Cloth Napkins

"Replacing paper towels and napkins with cloth is an economical way to eliminate waste in the kitchen." --Carrie Vitt of Deliciously Organic

Carrie Vitt from healthy food blog Deliciously Organic and her family switched over from paper napkins to reusable cloth napkins 10 years ago. So when searching for someone who could shed light on how to switch from disposable paper to reusable cloth at home, we asked Carrie.

A better choice

Not only is switching to cloth better for the planet and healthier for your family, it's also more economical. Carrie figured that her family was spending about $87.62 a year on paper napkins and $67.60 a year on paper towels. By her calculations in 5 years, you'd save around $776.00! Mindful choices at home can have a mighty impact.

How to make the switch

The biggest change will be getting used to the concept of kitchen laundry. MightyTip: Keep a small pail or office-sized garbage can in your kitchen to collect everything from cloth napkins, dish towels, tea towels, and other machine-washable reusables like cloth snack and sandwich bags. Once you work this into your process, using reusable cloth napkins and dish towels will be no big deal. "I’ve always been a fan of slow and steady changes in the kitchen to avoid getting overwhelmed," says Carrie. When it comes to making the switch, she recommends this two-step process:

1. First, purchase 12 cloth napkins to start. 

2. Once you feel comfortable with that switch, then make the transition to replacing disposable paper towels by purchasing a few dish cloths. When she made the switch, Carrie bought 10 dishcloths for her family of four. We recommend our bestselling organic cotton Tidy Dish Cloths.

Giveaway!

Win $100 of reusable cloth napkins and towels by Oh Little Rabbit to get you started plus a $100 cash donation to your school! Enter for a chance to win this Earth Month Prize.  To enter click the green button below AND share with us what simple changes you have planned this Earth Month to reduce waste in your home. Giveaway ends April 23, 2015. View Official Rules.