The Most Brilliant, Mom-Approved Idea That’ll Help You *Cut* Back on Paper Towels
For obvious reasons, I’ve been trying to cut back on the number of paper towels I use. It’s not just about cost — I don’t have the extra storage (even if the rolls are on sale!) and, more importantly, I know that throwing gobs of paper towels away contributes to our planet’s growing waste problem. That’s why I’ve made a conscious effort to stock up on microfiber and cloth towels. Still, I almost always end up coming back to the convenience of paper towels.
If I’m rushing to clean up a fast-spreading, drippy mess or my hands are soaking wet and my kids ask me for a snack, I often grab a paper towel. And too often, I grab way more than I actually need. I’ll only need one but accidentally pull off two in my haste. I wasn’t exactly sure how to do better, but then I came across a brilliant hack on TikTok. Apparently, you can save on paper towels by simply cutting the entire roll in half! I stumbled upon a video of a mom trying this trick and I knew I’d have to do the same.
And guess what? The paper towel roll was super easy to cut. Just like in the video, I placed my roll on a wooden cutting board and used a large, serrated knife to cut it in half. Then, I popped one half on the paper towel dispenser next to my sink and tucked the other half in the cleaning cabinet for later use.
The money-saving hack is geared toward parents, because as we know, kids are often habitual offenders of grabbing way too many paper towels (that goes for toilet paper, too!). My kids aren’t quite old enough to easily reach for their own paper towels (and they’re, uh, cleaning-averse), but I knew instantly this hack would work for my husband and me.
With just half a roll, I can still pull semi-mindlessly, but automatically take a smaller amount. Plus, I’m pretty convinced that just the sight of half a roll reminds me not to use too much. The mini-sized towels themselves are still big enough to wipe your hands and easily clean up a mess. This brilliant idea will definitely help me cut back on paper towels. Pun intended!
How do you cut back on paper towel use? Tell us in the comments below.