PAPER TOWELS OR NO PAPER TOWELS

Try as I might I just can't seem to ween myself from paper towels. I've cut back on how I use them A LOT but it's been hard finding a good substitute for certain things.

I've been thinking hard about this. I buy recycled towels and I use them sparingly. Isn't that pretty good? I mean, really - they are bio degradable and come from recycled/re-purposed sources. On the occasion I can't get recycled towels is it really THAT bad to buy the regular towels? They come from a renewable resource (trees) after all. What is more renewable than trees, for heaven sake?

I'm really stuck on this one.

I don't use the towels to dry my hands with. I don't use them to wipe down the counters. I DO use them for grease clean up (i.e. bacon, butter, shortening) and for things like wax, the occasional pet "accident" (of the solid kind - I use rags if it's a liquid 'accident'). Having a big pile of rags and microfiber cloths sitting on my counter just doesn't seem practical.

Then there is the extra cleaning that goes into managing those rags and cloths. Since I would be using those for said actions above, I would not be dropping those items into the laundry with my regular clothes and linens. Not a chance. So do I throw them away? Seems like a catch 22 to me!

I'm totally open to suggestions on this one! Anyone, anyone??