Monday, April 9, 2012
How Long Does a Year’s Supply of Paper Towels Really Last?
That was the question I posed last fall after I won a year’s supply of paper towels from Brawny at BlogHer11. I was excited when two cases of paper towels arrived:
But I’m in the kitchen a lot. I bake four or five times a week, and in between I use paper towels frequently because they help avoid contamination. So I knew that those two cases might not actually last the year. Six months later, here is what I have left:
They’ll be gone by the end of the week. For me, a year’s supply was a half-year’s supply, but that’s not bad at all considering my usage. How long do you think a year’s supply of paper towels would last you?
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8 comments:
Did you ever think about using reusable cloths? Saves money and trees?
Is there a point to this entry besides environmental irresponsibility?
Jill, thanks for weighing in. I fully appreciate that reusable cloths are more environmentally friendly. I will point out that the audience here are families with food allergies, and cross-contamination is a huge issue. Paper towels can literally be a lifesaver in some circumstances. Again, I appreciate your thoughts and your participation.
How is there cross contamination if you keep your house free from allergens?
We all have stewardship of the world, including people with allergies.
Jill, unfortunately, it's not always possible to keep all allergens out of the house. Some families are dealing with conflicting allergies. For others, expense is an issue.
Again, thanks for sharing your views!
"expense is an issue" -- woah! hold on, paper towels are expensive, when compared to ripping up an old t-shirt and washing them.
and, the results of our 'environmental irresponsibility' as jill says-- poor air quality, water, toxic chemicals in/on everything from cribs to baby bottles -- are partially responsible for many peoples' allergies. meaning, our environmental irresponsibility is also extremely expensive in terms of resources on the planet and our own health. bummed about this post!
My comment on expense was not about the cost of the paper towels -- but the fact that due to the high cost of special foods for those with allergies, that it's not practical to feed those foods to all family members. I agree that paper towels are expensive compared to rags.
From a science perspective, it's not clear what the cause of allergies are. More on that in a future post.
And again, thanks for sharing your views.
I try to be Eco Friendly and have a pile of good cotton kitchen towels that I use regularly but paper towels can be a lifesaver at our house. My husband is highly allergic to corn, soy and peanuts. I'm allergic to wheat, intolerant to gluten, allergic to beef and so on... For the most part we eat the same diet but he has his little cabinet and I have mine. Rather than worry over what is on a shared kitchen towel we use paper towels for most things that have been "contaminated" with the others allergens. It's not fun when a kitchen towel is used to clean up Wheat Cereal and unintentionally left out where I unknowingly dry my hands and end up with just a rash on my hands if I'm lucky..... So, Collette, all that to say I understand the paper towel craziness....
Thanks Rebecca, I know there are many of us out there dealing with contamination issues.
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