Reduce, Reuse, Compost My Paper Towels

Posted on 01/14/2021 by n2n

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.

Wrapping Cleaned Greens for Fridge Storage

[ New —> Kind of Clean]

Drying Washed Plates/Utensils for Immediate Use

[New —> Pretty Clean]

For this, I use Tork HK1975A Perforated Roll Towel because of its chlorine-free processing (Green Seal Standard GS-1) and other features
Folded paper towel absorbs more water and less likely to tear
I sometimes let it air dry on a clean tray, then reuse it for the same purpose

Hand Drying

[New –> Pretty Clean]

I use this sheet only after I washed my hands with soap and water
I don’t use it for other purposes until it needs to be down graded
For repeat use, I use Viva for it’s durability
Between uses, I spread it to air dry
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.

To Be KonMari Clean (Clothes on Hangers)

Posted on 10/04/2015 by n2n

Continuing with my KonMari process, I tackled the “clothes on hangers” sub-category.

For me, they were the old business outfits and dresses that I’ve stored away in another closet that I couldn’t possibily fit into my own.

Other then the volume of clothes, this was very easy. They were too small but still in very good condition so all of them went to my favorit 100% volunteered local charity. And of course, there were many other ways to give your old clothes second lives.

In my previous post, I mentioned how I thank my out-going clothing by folding or arranging them nicely before I delivered them to charity shops. A lady at the shop mentioned how nice it was to received them this way. Not only my old clothes got more appreciation, it brought the volunteers joy while they work.

Back to clothes on hangers. Here are my notes:

I had bought a bright yellow, waterproof, stylish jacket with a hoody to fulfill my promise to my designer cousins. I love the jacket but never wears it. Now it has room to breath on the hanger, it sparks joy every time I see it. I wore it on walks in the fall rains and very happy to find out that it’s warm and really waterproof (Style to me often means impractical.)
I wished I’d donated these quality garments much sooner. I found some spongy padding on hangers turned to sticky dusts because they are so old, I worried that the charity shop might not get as much money out of them.
Do keep the dry cleaning bags for until you are done with the entire cleanup. Use them as light garbage bags (tide the hanger opening). Or in our area, home shredded paper are required to go into a clear plastic bag, so I saved it for the document clean up phase.

After the clean up, there are only three things left on hangers that I don’t wear often.

1 long coat for super cold winter
1 jacket (mentioned above) for rainy spring/fall days
1 dress for all formal occasions

I love that I can actually see the backwall of my closet now.

To Be KonMari Clean (Clothes-Tops, Bottoms)

Posted on 09/30/2015 by n2n

As instructed in Marie’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, I started with clothes.

From one of her Japanese tv appearances, I learned that you should never take anything out of your room for this. I decided to work by the subcategory so I’d have the room to sort and fold. And again by the order suggested in the book.

The check list here is posted in my room and I gave myself a sticker as I finish each subcategory. The the gold stars you get when you were a kid.

And no worry about not being overwhelmed enough that I’d go back to my old way again. I thought I did a “deep cleaning” last year yet I saw I still have so much more.

Pick What You Love 1st

When I saw all these clothes, I didn’t know where to begin. Then I saw the corner of my favorit summer shirt peaking out and remembered I need to pick out what sparks joy.

When to Take Short Breaks

There were moments I wanted to give everything away and moments I worried I’d have nothing to wear when the weather tunes.

These were the irrational moments I took breaks. I also remind myself that if I didn’t keep going, I won’t be able to sleep in my bed then I got right back to it.

Showing Gratitude to Not-Keeping items

It felt funny literally thanking each item because it feels like an empty gesture (it’s a very Japanese thing to do but I’m not Japanese). But I also didn’t want to skip this step, especially after thanking so many times.

To show my respect, I folded every piece as if it’s going back into my closet (also very Japanese but this one I can do with sincerity.) Even if it’s going to be recycled, I still folded it.

This is also a good opportunity to inspect each item for it’s proper destination. More explanations in Holey Cloth Are Still Holy.

Storing

I’m going to wait until all of my clothing are sorted out so I can position them logical, accessible way so I’d never have to “remember” where I put what.

My room is a mess right now but the vision of my dream room is fueling my effort.

Notes

When Marie says keep what sparks joy, I think that includes the items you need.
Remember to do this by yourself in the room, you need to be the one making the decisions.
Do this in silence, it will help you stay mindful and being in the zone.

Side Effect

Unsubscribe from sites I’m no longer interested. I can always sign up again when I need to later.

Think downstream

Posted on 03/25/2011 by n2n

“Reuse!” People say that a lot and it’s a great idea but I suggest that you take it a bit further downstream.

Seen those art projects people make out of the liter soda bottles by glueing more items on them? How would you recycle those after that? We don’t know if the items attached to the bottles are recyclable or not. Or if they will break or jam up the machines/process at the recycling plants.

To me, reuse only make sense when you can’t find a place to recycle the item or when the item is reused in a purposeful, long term way, such as glass bottle wall.

Needs to Note

Quests to Satisfy My Curiosity, Metaphysical and Otherwise

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