Tuesday Tidbits: THE PAPER TOWEL MISTAKE & RECYCLE PROJECT

 Paper towels are used in virtually every room of the house; from the kitchen and bathroom to the living room and basements. For cleaning counters, walls, tubs, sinks, and more. They are used both inside and out. They can clean spots off a mirror or sop up a mess. With so many uses, it’s no wonder that paper towels are the second most used paper product behind toilet paper. 

But paper towels were created from a mistake. You could say that the Scott Paper Company made lemonade out of lemons, or in this case, made paper towels out of a railroad car full of defective toilet paper. The paper had been mistakenly created too thick and useless for toilet paper.

Arthur Scott had read an article of a school teacher who had given her students soft paper in the community washroom to dry their hands and then thrown away rather than spreading germs with a multi-use cloth towel. He had the defective paper cut into towel sized pieces and highlighted their superior hygienic quality for public washrooms in restaurants and hotels.

In 1931, Scott introduced the first kitchen paper towel. It measured 18” by 13”. However, paper towels didn’t catch on and didn’t become a must have item on everyone’s shopping list for some time. I suspect part of the reason could be the Great Depression. Who could afford a luxury like paper towels when their bellies were empty?

When my grandparents were young, they never would have imagined that one day cloth could be replaced by paper. The problem with the repeated uses of a cloth towel between washings is that it becomes germ and unsanitary.

In my attempt to reduce my trash footprint and consume less single-use items, I have come up with un-paper-towels. This is not a new thing. It’s more of an old thing, and with so many people on a green kick these days, it has made a comeback.

Their are a lot of YouTube videos of people showing how they make multi-use towels. Most buy fabric, cut it, and sew the edges. Some even add hook-n-loop dots to get them to stick together so they can roll them up like traditional paper towels on a roll. If I was going to give up paper towels, I needed something that was cheap, easy, and convenient.

Being on an extremely tight budget for the past several years, I didn’t want to spend money on fabric for this purpose. In order to have enough to use them for everything like we do with traditional paper towels, I would need scads of them so I wouldn’t have to wash them everyday. I needed something super cheap that I could make several “paper” towels out of. And what is cheaper than things we discard anyway.

So after some thinking, I decided that old T-shirts would make the perfect paper-towel replacement. They are cheap (from old ones I have in my closet that I no longer wear to ones I’ve been given to cheap ones at 50% off at a thrift store), and I can make several out of each T-shirt. And I don’t have to sew around the edges. Just wash them, cut them, stack them, and use them. Repeat.

When I make my T-shirt totes, I use the normally discarded sleeves as un-paper-towels. I use them in the same way I would paper towels. From sopping up spills, wiping counters, holding fresh fruit I’m eating, to many other things.

At first, I unhemmed the sleeves as to not waste any fabric. That became tedious right away, so I cut off a few hems. 

Then I decided I didn’t care if one side had a hem or not.

I collect the dirty ones in an area and wash them all together in an extra hot load.

Like some of the current paper towel companies who have made it easy to tear off various sizes of paper towels depending on the job, I have cut my un-paper-towels into various sizes for the same purpose.

Because they are super easy to “make” and cheap, I can have piles of them. I don’t need to worry about running out. And because the T-shirt material is thinner than terry cloth, they don’t take up a lot of space.

I bought these at a dollar store, thinking I could cut them in half and get twice as many for my money.

Well, I needed to sew the cut side so they didn’t unravel, and these particular ones didn’t absorb water well, so I lost interest in them. I did like the scrubby back they had.

I’ve been using my un-paper-towels for a couple of months now and like them a lot.

I must confess that if I didn’t like them and they weren’t easy and cheap to make, I wouldn’t use them. If I need to use one or two for some truly gross job that I’d be concerned that no amount hot water or bleach would make them sanitary, I wouldn’t feel bad about throwing the occasional one away.

Not only am I not needlessly using up paper towels, but I’m repurposing T-shirts that might have otherwise gone into a land fill, as well as not spending money on something designed to be thrown away.

I’m really happy with my un-paper-towels.

And thank you to all the YouTubers who put their video ideas for reusable “paper” towels online, giving me inspiration. Though someone may have already made these out of T-shirts, I didn't see any.

