Reducing Paper Towel Waste
Do any of you have any solutions to reduce the amount of paper towels the kids waste?
The are expensive and they just waste so many of them. The state doesn't allow hand towels so paper is a must. I have a commercial dispenser and the paper tri fold towels that go in it are just so expensive. Ideas anyone? |
In my state the wording is "single use towels" so i use washcloths.
I keep a row available by the sink. I have a picture chart on the side of the mirror showing proper use. I keep a dishpan in the tub to discard the used ones, and toss them in the wash when I do a load. if your wording is similar, maybe that would work. |
Originally Posted by Unregistered: If you absolutely have to use paper, I would teach them "one and done". Every time they go to dry their hands, say one and done! and help them to get one paper towel only. |
Originally Posted by Unregistered: |
I may switch to the washcloth idea.....but this is what I do now. I don't keep the towels in the bathroom. They have to come out to get one. It makes the line of kids go faster too. They just have to make sure to shake the water off. I say......wash a little, rinse a little, shake a little....come get a little towel.
One girl was taking 5!!!!! 5!!!!!! No way! |
Our water & sewer bill is to much to wash *one & done* cloth towel. I also think about my day is long enough, I don't want to spend extra time doing laundry either.
I use the Aldi's brand with the *pic a size* paper towel. |
Originally Posted by coolconfidentme: ETA: I wash them during daycare hours so no added time |
In MD, licensing specifically says "paper towels", but that's for use after toileting.
I like the idea of using washcloths to wipe hands/faces after eating, plus I think the kids will do a better job cleaning themselves since they're sturdier. Now to find some black ones to hide the stains... |
Where I live it specifically says paper towels. I have heard of providers that cut the roll in half. Other than that just watch the useage. Start teaching them one and done and they will catch on. For me I couldnt imagine washing all those towels!
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Originally Posted by Naptime yet?: Originally Posted by : |
The cheap dark colored wash cloths work great as napkins at meal times too!
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What a couple of great ideas here, will be trying a few and see how it goes! I think I passed that rule in the book, and I still don't see hand drying rules, just hand washing rules. I have a towel hanging where they can wipe hands off. I figured...well, their hands are clean after they wash them so it shouldn't matter! But I might want to re think that.
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Originally Posted by : • Have a clean, disposable paper or single-use cloth towel available. |
Could you install a hand dryer? What's the rule on that?
I don't have washer/dryer at my DC..., I do live onsite. The city water/sewer is costly! I use paper plates too cuz running the dish washer is expensive. Sad but true. |
For me the wash cloths make sense as I already wash two loads of laundry each day (I follow the FLY Lady system - a load a day keeps the CHAOS away:lol: ) and as someone else pointed out, they are small enough that it doesn't add to my loads. I'm also on a well. For me the bigger hazard was papertowels being flushed down the toilet and clogging my septic:eek:
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Originally Posted by Childminder: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/dh...4_212611_7.pdf Thank you! I want to do it right :) |
I invested $200.00 in white hand cloths off of amazon. We use them like paper towels. Take one use it put it in the dirty basket.
I wash daily and bleach them. Would not do it any differently. I have 12-14 kids daily. |
Originally Posted by Play Care: |
I use washcloths too - a couple packs of the really cheap Walmart ones. I have to wash them every other day or so, but I'm doing at least 3 loads of laundry to keep up anyway so I toss them in with clothes if there aren't enough for a whole load.
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Originally Posted by : |
We use the select-a-size paper towels and then cut them in half so they're a square. Most kids are good about taking just one square, but I'll look in the trash every now and then and see a clump of 3-4. But since we're only using 1/2 a piece at a time it's not too bad. I wanted to try the washcloth idea but I hate doing laundry, especially since my washing machine is upstairs.
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I must use paper towels , no cloth allowed . I place 1 on the sink counter for the child to use if they need more then they need to ask .
That way they do not take a huge bunch to wipe their hands or flush. I have a large stack of paper towels on a shelf all ready to go and in case my licensing specialist shows up . I also use baby wipes for hands and face clean up after lunch/snack . |
How many washcloths do you make available per day? I am thinking with my group we would need 50 to 75 wash rags, if not more. That's a lot of rags! If you were to have enough for multiple days, I can't even fathom where I would store them all!
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No idea how many I actually have. But I buy in packs of a dozen and I have lots of packs :lol: At least six different colors, and I am sure I have two packs of some colors (um, dark blue! :lol:)
I always make sure there are at least as many laid out by the sink as I have children. Whenever I'm in the bathroom, I put out a few more, as needed. I'm there a lot anyway for handwashing, helping toddlers potty, etc. The rest: I have one shelf devoted to washcloths in the over-toilet storage. The rest are either stacked on the end of the folding table in my laundry, or in transition (in the "dirty" basket, in the laundry, etc.) |
Originally Posted by Second Home: |
I help the kiddos wash their hands and then I grab one or two paper towels for them to wipe their hands.
I buy the folded ones at Costco. |
Originally Posted by Childminder: |
Originally Posted by daycare: |
Each child in our daycare has a cloth towel with a loop sewn on hung on a hook by their name in the bathroom. They get washed daily if there is illness going around. Otherwise they get changed out according to how much they get used or if I'm doing laundry anyway at least twice a week. we also have a metal basket hung on the kitchen wall that holds lots of washcloths. we use those for wiping hands, faces or spills. I hardly buy paper towels anymore. Nasty clean ups get paper towels!
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