Why we LOVE cloth everything!

I love cloth things, I like the way they look, I like the way they work, I like that they are inexpensive, I like the way you never run out of them and I like the way they are green/earth friendly! In fact in our home almost anything you can buy as a paper product we use a cloth version.

Okay so confession time, when I was a young girl I used to think cloth hankies were so gross. It was one of those things that I told myself, "when I grow up I will NEVER be using one of those!" In my adult years, if there is one thing that I have learned, it is that I should "never say never!" Do you know why? Because most of the time when I do say it, I end up doing that very same thing. It is very humbling to face someone and admit you did a "never" who says, "I thought you said you would NEVER do that."

Anyway we are talking about my obsession with all things cloth. My mom made us, when we were first married, a huge set of cloth napkins. I can't tell you how many times when we have people over to eat they ask if they can use them or if they are for decoration! They are so pretty, and I find that it doesn't take as many to do the same job as a paper one so, less waste and I don't ever have to worry about running to the store because we have nothing to wipe our hands and faces on at dinner time.

Same for paper towels. We have microfiber towels that I use to wipe up messes on my counter. This one bothers my husband a little as he often uses them to see if seeds will germinate and I don't like doing that with the cloth because of molding. We have been using a mason jar sprouter which works okay for that purpose.

Yes, I do now use hankies instead of tissues. They are a big money saver and come in nice colors and patterns. Besides it is so cute to see my almost one year old son pick up a hankie and pretend to blow his nose, even if it is not runny. Funny kids :)

I have to say probably the biggest money saver we have in the cloth department is diapers. The average child goes through 8,000 diapers before they are fully potty-trained and according to the EPA all those diapers are estimated to take 550 years to decompose in a land fill! That is probably what most of our landfills are if you think of all the babies that are born in the US. So not only is it cheaper, and way more earth friendly, but they are so cute! All the bright colors and patterns that cloth diaper have now are just adorable on your baby's sweet bum. Honestly they are not really that hard to use either. I have used mainly two different kinds and and they are very simple, all Velcro and snaps, so no need to worry if you don't like the thought of pins.

We also use cloth wipes and they do a much better job than the ones that you buy in the store. Plus you don't have to worry about having harsh chemicals right against your babies bottom. It also happens to be a good character builder for my two year old, as it is her job to stack the clean wipes out of the dyer. She really enjoys having a job that really helps mommy and that she can do all by herself.

With all this cloth in our house you probably think I do a lot of extra laundry. Actually for our family of 4, with only one in diapers now, I do 1 load of napkins, towels and hankies and 2 loads of diapers a week. Not bad at all. I really don't notice it as it is a part our weekly routine now. I feel good about not spending the grocery money on napkins, paper towels, diapers and wipes. It just frees up my grocery list for more money toward good old fruits and veggies and more organic options. It lessens our impact on the earth, and hopefully leaves it a little better off for my children!

I hope to in the next couple weeks go into some of these cloth options a little more in depth.

                                                  Give cloth a chance and never say never :)
The Farmer in the Dell