Green Cleaning For Dummies
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If you are stubbornly resistant to using paper towels, then you may already be aware of the virtues of using cloth napkins and handkerchiefs. In addition to wet wipes, single-use cleaning pads, throwaway coffee cups, and other unnecessary uses of paper, paper towels and tissues are piling up in our landfills. Not to mention sacrificing trees to produce tissues for your nose and paper towels for wiping up your messes.

In the past, our grandparents used handkerchiefs, or hankies, instead of disposable paper products. They ranged from plain to pretty, and these dainty squares of cloth were all reusable workhorses. Like cloth diapers, they handled the dirty work, provided gentle protection, and came clean to serve again and again.

Try bringing a couple hankies with you, tucked in a coat pocket or backpack, next time you venture out. In time, you may start to coordinate them with your clothes — the way Grandma did. Most important, though, she'd be proud of your frugality.

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