Related Posts:
Can I Recycle That: http://marydavis1.blogspot.com/2019/08/tuesday-tidbits-can-i-recycle-that.html
Throwing Away Money: https://marydavis1.blogspot.com/2019/09/tuesday-tidbits-throwing-away.html
T-shirt Totes: https://mountainbrookink.com/2019/07/25/mary-davis-t-shirts-to-totes-an-upcycling-craft-from-mary-davis-giveaway/

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
Click HERE to order yours today.
FREE Preview
#thimblesandthreadscollection
“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma


THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
FREE Preview
Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

HEARTBEATS IN TIME – 5 books of Old West Christian Romance (4 novels and 4 novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors, including my book, The Widow’s Plight. You'll love these 8 unique stories of love! Get it here: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI

#HeartbeatsInTimeSet

FREE Preview
The Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt
Heart of a Cowboy Novella Collection--four Old West romances by Susan Page Davis, Miralee Ferrell, Yvonne Lehman, and Vickie McDonough

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

Newsletter  Blog   FB  FB Readers Group   Amazon   GoodReads   BookBub

Tuesday Tidbits: THROWING AWAY $$$

I have a problem with paying money for something whose sole purpose is to be thrown away. A great example is trash bags. You buy them just to throw them away. For years, we had these special brackets affixed to the inside of a lower cupboard to hang the plastic grocery bags on, giving the bag I received for free a second life. When we moved nearly three years ago, we’ve been renting and haven’t felt comfortable putting holes in someone else’s cupboard.

More and more towns in the metropolitan area I live in are passing laws to charge for bags either plastic or paper, 5-10 cents. I know it’s not a lot of money, but I’m not thrilled about paying for those ultra-thin plastic bags that have a hole (or three or four) in them before you even leave the store. It’s hard to reuse them with all those holes. Which means, I’m paying money to throw something away that then ends up in a landfill. Argh!

There are people who make all kinds of really neat things out of the plastic grocery bags, like cutting them into strips and crocheting sleeping mats for the homeless to keep them off of the damp ground, or ironing layers of them together to make crafts from the created material. I commend those people for keeping some of the plastic out of landfills and giving them a new life. I have thought about doing these things but have never gotten around to it.

So rather then pay for these flimsy bags, I recycle T-shirts into tote bags. Not only am I not creating a demand for plastic bags, I’m also keeping old T-shirts out of landfills.

Here is a recent post I did on my publisher’s blog about how to make these T-shirt Totes. I’m kind of addicted to making them.

Basically . . .
~Lay the T-shirt flat.
~Cut off the hem.
~Snip from the bottom up 3 inches every inch.
~Tie one strip from the back to the one in front of it into a square knot all the way across the bottom.
~Cut off sleeves along seam on the body potion of the shirt.
~Cut off neck opening.
~And voila, you have a tote.

I have used T-shirts I own, ones I’ve bought at thrift stores for cheap, ones I’ve been gifted, a golf shirt, a lace tank top, Dollar Tree T-shirt. T-shirts can be big or small, plain or with a cool graphic.

When my granddaughter was about three, her favorite character was Hello Kitty. I spent more than an hour going through every piece of children’s clothing at our local thrift store looking for a Hello Kitty T-shirt. Near the end of the last rack, I scored one. I made a tote, put it in the box with a few other things, and shipped it off. I asked my son how she liked it. He said she was confused. She put her arms through the sleeve openings, which were now straps, and tried to wear it like a shirt. I wish I could have seen that. =0)

There are many other ways to reuse and repurpose T-shirts, and I’ll share some I’m doing from time to time.

As I said before, these posts are NOT a crusade to get everyone to produce less trash and do all things eco friendly. I just want to share the small things I’m doing to reduce my trash footprint upon our earth one small step at a time.

This post is my first in a reoccurring topic on my attempts to create less trash and what I’m trying do about it. My plan is to have one post a month about a new way I’m reducing my trash output.

Related post: http://marydavis1.blogspot.com/2019/08/tuesday-tidbits-can-i-recycle-that.html

Have you ever made a T-shirt Tote? Have you made other things out of T-shirts?

