I'm writing this post out of obsessive rage!! Maybe not the best idea, but I feel it needs to be done.
I'm sitting in my room, watching Kate & Leopold crocheting more of those little face wipes for myself, and a commercial comes on. A commercial that is so shocking to me that my mouth actually dropped open and hung there for a moment. It's because I saw this:
http://www.kleenex.com/handtowels/
That's right. Public washroom style disposable hand towels for your house. HOW RIDICULOUS IS THIS?!?!
I can't believe it. Not only is this wasteful, I'm tired of these companies trying to scare us that nothing is clean enough.
What is really wrong with a regular hand towel? We've been doing this for years and years and years!
On the website they list "hand drying facts"
Give me a break!!
(Please note that the following is all my personal opinion, and although I am educated in a science related field, the following is not based on scientific fact)
Yes, a towel can be "dirty" without looking it. However, I think that if you change your towels often and wash them regularly, anything that is still on the towel is probably not going to harm you, in fact, it's probably just what your immune system needs.
Of course washing a towel does not ensure clean hands. Washing HANDS is the only way to ensure clean hands.
I would guess that the studies showing that single use towels are more hygienic are based on studies in public establishments, and I don't think that this is really comparable to our own homes. Even if it is, I still stick by my first statement!
Perhaps drying hands with single use towels prevents the spread of germs, but again, the really important thing here is to stress the importance of good hand washing!
Okay, so there you have it. These "towels"? Ridiculous.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should go back to using handkerchiefs instead of tissues, and get rid of our pillowy soft toilet paper, but there's a line, and this crosses it!
Other disposables I think should be done away with? Those disposable toilet brushes, most cleaning wipes, and as much as possible, disposable dishes.
If anyone is still with me, wow, thanks for putting up with this rant. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this too, and of any other ridiculous products you have heard of lately!!
We stopped using paper towels months & months ago, so these seem ridiculous. Our friends still come over to our house & ask where the paper towels are. 'Uh, we use hand towels & micro fiber to clean up now. Sorry, no more paper towels'. They're usually stunned. Then I tell them how much money I've saved and then they're REALLY stunned. It did take a while to adjust to grabbing a towel from the drawer instead of reaching for a paper towel but it only took a few weeks to get used to. Even my hubby (a former paper towel hound) has changed his ways.
ReplyDeleteYeah, you should have heard mom and I ranting away the first time we saw this commercial. If your towels are that gross, here's an idea: Change them! There is no rule saying once the towel is grungy you still have to keep using it!
ReplyDeletePreach it sister!! This kind of thing drives me C-R-A-Z-Y! Seriously, we made this long with regular hand towels. Reminds me of a time, over ten years ago, when I was at Wal-Mart, looking at the soaps and this really old man was there next to me. He says to me, "Antibacterial?? I thought soap WAS antibacterial." So funny.
ReplyDelete~ The Speckled Dog
I'm with you 100%. There is a company that makes quick drying hand towels that are small enough to fit in your purse. This way you can use that instead of a hand dryer or paper towels in the public restrooms.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL asked me during her last visit if I had any paper plates to use for breakfast. I told her that I don't believe in them.
I make my own cloth napkins (directions on my you tube channel) and hankies. Your nose likes flannel hankies ;) I knit and crochet dishcloths and scrubbies for the kitchen. I also use the Diva Cup vs tampons (TMI?). I am all about using reusable items vs disposables. That said, I can't cross the line of doing away with toilet paper.
I read something recently that said back in the 50's companies were looking to keep people purchasing items that they don't need. One way was to make disposable items. Another way is to make items that will break. However they won't break right away so that you will still believe in the company and buy from them again. Then there was the problem with clothing. If you take good care of your clothes, you don't need to buy news that often. So in came the constant little changes in style / fashion. One year mini skirts are in and the next long skirts are in. Or spike heels vs fat heels. Thus people buy to stay "in style."
Ok, enough of my rambling.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that when I first saw the commercial for these! It was just so ridiculous. Granted, I'll admit we do still use paper towels for some stuff around the kitchen, but for the most part we're a wash cloth & dish towel family.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part I totally concur. The only circumstance I think these are actually good for are for those people with diseases or conditions that affect their immune system who need completely sterile environments and also want and need to be at home. You know, people who are recovering from cancer treatments or organ transplants... I think these are really a great thing to have around for them, because, quite frankly, no, a normal hand towel WON'T do. BUT how many people is that, really? Like 2% of the population? I agree that most homes would be absolutely looney and a little irresponsible (not to be offensive to anyone!) if they buy these.
ReplyDeletei thought this was ridiculous when i first saw this commercial. i mean, how many people could possibly come and go that you need a restaurant-like system? that's what this reminds me of, a restaurant or a sporting event. it's you and your friggin' kids, for crying out loud, you don't need this. crazy.
ReplyDeleteHi Jill, I completely agree with you on this one, this is crazy. Not only all the paper that's being thrown away, but the containers these companies are using. Seems like eveything these days comes in a huge disposable container. I've been using hand towels and dish cloths for years and always changing it every day. I have paper towels for the kitchen counters only and it takes me about a week to use a roll. I know people who go through a few rolls a day....yikes! Great post.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! I roll my eyes every time I see that commercial. Uh!
ReplyDelete