It started with nagging guilt each time I ripped off another paper towel, even if I ripped it in half. As the boys have gotten older, the guilt has grown with their messes. Granted, there is a lot less spit-up these days (I’ll be touching on this in a later post), but a lot more of everything else in the realm of “clean-up.”

Finally, the inspiration came. A new year often does that for me – pushes me over the edge on a lingering issue. The spark was a post on Simple Mom by Maya Bisineer titled, “How to Create a Paperless Kitchen.” The colorful towels caught my eye. I started reading and was hooked.

I’m a fabric lover in much the same way that I’m a yarn lover. Natural fiber, color, pattern, texture – these elements just make me happy. Imagine, I can feel happy every time I pick up a towel to clean-up, or guilty. It’s a “no-brainer” when you think about it that way. The commitment was made, and off I went to scrounge and take inventory of what I could use to replace the paper.

My list

1. Preemie sized pre-folds that were never made into burp cloths. They boast awesome absorbency, softness, and are a good size for soaking and wringing before I wipe little faces and hands (or tables, chairs, and a large area of the floor).
2. Four Flour sack towels. These have already been well used. A few have torn and ended up as rags, but they are big and have been used for straining soups and nut mylks in addition to their cleaning roles.
3. Three Turkish cotton towels from Williams Sonoma that we were given at our wedding (not sure what happened to number four). These are also well used and are starting to get some holes, but still have plenty of wear left.

It was a good start, but not enough to take over the full task. I browsed the internet for a good while and found a few things that I liked. In the end, I splurged. Instead of using my Anthropologie gift card for a single pair of pants or two shirts, I found myself with 9 gorgeous new towels and 6 napkins. Nerdy, yes, but true to character, and since an “investment” was made, I feel even more compelled to follow through with our commitment! Plus, they really are fantastic; colorful, soft cotton, that does a great job cleaning. Every towel we have in our arsenal is sturdy, washes well, and serves its purpose, while looking lovely on the buffet and table (save the diapers, of course).

Where does all this cloth live? In a single large drawer in the dining room, organized by type into piles. It’s easy to find whatever you need (minus the white guest napkins, which are hidden away behind a child-safety-locked door). They could also easily live folded in baskets or bowls, in locations according to purpose.

So this is the beginning. I’ll try to follow-up in a few weeks with a post on how it’s going. We still have some paper on hand “just in case,” but so far we’ve made great strides in breaking the paper habit!

Here’s to a paper-free kitchen in 2011!