12 Simple Reusable Alternatives to Common Household Disposables

Many of us use disposable products.  Sure, they can make life easier, but the cost and associated waste can really add up!   And in an emergency, there may be no way to resupply those items.  Save yourself some money, reduce waste, plus be ready for an emergency with these twelve simple alternatives to common household disposable products!

1.  Napkins.   Make your own cloth napkins.  Lovely.  Plus you can pick your own patterns!  Or buy cloth napkins in the kitchen department of most stores.  You don’t have to save them for special occasions.

2.  Paper towels.  Use kitchen towels or dish rags.  But if you want to get really crafty, there are some great tutorials here on making your own un-paper towels that actually fit on and dispense from a paper towel holder.  You can even purchase them from various sellers on etsy.

3.  Paper plates.  Just use real plates and wash them.  If you want something that can take more abuse than ceramic, try a melamine plate like this cool camo set.  Or stock up on wood or metal plates available from reenacting suppliers like Jas. Townsend, or occasionally found in thrift stores or at yard sales.

4.  Tampons.  Holy cow.  One girl can use a lot of these in a month!  Replace them with a menstrual cup like the Diva Cup.

5.  Maxi pads.  Ditto above on using a bunch of these in a month.  You can replace pads by making your own.  Here is a great video tutorial that also shows how you can sew them by hand if you don’t have a machine.  Cloth pads can also be purchased from companies like Glad Rags.

6.  Diapers.  There are tons of patterns and resources for making your own cloth diapers at diapersewing.com.  You can also purchase cloth diapers from various manufacturers like BumGenius and Charlie Banana.

7.  Baby wipes.  Super easy to make, plus you can make use of all the extra flannel receiving blankets!  Again, if  you don’t want to sew, you can also purchase cloth wipes.

8.  Toilet paper.  Okay, this isn’t one I’m dying to jump into replacing on a regular basis, but for an emergency it’s good to have a back up.  One alternative is to use cloth “family wipes”–similar to the cloth baby wipes.  Keep a lidded bucket of vinegar water next to the toilet to put the wipes in while they’re waiting for their turn to be washed.  You can also rinse off like a bidet using a perineal irrigation bottle (those who have given birth will probably recognize this one).

9.  Swiffer style duster or mop cover.   Here is a crafty cover my mom knitted with a link to patterns for knitting and crocheting your own duster covers.  Or go back to a regular broom and mop for cleaning your floors.

10.  Cleaning wipes.  I honestly knew a family once that did not own any wash rags.  They just used wipes.  Wipes for cleaning the children, themselves, and the surfaces in their home.  To replace all those cleaning wipes, use wash rags or make rags from old cotton clothing like t-shirts and socks.  Knit or crochet yourself some dusting mitts.  Again, this is my crafty mom making this stuff, although I have learned to knit a square, like this fish dish rag that could also work for a cleaning rag.

One for me and one for my little helper

11.  Grocery bags.  Let’s go to the store, shall we?  I’m sure you’ve seen the reusable shopping bags most grocery and variety stores are encouraging their customers to use.  You can also bring your own bag of any kind to put your stuff into once you’ve bought it.  Or make a shopping bag from about 70 (or more) plastic shopping bags.  Yes, mom made one of these as well.  Here are some instructions for making your own.

12.  Produce bags.  You know, the plastic bags that you pull from the roll in the produce department?  You can make your own bags to replace them.  You want to use lightweight fabric that the checker can see through to know what you bought.  Or purchase reusable produce bags.

What about you?  Do you have any disposables you’ve replaced with more sustainable options?  Share in the comments!

Keep preparing! Angela

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