An easy sustainable swap to make in your kitchen is substituting reusable dishcloths for disposable sponges. According to Micaela Preston of the natural-living blog Mindful Momma, “they’re an ecofriendly alternative because they are made with absorbent cellulose from wood pulp rather than plastic.” And because they’re made from cotton and cellulose, “they are biodegradable and compostable at the end of their lifespan,” says sustainable-living advocate Addie Fisher. They’re also quick drying and are able to soak up 20 times their own weight in liquid, so they make a great paper-towel alternative.
Writer Ashlea Halpern was the first to tell us about these DII Swedish dishcloths (a pick Preston and Fisher co-sign) and how they allowed her to break up with Brawny. Halpern says she used to “plough through half a roll in one cleaning session,” but switching to these dishcloths has helped her cut down on paper-towel consumption by at least 80 percent. “I now use Swedish dishcloths to do nearly everything I once did with a paper towel: wipe down our granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances, and streak-prone cooktop,” Halpern says. Additionally, she uses them to dust dressers and bookcases and even to sop up her Chihuahua’s vomit and wipe off her boyfriend’s pee from the outside of the toilet bowl.
Besides being versatile, these dishcloths are easy to care for: They can get thrown into the dishwasher or washing machine and just need to air-dry before being ready to use again. They also come in cheery patterns like this lemon set, and right now they’re on sale. During Prime Day, this set of three is just $12 — the cheapest they’ve been since April 2020. For more kitchen Prime Day deals, we’ve rounded up the deepest discounts here.
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