When I first decided to take a closer look at my household expenses to kick off our debt free journey, I was shocked to realize how much money was being spent on paper towels alone. For my family of five, we were going through about an 8-pack of paper towels every month, costing us $30. I know this sounds like a lot but we have three kiddos under five, a dog and we eat at home a lot. It seemed like such a small, routine purchase at the time, but when I calculated the numbers for the next 50 years of my life, I realized we would spend a whopping $18,000 on paper towels alone. This realization pushed me to find a more cost-effective, sustainable alternative—cloth towels.

I shared this experience on Tiktok and 1.6 million views later, I realize I was not alone.

The switch to cloth towels has been a game changer.

Instead of buying paper towels repeatedly, I now use a 60-pack of reusable cloth towels, which costs about $35. Given that these towels last roughly five years with proper care, I’ll only need to buy 10 packs over the next 50 years, spending an estimated total of $350. That means I’ll save $17,650 over my lifetime, and the benefits go far beyond just financial savings.

Breaking Down the Financials

At first glance, $30 per month for paper towels doesn’t seem like a lot – at least not to large families like mine. But as with many recurring expenses, those little costs add up over time. With 12 months in a year, that’s $360 spent annually on paper towels. Over the span of 50 years, this balloons to $18,000—a tremendous amount of money for something that’s used once and thrown away.

Switching to cloth towels, on the other hand, is a one-time investment every five years. With a 60-pack costing me just $35, I’ll only have to spend about $350 in total for the next half-century. The stark contrast between $18,000 and $350 is one of the most compelling reasons to make the switch.

A Game Changer for Self-Sufficiency

Opting for cloth towels has dramatically reduced my reliance on buying disposable paper goods at the grocery store, which often come with unpredictable price fluctuations. During times of economic uncertainty or shortages, paper towels are the last thing I want to spend my money on. By using reusable cloth towels, I’ve taken back control over a crucial household staple. I want to spend with brands that have sustainable use in mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did you factor in the cost of laundry?

Sure did. We have a HE unit in our home and right now, that small load of towels works in the same load that I clean all of our bath towels. Therefore, I don’t have an extra laundry load. If you were to make an extra laundry load, it would be about $1/month factoring in the cost of detergent and energy for the incremental load. This is still incredibly better than the paper towel route.

Why are you spending $30 on paper towels every month?

I previously bought Bounty paper towels and that’s simply what they cost. Now you could say buy cheaper paper towels but again, small cost reductions don’t impact the 50-year spend projection. I’d rather go without.

What do you do about nasty messes like vomit?

We still use the cloth towels and if we need to throw them out, we do. Additionally, we have some sanitizing wipes that we hardly need but helps me feel better if I am cleaning up poop, vomit – you know all the nasty stuff you get with a house full of kids and animals.

Which cloth towels do you recommend?

I use these cloth towels. If they’re sold out, you can look in my Amazon storefront for a backup. The big thing for me is absorbency and size. I don’t like the giant towels because they don’t feel paper towel like to me.

Why did you have to look up how they were invented?

Paper towels are a commercial product. Yes, they used cloth prior but there was an intentional commercialization of a paper fiber good hitting the market that was new. I wanted to understand if there was a different commercial product that had the market. I stand by my initial comment – paper towels were invented as a commercial product but that’s totally just me.

Conclusion

I have been so encouraged getting messages from people all over the nation showing me their new cloth towel setup. If you need inspiration, I walk through my set up in my Tiktok video here. My favorite part? I don’t even fold them on laundry day! Does it get any better than that?