Paper Towel Alternative: The UNpaper Towel

Before I jump into it, I want it to be known that this isn’t sponsored. I bought this product and have been using it without any payment or sponsorship for the past couple months.

So, we’re big paper towel people. I think we’ve always been paper towel people and then kids entered the picture with all of their spills, stickiness, and constant messes. We sort of just embraced it as time went. Since we’re trying to become a greener home, it was hard to ignore the Costco pack of Bounty we were blowing through each month. The messes weren’t going to get any easier, which meant we had to rethink how we’ve been cleaning them up.

Now, this may sound a bit silly, but one of the main reasons I preferred paper towels is because of the holder that can be on my counter. I can’t really explain it, but I wanted it standing and rolled on my counter. I didn't want a stack of kitchen towels and I didn’t want them hanging all over the kitchen. I’m not saying it makes sense, but this was a pretty big barrier for me to make the switch to anything but traditional paper towels. When looking for more sustainable options, I just wasn’t finding an option that checked all of my boxes.

Then I stumbled onto The “UN” Paper Towel by Marley’s Monsters. They’re towels made from 100% cotton flannel and come in a bunch of cute prints. You can buy them in a stack (not my jam, remember?) or rolled up on their holder. They cling together and I simply throw them in the wash, then roll them back up.

We’ve used these for a couple months now and honestly, I love them. I regret not making the switch earlier and now that we’ve trained ourselves in using them, I feel a little silly for thinking it was such a huge leap in sustainability practices. There are videos out there showing the perfect technique to roll them up, but I haven’t perfected it yet so it still takes a few minutes.

My only complaint about the product, which is still small, is the holder. It feels pricey for what it is. James broke it almost immediately as we tried to figure out where their “spot” would be on our counter. I was able to glue the peg back on, but I was a little worried because a replacement for the pretty simple wooden holder is a whoppin’ $30. I’m still on the hunt for other paper towel holders that work similarly and will allow me to roll up the cloth around it, but until then I’ll be treating this one a little more delicately.

Check out the selection of UNpaper towels they have available. We went with the Pre-rolled Vintage Lemon set + the holder and again, it’s been great. Inside the door of the bottom cabinet, we have a mesh bag that holds them until it’s time to wash. The price may feel intimidating, but has been worth it and I would encourage you to compare that price with what you’ve spent on paper towels in the past year. I know, for us, it added up.

Remember, sustainability isn’t about huge leaps. It’s about making small changes to small habits.