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
Click HERE to order yours today.
FREE Preview
#thimblesandthreadscollection
“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma


THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
FREE Preview
Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

Newsletter  Blog   FB  FB Readers Group   Amazon   GoodReads   BookBub

Tuesday Tidbits: CAN I RECYCLE THAT?

 

I had originally set out to do a post with one quick, short paragraph about a series on my attempt to create less trash and what I’m trying do about it, and then describe the first thing I’m doing to that end and that I would be posting once a month about a new way I’m reducing my trash output. 

But then like any good topic, when I do a little research, I learn so many new things and my brain explodes with ideas.

So, if I’m going to reduce the amount of trash I create, I need to know what is trash and what is recyclable. Because if I know a throwaway product can be recycled, I don’t feel so bad about using it. Not as much is recyclable as I thought. 

Plastic, Paper, Cardboard, Glass, and Metal, into the recycling bin. Hold it! Not so fast.

Here are a few things that surprised me about recycling.

~Most of us know that not all plastic can be recycled, but if you’re like me, you aren’t quite sure which ones can and which can’t, or why. So in it goes to the recycling bin to let the waste management company sort things out.

All plastics are not created equal. Some plastics can only be recycled once. Others 4-6 times. Plastic bottles and jugs with a #1 or #2 on them are the only plastics that can be recycled. Polyvinyl chloride plastics like in shower curtains, piping, window frames, and some toys are not recyclable. Though some stores have bins at the front to recycle grocery bags, do not put these bags in curbside bins because they can clog the recycling machines.

One of the reasons not all plastic can be recycled is because each time it is recycled the fibers in it are shortened. Another is what the plastic is made of. All plastics are not created equal.

A lot of plastics that can’t be recycled into water bottles and such, are recycled into other things like fabric, but not all. A large amount of plastics still ends up in landfills and the ocean.

~On to paper. That piece of paper I just threw in the recycling bin might not be recyclable. Seriously? I thought paper was guaranteed to be recycled. Paper can only be recycled 4-7 times because the fibers break down and become too small. So if you buy something made from recycled paper, it might be at the end of its life. So that good feeling of buying something from recycled paper is diminished for me if it can’t be recycled again. So am I just delaying the inevitable landfill destination? But at least paper decomposes unlike plastic that takes eons.

~All cardboard is a safe bet for the recycling bin, right? Maybe not. Stop before you throw that pizza box away. Though it is cardboard—and cardboard is recyclable—that pizza box, not so much. Takeout food containers like pizza boxes and Chinese food containers shouldn’t be put in the recycling bin. The grease left on the box from the food can’t be separated out of the cardboard pulp in the recycling process, not allowing the fibers to bond together for new cardboard or whatever it’s being made into. If you cut away the soiled portions of a pizza box, the rest can be recycled.

~Glass is a great recyclable material that can be recycled endlessly. It doesn’t lose any of its quality. BUT not all glass can be recycled. Glass food and beverage containers can be recycled over and over. But some glass can’t be recycled: like any glass contaminated with stones, dirt, or food; ceramics; heat resistant glass like Pyrex; windows and mirrors; mixed colors of broken glass; drinking glasses; and crystal. I thought all glass was created equal when it came to recycling. I guess not.

~Metals, including aluminum, don’t lose their quality during recycling either, so they can be recycled infinite times. But metal lids with that plastic rubber seal thing, need to be treated differently in recycling because they have mixed materials.

Of the various materials we put in recycling bins, glass and metal are the most environmentally friendly.

I believe most if not all of the trash we create is due to convenience. I’m all for convenience. I love convenience. But I’m wondering what conveniences I can do without or substitute a non-trashy thing for. So, hopefully once a month, I can report on what I’m doing to be less trashy. Now, these post are NOT a crusade to get everyone to produce less trash and do all things eco friendly. I just want to share the small things I’m doing to reduce my trash footprint upon our earth.

Now that I know that all things recyclable aren’t recyclable indefinitely, I want to do a little more to reduce my waste. Next week, I’ll share one of the things I’m already doing to reduce my trashy side.

=0)

NEW!

