How to Make Unpaper Towels
In many cases, being frugal and being green go hand-in-hand, and making unpaper towels is one of those cases. Using paper towels once and then throwing them away wastes money as well as resources. Create your own thin and absorbent towels that work as well as paper towels, but get washed and reused to reduce waste. Make a stack of these unpaper towels in an afternoon and save money as well as trees.
Things You'll Need
- 1 yard cotton birdseye fabric
- Scissors
- Sewing machine or serger
- Washing machine
- Laundry soap
- Dryer
Instructions
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1
Cut the yard of birdseye cotton fabric into four pieces by splitting the length of fabric down the middle vertically. Cut each one of these two pieces in half horizontally. You now have four fabric pieces, each one measuring about 14-by-18 inches.
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2
Serge the outside of each rectangle of fabric if you have a serger. If you're using a sewing machine, make a zigzag stitch along the outside edge, running the outside part of the stitch right at the fabric edge. This will prevent the fabric from raveling when being used or washed.
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3
Wash the unpaper towels in hot water and laundry soap to remove any sizing and to shrink them. Dry the towels in the dryer. Do not use fabric softener or dryer sheets.
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Tips & Warnings
This project makes four towels. Many people spend and afternoon to create two or three dozen for their kitchen.
Make a drawstring bag, or create one using an old pillowcase, as a laundry bag for your unpaper towels.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Creatas/Getty Images
