few pieces for a minuscule price and that would start you off!

      Reply

  5. Abbie

    Uhhhh…thanks so much for sharing. I have been trying to transition our entire household to reusable items. Thanks so much for sharing. SOOOO helpful.

    Reply

  8. Tani

    So true about sewing the wipes. We don’t buy paper towels and tend to just use dishtowels. I found having a small waste basket in my kitchen to put dirty wipes in makes it easier to stay on top of laundering them.

    Reply

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