THIMBLES AND THREADS: 4 Love Stories Are Quilted Into Broken Lives

Love Stitched into Four Women’s Lives
Enjoy four historical romances that celebrate the arts of sewing and quilting. When four women put needle and thread to fabric, will their talents lead to love? #thimblesandthreadscollection
Click HERE to order yours today.
FREE Preview
#thimblesandthreadscollection
“Bygones” by Mary Davis
Texas, 1884
Drawn to the new orphan boy in town, Tilly Rockford soon became the unfortunate victim of a lot of Orion Dunbar’s mischievous deeds in school. Can Tilly figure out how to truly forgive the one who made her childhood unbearable? Now she doesn’t even know she holds his heart. Can this deviant orphan-train boy turned man make up for the misdeeds of his youth and win Tilly’s heart before another man steals her away?

Other stories in this collection:
“The Bridal Shop” by Grace Hitchcock, “Mending Sarah’s Heart” by Suzanne Norquist, and “Binding Up Wounds” by Liz Tolsma


THE DAUGHTER'S PREDICAMENT (Book 2 in the Quilting Circle series)
FREE Preview
Can a patient love win her heart?

As Isabelle Atwood’s romance prospects are turning in her favor, a family scandal derails her dreams. While making a quilt for her own hope chest, Isabelle’s half-sister becomes pregnant out of wedlock and Isabelle--always the unfavored daughter--becomes the family sacrifice to save face. Despite gaining the attention of a handsome rancher, her parents are pressuring her to marry a man of their choosing to rescue her sister’s reputation. A third suitor waits silently in the wings, hoping for his own chance at love. Isabelle ends up with three marriage proposals, but this only further confuses her decision.

A handsome rancher, a stranger, and an unseen suitor are all waiting for an answer.  Isabelle loves her sister, but will she really allow herself to be manipulated into a marriage without love? Will Isabelle capitulate and marry the man her parents wish her to, or will she rebel and marry the man they don’t approve of? Or will the man leaving her secret love poems sweep her off her feet?

HEARTBEATS IN TIME – 5 books of Old West

Christian Romance (4 novels and 4 novellas) by 7 bestselling, award-winning authors, including my book, The Widow’s Plight. You'll love these 8 unique stories of love! Get it here: https://amzn.to/2VzRBoI
#HeartbeatsInTimeSet

FREE Preview
The Widow’s Plight (Book 1 in the Quilting Circle series) by Mary Davis
A single mother steps out of the shadows of abuse and into the sunshine. But will a secret clouding her past cost her the man she loves?
Finding Love In Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
Dreams of My Heart by Barbara Scott
Hills of Nevermore by Janalyn Voigt
Heart of a Cowboy Novella Collection--four Old West romances by Susan Page Davis, Miralee Ferrell, Yvonne Lehman, and Vickie McDonough

#ChristianRomance #HistoricalRomance #Romance

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). Coming in 2019, The Daughter's Predicament (May) and "Bygones" in Thimbles and Threads (July). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

Newsletter  Blog   FB  FB Readers Group   Amazon   GoodReads   BookBub

Works In Progress, part 1

I thought maybe someone out there might like to know what I’m working on in my writing. At the moment I have a three-fold approach. Historical, nonfiction, and fantasy.

My agent has recently sent out a proposal for a full-length historical novel that we are hoping sells. The working title is Untamed Angels. Five sisters—in a town of men. Love and fireworks fly in every direction, while one man walks a thin line to keep the peace.

I also have a historical series at Heartsong that I’m waiting to hear about. The Knight brothers are all struggling to find their place in the world. Book 1: Knight Refuge: A stubborn ranch owner meets a tenacious healer and together they must fight social injustice to save a papoose and themselves. Book 2: The Gambler: A young farmer struggles to hold on to her land when her brother loses the farm and her in a senseless wager. Book 3: Courtship of Katie MacGregor: Barely a teen, a young girl fights against her father’s wishes that she marry a young doctor in training.

I also have a contemporary story with historical elements that is sitting on an editor’s desk waiting to hear. It’s a seventy-year-old treasure hunt mystery dealing with Confederate gold. The working title is One Came Back. A feisty female guide and a determined stranger clash in search of the truth and treasure in the desert.

My nonfiction is a craft book on making new things out of worn out jeans. I call it Do It Again Denim. Go Green with blue jeans. Recycle. Reuse. Repurpose. Jeans are an American icon. But don’t throw out your old, worn-out jeans. Give them a second life.

On Wednesday I’ll describe my flying fantasy series.