my dirty secret: green envy

Pardon the interruption on the closing summer ceremonies. I need to call myself out.

I have green envy. Nope, I'm not talking about our landscaping this time.

I grew up green.

(I'm talking about earth-friendly kind! But unfortunately, the kissing kind too. #latebloomerproblems)

My mom is as green as they come. She uses things until they can't be used. And then she uses them a little bit longer. Accordingly, we were expected to follow her green-ery.

We saved cool whips containers, butter containers, spaghetti sauce jars, popsicle sticks...the list goes on and on.

We recycled everything. even toilet paper. juuust kidding.

But one habit my mom couldn't quite control was my extreme use of (bobby pins and) paper towels.

In my defense, I was really really busy in my teen years. For example, (let me stand on my soapbox for a sec) I balanced 3 jobs, a centerfold (careful now....) editor for the school newspaper, cheerleading, a competition show choir, various other organizations, social commitments as well as a small (depending on who you ask) case of OCD and germ phobia. (and spiders and raw meat).

I didn't have time to keep track of whether dish towels (that look like they survived a nuclear bomb) had been washed recently or not.

Paper towels or die. That was my motto to remain sane.

As I have proceeded through life, this paper towel obsession seems to have gotten worse, but I think that it's grown relative to the amount of domestic responsibilities that have increased?

Now, I am in control of dish towel washing (and replacing as necessary). I use a dish towel to dry off the dishes after they run through the dishwasher. Then it goes to the washing machine. I use a different dish towel that hangs on my oven for drying washed hands, but I can only stand to see the same one for a few days before it gets sent to the washer too.

I use paper towels when piper has accidents, cleaning up after raw meat and most food prep, and after washing my hands when dealing with raw meat, or giving piper a (salmonella filled) treat.

I use paper towels when cleaning with harsh chemicals in my shower, and even not-so-harsh chemicals cleaning the toilet and the rest of the bathroom.

I use paper towels to dry off the veggies that come out of our garden.

I'm sure I am forgetting some...

Before I show you the next picture...keep in mind that we fill our recycling bin (on the right) twice as fast as we fill our trashcan.

(drumroll please...)

You can't tell from the picture, but it is (not tightly) filled 3/4 of the way with paper towels (and some onion peels and tomato cores..wait until you see what I have been cooking up!). We go through a huge sam's club pack of paper towels once a month.

Do you have any ideas to help me wean myself off?!

I should probably just trust that my washing machine could handle cleaning dish towels and rags with chemicals and dirt... and salmonella, right?

free-me-from-this!
XO