I am super picky and wants the best tool for the job. I use Spiff Cloth to clean smooth surfaces like counter tops, stove tops, etc. It’s ultra easy and best at cleaning chrome faucets and mirrors. But it is not the best for soaking up liquid.
In the past, I had tried and posted about other cloths for soaking up liquid. The natural fiber one needed to get a bit wet before taking on the water. The synthetic fiber one has the same issue and it’s not eco friendly.
A few years back, I tried If You Care Sponge Cloths. I mostly use it to soak up the water catcher under the dish rack.
No waiting. It takes on water immediately and quickly.
Drys fast = less smell. I rinse it out and hang it up after use.
Durable = money saving. I am only on my 2nd cloth after 2 years. (It may not be the case for you since I only use it to soak up water)
Cloths and Packaging are made of natural materials. Cloths: 70% cellulose & 30% cotton, Packaging (plastic looking type): certified compostable corn starch.
Good to Note
These will dry in the shape you left them, so if you don’t like uneven cloths, lay them flat to dry.
On the compostable part for both the cloths and non-paper packaging: Please ask the local facilities if they would accept these in the compost bin for the garbage pickup. Mine doesn’t, so I will be downgrading my cloths for picking up liquid on the floor eventually.
For people who need to, they are machine washable in water up to 190F (88C), up to 300 times. (I don’t need to so I haven’t tried.)
They are made in Germany, not USA, That’s why I waited to post this, kept hoping they would.
For more product details, visit the If You Care page.
Where to buy
Local stores. If you want check it out first, call the stores first to make sure they have them.
If You Care web site. Free shipping in USA over $25 of purchase.
Amazon. If you decided you like them, keep it on your wish list and watch for deals.
Though the hand towel size kitchen towel comes in handy when moving hot dishes, it’s too large and too thick for my liking. Good thing I found some USA made kitchen cloths that work for me.
Easy to wash by hand (I got some sauce on it once, I washed it immediately with Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Soap then wrung it dry which I couldn’t do with the large, thick kitchen towel.)
Machine wash and dry
Durable (been using them for a little more than a year, the fabric holds up pretty well. The color looks better than in my photo. Click to enlarge the image below.)
Good to note
My City Threads17″ x 17″ towels shrinks to about 14.5″ x 15.25″ after washing (measured without starching it smooth)
They also come in 11″ x 11″
Trims come in other colors, too
Marley’s Monsters Reusable Organic UNpaper Towel
For drying my hands in general
Made in USA
100% organic cotton (may use both US and imported materials)
A little thicker than the City Threads towels
Machine wash and dry
Good to note
These came in 10″ x 12″. After many washes, these shrunk to about 9.5″ x 10.75″
They are flannel so they do pill (click on the image below to enlarge, color looks better to me than on the screen)
To be a friend to the Earth in the kitchen, of course it’s best to use only washable towels but I still prefer paper towels in certain situations. For example, I just can’t use towels washed with laundry detergent to dry my produce and knives.
So I do my best to get as much out of each sheet as I can. The trick is to down grade the use as the paper towel gets dirtier. Below, I list the usages with the conditions of the paper towel before and after.
I still use cloth towel unless I will be eating with my hands (pizza, fruits, etc.)
Soaking up Oil / Cleaning Food Scraps Before Dish Washing
[Kind of Clean —> Not too Clean/Compost]
I do this before/instead of rinsing before washing dishes
This saves on soap and water because the dishes are now easier to clean
Super effective on oily plastic containers
When the paper towel has done all it can, I put it in the compost bin for garbage collection (might not work well in the home compost pile)
Prepare Items for Recycling
[Not too clean —> Compost]
I clean out the oil and food residues in containers before recycling them
I can avoid or reduce the use of soap and water since items don’t need to be food safe clean
At this stage, the sheet then goes straight to the compost bin
This strategy might not work for you but you get the idea. I almost never use paper towels outside of the kitchen but the same idea applies, only it might not be compost safe because of the chemicals in your cleaners.
Though it turned out not durable enough like Viva for repeat use, Tork is my first choice in other uses. Also, when I can avoid using paper towels, I use two kinds of USA made cloth towels for drying hands and food preparation.
Washing hands literally saves your skin in more ways than one, especially when healthy skin is often our first line of defense. But are you paying attention to what is aggravating your skin other then the act of frequent hand washing?
Few years back, I had a spell of skin break-out from using a new laundry detergent. I got better after switching back to my old detergent but I noticed my hand washing and dish washing soaps also caused tiny blisters and persistent dryness despite the constant application of lotion.
I went through various products until I found these three natural/organic items and have been using them more than a year.
