A homeowner is sharing how one simple swap in the kitchen has benefited her wallet while bringing a bit of style to her surroundings.
The scoop
In a post with more than 40,000 likes, TikToker Olivia (@olivia_nadolny) shared how she started using her "cute" kitchen towels as a replacement for paper towels.
"Six months ago I stopped buying paper towels and never looked back," she wrote. "I have saved so much money!!!!"
@olivia_nadolny If your looking for a reason to switch let this be it. I have saved so much money!!!! #ecofriendly #resuableproducts #resuse #papertowel ♬ Is It Over Now? (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault) - Taylor Swift
The video shows Olivia wrapping the towels around what appears to be a reusable dowel that is then placed on a paper towel holder.
Olivia responded to numerous comments, giving more details of the money-saving hack. "They literally just stick together if you roll them correctly," she said, noting that "lining them up so you start rolling where the last one ends" and "pulling them tight after [every] roll" is key.
"When [you're] going to wash your clothes, you throw these in there," Olivia added. "They don't take up a lot of space."
How it's helping
Market research firm Euromonitor International found that paper towels are a surprisingly significant personal expense in the United States, with Americans spending "nearly as much on paper towels as every other country in the world combined," reported The Atlantic.
If you do not already have cloth towels in your home, obtaining them to save money, in the long run, doesn't have to be budget-breaking, with some people turning to thrifting to score deals on everything from home decor to fashion. Olivia noted that she got her towels on clearance at T.J. Maxx.
"I see them there all the time," she added.
This hack is also good for the long-term health of our planet, with the production and disposal of paper towels contributing to rising global temperatures through deforestation and the generation of methane — a gas at least 28 times stronger than carbon dioxide — as they break down.
As detailed by Cottage Care, a study by the Paperless Project discovered that up to 51,000 trees per day would be needed to replace the 695,000 tons of paper towels thrown out in each 24-hour period.
What everyone's saying
Commenters were excited about the swap, sharing the 10-second TikTok more than 500 times.
"I LOVE my reusable 'paper towels,'" one TikToker said. "I used to go through 2 rolls a week and now I haven't bought any in years."
"I was just telling my partner today how I wanted to…and this video came up! It's a sign!!!" another person said.
"WOOO WE LOVE SUSTAINABILITY," added another.
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