WEEK 23: CLEANING WIPES
AVOID using disposable tissues, kleenex or bounty. SWITCH to reusable handkerchiefs, organic or old clothing.
1. PROBLEM
How many of us own a handkerchief and carry it around these days?
In the olden days, women would to get a man’s attention with a simple trick. Example: dropping a handkerchief as a man walks by hoping that he’ll see it, pick it up, and give it back to her and initiate a conversation.
If I would drop a handkerchief, I’m sure that no one would pick it up. I probably wouldn’t pick up anyone’s hanky myself as it could be gross, unhygenic and really not worth the effort.
The purpose of disposable tissues in the context of medical practices makes sense. But we use tissues and disposable wipes so often and just throw it away that we don’t realize how the collective waste of 7 billion individuals adds up.
2. SOLUTION
Dad always had a fresh pack of kerchiefs like these ones (it felt preciousss). The sheer joy of getting a new one when the old one was tattered and dead during a crazy-fever-cold episode was awesome.
And then came an era where those with a disposable pack of tissues in the back of their car were ‘cooler’ than those who didn’t want to spend on disposable goods and stuck to dirty old cloth napkins.
Here are some ways we can become sustainable again!
1. 1. Reusable organic cotton hankies!
I carry a cotton hanky with me everywhere I go. At restaurants I say no to tissues when possible (and when I remember).
2. Upscaled disposables in the Car and at Home.
Buy a couple of reusable wipes (there are bamboo wipes which can discarded after 100 uses) or use old T-Shirts discarded after a couple of uses.
Tips
- If used lightly: Hand-wash them or wash with all your clothes.
- If used heavily for the floor, etc: Hand-wash them or or use the washing machine in a different short cycle. There are options (NYC reFashion for me) to give away any clothing no matter what its state is.
3. Upscaled disposable Tissues
There are tons of events at my workplace where all the plates, tissues, food, etc gets discarded. I have seen them being transferred to trash bags.
So when an event ends, I grab all the tissues, plates, etc and take them with me and use them for cleaning my desk or for team cake cutting events, etc.
3. CONCLUSION
Bye ❤
