Stop Throwing Old Kitchen Towels Away And Put Them To Good Use

Absorbent, hardwearing, and reusable, kitchen towels are absolute workhorses. Employ them as pot holders, pop them underneath bowls to stabilize them as you whisk a custard, or simply wipe them along the countertop to mop up spills. The bad news? These guys can become frayed, torn, or thin with overuse, which means they can often end up in the trash after a stint of stalwart service. Instead of discarding them, consider putting old kitchen towels to good use by laying them down in your fridge crisper drawers to maximize the life of fresh produce.

To get started, clean out your fridge drawers of any rotting produce, give them a quick dry, and lay your kitchen towel inside (you might have to fold it to make it fit). As kitchen towels are made of cotton, they will absorb any moisture inside the fridge, which will help to control the humidity inside, thereby preventing herbs, greens, and lettuce from wilting and going off too quickly. Of course, there's a similar paper towel hack for keeping refrigerated vegetables fresher for longer. However, paper towels have to be discarded after a single use. Using kitchen towels made of a high-quality fabric allows you to reuse them over and over again, reducing waste. Simply, swap it out for another kitchen towel every time you return from a grocery trip and give the used one a spin in the washing machine so it's ready for another day.

You can also place folded-up kitchen towels inside open salad bags or under punnets of soft fruits, such as strawberries and blueberries, to absorb moisture and give your fridge a helping hand. Old kitchen towels can be turned into Swiffer pads with a clever hack too. Simply attach them to your mop head to clean your floors, and once you're done, pop them in the washing machine to reuse later. Alternatively, if your kitchen towels are still in relatively good shape but starting to pill, give them a new lease on life by turning them into a bread basket. With a few folds and a quick nip and tuck, you can transform them into a charming basket without any sewing or additional extras involved. 

A good way to boost the performance of your refrigerator further and increase the life of your fresh produce is to clean the gunk out from behind your fridge twice a year. Dust and debris can clog up the coils at the back, forcing the appliance to work harder to keep cool. An old kitchen towel can be great for removing this build-up, which can increase the lifespan of your fridge too.