Happy You, Happy Skin
And of course, when you take good care of your mind, body, and spirit, your skin bounces back faster. As I recovered from the break-out, I’ve eliminate certain food and used various methods to heal myself.
And now, unless I am washing my hands or dishes from cooking all day long, I only need to put the lotion on my hands once before bed.
[Unscented] If you have any kind of skin or respiratory issues, always start with a clear, fragrance free version.
[Customizable] The beauty of the unscented soap is that you get to make it yours by adding essential oils you already have. This way you get to change it up as often as you like.
If you are like me, you’ll need this list of trusted and not too expensive brands recommended by a friend experienced in using essential oils. All three companies list the country of origin, a good thing!
[Money Saving] One 32 oz bottle will last you a while because you really need to dilute it. I didn’t knew about this the first time I tried it and it took me a while to wash it all off. So, check their dilution cheat sheet before first use.
You can adjust the ratio to your liking. I do 1 part soap to 5 part water, only pump out a few drops each time so I don’t have to refill as often. Again, it may feel very watery but it foams up well.
The colloidal oatmeal is the key ingredient that keeps my skin happy. I also noticed that I don’t need to use extra amount just because it’s an “eco” soap.
I had a sticker shock when I first saw it on Amazon. So I tried using Dr. Bronner’s for dish washing for a while but I didn’t like it and it dried my skin out more than I expected though it did not cause blisters.
Out of desperation, I bought one bottle to test. Lucky for me, I like how my skin was not nearly as dry as using other products. I then ordered direct from Attitude (Canada) to get it at the actual price. I also bought in bulk to save on shipping and get the discount.
If you are new to Attitude online shop, you can get $20 off and I get 10% off after you completed a purchase.
Or, if your skin is not as “princessy” as mine, you might consider other options they offer. These have a more reasonable prices.
[ UPDATE 4/30/21 ] ATTITUDE no longer produces “ATTITUDE Sensitive Skin, Hypoallergenic Dishwashing Liquid, Fragrance Free” that I recommended. Instead, I have replaced and tested the “Baby Bottle & Dishwashing Liquid” under their Sensitive Home Cleaning line. The image shown is the latest look which may be different from it’s Amazon product page.
A drop the size of a dime covers both hands and wrists. a little goes a long way.
Keep skin moisturized longer (no frequent application needed)
“Gabriel Green” recycle program: send empties back and get a free product
Find Your Own Combo Set
Even though these products work for me, they may not be for you. In this case, a safe start would be to search on EWG.org (The Environmental Working Group) in Skin Deep guide and Cleaning Product guide.
Yes, I recycled incandescent light bulbs! At my local IKEA!
It is right by the exit where I passed by many, many times. How in the world did I miss the lovely recycle station there? Oh, right, on every visit, I actively avoid buyer’s remorse and not hanging out at IKEA for fun.
Other than incandescent light bulbs, my local IKEA takes fluorescent light bulbs, plastic bags (the grocery store bins are always overflowing and often mistaken as the garbage can), and their old catalogs/paper. I’ve found other locations taking cardboard and batteries.
But I am not sure if every store accepts the same things, so make sure you look for the recycle station the next time you visit your local IKEA.
(This post only applies to LloydPans dark coating products.)
Switched Again for Lighter, Tougher Pans
About 10 years back, I replaced all of my baking pans to ones made in USA. They were silicon coated to be nonstick.
After a while, I noticed the pans began to have brown patches. I was worried that if elements can seep through the coatings then the aluminum would have come in contact with the food, too. Also, these pans tend to be heavy and hard to handle during baking and washing, especially the care needed to not scratch the coating.
I started my search for new pans, determined to find something better and still made in USA. Then I stumbled upon a site for serious pizza makers and it led me to LloydPans.
Why I Love Using LloydPans
Made in Spokane Valley, Washington, USA
Their special DARK coatings: Pre-Seasoned Tuff-Kote® and Dura-Kote®
Non-toxic, water base (eco-friendly), PTFE and PFOA free sealer
The sealer gets down into the pores to form the seal over the anodized metal surface (I think that prevents interaction with food and metal)
no seasoning the pans (I wash them after each use to avoid the need)
no oiling before baking (from my own experiences)
safe with metal utensil (hand whisks, spatulas, NOT knives/mixers)
stick resistant
safe to heat up to 700 F (450 F is the limit for silicon coated pans)
absorbs heat very well
Light weight — easier to handle when baking and washing
Metal utensil safe = less worry! Now I don’t have to be careful about forks and table knives touching the pans in the sink
For stubborn stuck-on food, I just soak it in warm water for 30 min, using a flexible spatula (a rep. at LloydPans told me she uses her metal spatula to do this and her pans still works well) to work on the toughest spots, then finish off with a with my 100% plant based Scotch-Brite Non-Scratch Scrub Sponge (read my review)
No rust nor stain so far after 3 months of frequent use (I dry mine at 150 F for a few minutes in my toaster oven so I can put them away sooner.)
