PractiMama.com

A simple solution to a fresh, eco-friendly way to dry hands for yourself and for guests.

If you think that using the same hand towel as an unknown number of people can be gross or if you are the type of person to wonder when the last time a host washed the hand towel hanging in the bathroom — and then realized you fall into one of these two categories — then this eco-friendly tip is perfect for you!

Almost a year ago PM realized that frequently changing the hand towel in her bathroom wasn’t a good enough solution because not everyone washes his or her hands the same way.

Some folks barely wash with soap long enough to count to five and then the leftover grime gets wiped onto the hand towel, leaving a dirt stain while others are obsessive about washing with soap until they’ve sung three verses of Happy Birthday. You know who you are…

Anyway, the solution to this problem came from a chance visit to the nail salon’s bathroom: a basket containing small, rolled up wash cloths. How ingenious! The owner has to wash towels for their other services, so why not just use smaller ones, too, and throw them in the machine too iinstead of wasting money on paper towels?

Well, at first PM thought that this would be an expensive start-up cost and wondered if it would be worth the effort. Then she had an epiphany — that we all have but then forget about many times: the dollar store! There, wash cloths were four for one dollar in one color, and ten for a dollar in white! Score. PM bought about 35, and so far that’s been about the right number because it allows for lazy laundry days.

Home Depot has really cute disposable painter’s buckets that are made of some kind of tin, also about one dollar. Several were purchased because one is used in the kitchen as the dump bucket for steamed mussels, just like the one given to customers at a seafood restaurant in the neighborhood!

In PM’s home, one bucket is used for fresh hand towels and another is for holding used towels. She went one step further and placed hooks with pictures above them to indicate ownership of a hand towel. Hand towels for family members can be used more than once!

Hooks for each family member and pictures so even toddlers can read!

And really, folding the new hand towels is no more work than putting socks in order. The great thing about this system is that is truly a green way to go while being a bit more hygienic.