Let’s Dish About the Cloth

Back in the day we used to refer to it as the dishrag. Now much are much more couth and we call them cloths. Dishcloths, washcloths etc. Whatever you call them they are a pivotal point in maintaining the kitchen hygiene. As far as what constitutes a good cloth varies largely from household to household.

About four years ago I followed a post about replacing paper towels in the kitchen. More ‘green’ and less waste. I was intrigued. I went out and loaded up on the necessary supplies needed to make me more eco-friendly. This included flannelette for the top and Terry towel for the opposite side. I bought the plastic snaps and all the necessary paraphernalia to work with those. I scoured the thrift stores for paper towel holders to house/display my creations and I was set. Oh and don’t forget the handy dandy Pinterest tutorial 😉 https://thriftyniftymommy.com/diy-how-to-make-your-own-unpaper-towels

This turned out to be a costly and tedious first attempt. My assessment of my end accomplishment was not stellar. Too pricey first off. Too fiddly restoring them to their roller after laundering. And, I didn’t like having the snaps on them either.

Fast forward to a couple years later when I had decided to try again, minus the snaps. While selecting the fabrics, I wanted a grey coloured Terry towel which I could not find. Instead I found a microfibre ‘terry towel’. Genius!! There is really no comparison between regular terry and microfibre. The microfibre is as effective at cleaning the glass table as as it is picking up crumbs from the counter or scrubbing in the sink. I found it to be more durable than the terry as well.

While all of that is true, so too is the fact that the cost is higher. A couple of our taglines at The New Urban Homesteaders is ‘waste not want not’ and ‘doing more with less’. With that in mind this is a perfect project for using old towels and flannelette jammies that the kids have outgrown. Your choice. 😉

Further, if you do not have a serger or are not a fan of the ‘rustic’ look; you can still whip these up on the sewing machine. With right sides together sew around your square leaving an opening for turning. turn right side out and sew a complete edge seem. And viola 😉