Tough stuck-on food after reheating roasted root vegetable
Soaking it in warm water
Scrubbed the toughest spots with a flexible spatula
Only needed 30 min. of soaking
After a quick rinse
After washing it with soap and sponge
More Tips and Notes
Read and follow the instructions from LloydPans. If you have more questions after that, go to LloydPans.com, you can chat or call them for help. I had great customer service experiences with them.
NEVER put empty oiled pans in the oven, it’s bad for the coating.
Watch and adjust the oven temperatures and positions the first time you use your LloydPans with any recipes. Their dark coated pans absorb heat very well, one time I had to turn my toaster oven down 50 F.
“Beauty Marks” is okay — During the production process, where the clamps hold the pan, there are marks left on the reams, it doesn’t effect the performance nor the durability of the pan.
Direct from LloydPans or LloydPans Kitchenware (for cookware and other home kitchen products) — I am a bit picky and wanted items as close to my ideal as possible, so I ordered from them. If they don’t have the items in stock, they will make them for you, so it may take a while. They will send you an estimated date after you placed the order.
Better Cooking Life Through LloydPans
Being a slow cook, using LloydPans pans and baking dish saves me time and many little annoyances in the kitchen. And USA made products still rock!
As I was recovering from horrible reaction from a well-known brand of enzyme based laundry detergent, my skin was worse after I washed dishes. So, I began my search for a new hand wash dish soap. Since I don’t have a dish washer, a good and safe dish washing soap is very important.
I never thought an well-known eco brand would put out products like this. I was so shocked, I had to pick up the bottle and read the ingredients myself.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
That’s when I realized I had been washing my dishes with SLS in the soap. I had been avoiding SLS in my body care products, I never thought to check my dish soap. I just blindly trusted the brand.
And if I don’t want to use SLS on my skin, why would I put it in my body?
I also found that many of their personal care products are EWG VERIFIED to be “free from EWG’s chemicals of concern and meets our strictest standards for your health.”
Clean Dishes, Smooth Skin
It’s been 3.5 months since I switched to Attitude. It cleans as well as my old brand with the same amount of soap. And I am happy to report that my hands are no longer completely dried out. In fact, my skin feels softer!
Buy A Test Bottle
Both my body and I are glad we found EWG and Attitude but as with every new product, I suggest buying one to try then go from there.
For the test bottle, get it direct on ATTITUDEliving.com, as of Oct. 2018, their flate rate shipping and handling is $8.95 for just 1 bottle. (They ship to Canadian provinces & contiguous USA)
This fragrance-free dish soap seems to be harder to find than their other items on US sites, so the prices are pretty much the same as ordering from ATTITUDEliving.com. But if you rather get it via Amazon, put it on your wishlist and see if a deal comes up.
How to Save on #attitudeliving?
If you are new to ATTITUDEliving.com, you can get $20 off while I get a 10% discount. They also have a reward program once you have an account.
The Greener Clean Scrub Spongeslasted longer for me. I just can’t throw a sponge away every few weeks. You are not suppose to nuke this sponge in microwave (as noted on the packaging), so I sanitize it by pouring boiling water on it after squeezing it dry.
Replace your sponges often enough, it doesn’t matter that scrubbing layer wears quickly. (If it lasted as long, I wouldn’t mind using a Cananda made product)
I first used PlumbClear to clean slow drains in my very old house. It worked like a charm.
Ahh! The Toilet Is Clogged
According to Alson Enterprises, the manufacturer, the user should use it regularly to prevent any future clogging. I was too lazy…
Last night, the toilet finally had enough. The water saving presurized toilet had the power but somehow water won’t drain before the fresh flow came in, the water level got pretty high before it drained back down again. That meant PlumbClear can still be effective. (The enzyme and friendly bacteria stil could make direct contact with the organic material in the pipe.)
Patience Pays Even for Emergency
I was worried enough to consider dumping the powder right in the toilet but I held back. I used the [Septic Tank ratio]–2 scoops with 2 cups of warm water.
I waited 2 nervous hours as instructed, poured it down the toilet and waited another 30 minutes before flushing. On the 2nd flush, the toilet was working again. What a relief!
Once again, PlumbClear did a wonderful job and all without harmful chemicals!
