I’m so excited to serve as a spokesperson for the new Bounty DuraTowel paper towels!
The basic premise behind these new paper towels is that they’re durable enough and strong enough to be used in place of a dishcloth.
Because “even after just one day’s use, dishcloths can harbor and redeposit millions of germs.”
Nobody had to convince me of that.
Do you remember those science videos you watched in high school? The ones where someone sneezes and fluorescent green germs come flying out of his or her nose?
Then, those fluorescent green germs land on a counter, attaches to the hand of someone who touches the counter, transfers from that hand to the hand of someone else, goes from the hand to a sandwich to the unsuspecting person’s mouth . . . and the unsuspecting person who doesn’t know he/she just ate an invisible, fluorescent-green-germ . . . ends up dying.
Actually, I don’t know that they actually died in the science video, but in my carry-it-out-all-the-way imagination, they totally died.
Just so you know, I live in one of those videos. I’m painfully aware of the travel-path of germs. (Science class ruined me.)
Back to germy dishcloths.
In our house, this is a constant argument discussion. I will only use a dishcloth one time, and then it goes to the washing machine. Since I do a once-a-week Laundry Day, by Wednesday we’re running a little low on clean one-time-use dishcloths.
So I was happy with the idea of a paper towel that could do the work of a dishcloth.
My first impression was that the Bounty Duratowel is thick. It also has texture to it, and when it gets wet, it feels quite cloth-like.
I really like the size. It’s 3/4 of the size of a typical paper towel (that’s me, a former theatre teacher, guessing on the size), and I felt like it was the perfect size to get a job done but not seems to me to be just the right size.
But can it really work as well as a dishcloth? I put it to the test.
See that purple stain on my counter? (Have you ever tried getting a “good” picture of a purple stain? No? Oh.)
I’m not sure exactly how it got there, but I assume it was that same-old-story around here of something being left on the counter too long, perhaps with wetness involved. These stains are no fun, and I’ve only ever been able to get them up with heavy-duty abrasive cleansers.
The kind of cleansers I usually wouldn’t try with a paper towel.
But I did.
It worked! The stain was gone, I only used one sheet of paper towel, and the Bounty DuraTowel held up great for this job! No icky cleanser seeped through to my hands and the towel held together!
Full disclosure here: I’m a brand ambassador/spokesperson/whatever-you-want-to-call-it for Bounty Duratowel. I was provided with paper towels to try out and am being compensated. BUT, let me assure you that the neurotic how-can-a-germaphobe-be-a-slob issues, the stained counter top, the opinions and experiences . . . they’re all mine.
Dear Nony,
Thanks for your hard work in keeping us posted with tips and stories!!
I have a suggestion for you.
Sometimes when you need a clean dish rag just stick it in a pot of water and soda on the stove and boil for 10 minutes or so. You can do this while cleaning up the kitchen or during supper.
The rags come out smelling so clean and fresh!!!
Have a good day!
Brenda W
I just want to say, that you don’t need cleaners, just baking soda will do the trick on the stains! I use in for all my scrubbing needs. Best part of course is that it costs less than the cleaners and a small amount goes a long way!
Oh, I’m totally going to try that!!
Seconded!!
Baking soda straight on the counter sprayed with a little white vinegar will get rid of many spots. I have 50s yellow Formica & it got red wine out!
Hum, have you thought about the waste you’re producing with these extra towels? The Towels, the packaging. You’re replacing a reusable item with a one-use-product. Why don’t you just purchase some more cotton towels? 🙂
This is a fabulous example of how being a germaphobe presents itself in different ways.
Let’s start with the fact that my OCD is triggered by excessive waste. And I know, after many years of soul-searching, that the Slob Brain that allows me to overlook certain kinds of messes is a defense mechanism to avoid going crazy over the germs. If They’re Not There, I Don’t Need to Clean All The Things. Also of course related to the fact that once things build up they’re entirely impossible to deal with rationally.
The issue with disposable paper towels (and toilet paper!) is that they are not produced in sanitary facilities (neither, incidentally, are “sanitary” menstrual supplies). That science video we watched? Went through the entire disposables manufacturing process and then we tested the fresh-out-of-the-package supplies for active bacteria and other such contaminants. We did test cleaning cloths at various points in their usage cycle, and after about 24 hours they were just as bad as the disposables. It still took me a good long time to convert to not using disposables, and that wasn’t even the catalyst but it stayed with me. I think it’s a little ironic that the day we did this project was the day I found a moldy tampon in the box fresh from the store. UGH.
I just picked myself up a package of bar towels from the restaurant supply store. We have “dish cloths” for scrubbing and cleaning, and the bar towels are used for general wiping of countertops. The bathroom cloths are used and washed separately from the kitchen ones (although not because of actual bacterial transfer issues, mostly because the oil in the kitchen cloths makes it more difficult to clean the bathroom). We just have enough kitchen towels to last the week, and actually it’s closer to two so that they make enough of a load to wash by themselves. Wet cloths get draped over the side of the dirty cloth basket to dry so we don’t have smell or mildew issues.
And yes, I am the freak that buys petri dishes and takes swabs of the towels, countertops, sink, toilet, fridge, and clothes washer (and dryer) to determine if cleaning behaviors need to change anywhere in particular. Occasionally a really scuzzy towel needs a boiling water treatment, but only about as often as I need to boil the towels with baking soda to degrease them anyway. Which is to say about twice a year.
Wow! Petri Dishes? You’re my germaphobe hero!
This is great news! There’s a paper towel I can use at church to wash dishes and not have to worry about”when was the last time this was used? or washed?”
At home I use sponges. Yes, I know they’re a breading ground for gems. But… I put them in the dishwasher. I’m running it anyway and I don’t have a smelly sponge.