https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 18:28:28 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801638 Fri, 02 Feb 2018 14:19:17 +0000 maddyz 2801638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: I have not been liking freezing mason jars. Maybe it works better in a larger freezer, but i just dont have the space to spare. I freeze free farm milk every other week and I have lost a lot of jars in the freezing/thawing processes. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801637 Fri, 02 Feb 2018 14:17:48 +0000 maddyz 2801637@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use cheap washcloths instead of paper towls. I get them in 10 packs from amazon basics or bed bath and beyond on sale. They last a long time if you dont mind them getting kinda grey.</p> <p>We use disposable wipes even through we cloth diaper. It just could never get in the habit with them.</p> <p>No paper towels or napkins. (truth be told we have paper towels for emergencies and our cleaning lady... )</p> <p>But ziplocks are a thing we use often mostly for storing food in the freezer. </p> <p>We also use the take and toss containers for kids snacks which are plastic, but reusable. I end up using them for most things i would put in a ziplock back when i pack lunches. Sometimes they get lost and it doesn't feel like a big deal.</p> <p>Our everyday dishes are plastic. I just need some sanity and no more broken stuff. We tried a set of some kind of bamboo alternative, but they break. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801518 Thu, 01 Feb 2018 21:49:14 +0000 LaughLines 2801518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use these snack bags. They come in different sizes and are dishwasher safe. I always have one or two in my purse with snacks for my daughter and she can zip/unzip them way easier than a Ziploc bag so they don't spill as much</p> <p>Planet Wise Reusable Clear Zipper Snack Bag <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZXFU80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8e9CAbYTYFZWG" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JZXFU80/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_8e9CAbYTYFZWG</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801038 Wed, 31 Jan 2018 11:55:09 +0000 birdofafeather 2801038@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>we cloth diaper mostly, cloth wipes for pee, rags for clean up and cloth napkins. we got glass for leftovers and stainless steel for the girls' lunches (can't send glass to school). we use the reusable ziplocs sometimes, but they tend to leave food in them because you can't see that something is in there. itzy ritzy are the ones we use. we have refillable coffee and water to go vessels, have a water filter on the sink. my mom got us these reusable flexible lids that can do on anything, but we haven't gotten into them as much (probably because we already have so many glass reusable leftover containers with lids).</p> <p>we used to be more hardcore when we were first married, only had one, but we've loosened up with kids, no dishwasher, etc. as sometimes it's nice to just use paper when family comes over (when we were newly married and threw parties, we would totally use our regular plates and just have a dish washing party! but everyone was young and childfree for the most part so had extra time and hands!) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801023 Wed, 31 Jan 2018 10:55:42 +0000 MamaBear87 2801023@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: many of the cloth diaper companies make snack bags. I have some bumkins ones I like. They aren't waterproof though, most of them aren't. Stashers makes some silicone ones I really want to try but haven't yet. </p> <p>I use flour sack towels mostly for kitchen towels and just bought some cloth napkins from cost plus world market, they have tons of colors and they've held up well </p> <p>I also have flannel waiting to be made into unpaper towels I just haven't gotten around to it. If you don't have a serger there's tons of people who sell them on etsy if you want to go that route </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2801018 Wed, 31 Jan 2018 10:42:25 +0000 jennlin821 2801018@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This is great everyone! </p> <p>I don't currently use mason jars, so I think i'll need to invest in these - we batch cook and freeze everything so, I think this would be alternative to ziplock freezer bags. </p> <p>Does anyone have links or brands of reusable snack bags? </p> <p>Does anyone have links or brands for what they use for paper-towels and napkins? </p> <p>@yoursilverlining: in doing some research yesterday, many of the zero-waste sites said that once an item was frozen, then add another layer (1/4 inch) of water on top, to create a barrier to the air. Then, rinse off with water before leaving the item to defrost. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800958 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 21:45:41 +0000 karenbme 2800958@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yoursilverlining: I have done exactly what you're talking about and it works great. Longest I've ever left (veggie) chili in the freezer was about 6 mos in individual quart sized jars and it came out fine. </p> <p>We also use the pint sized wide mouth jars for things like individual portions of leftovers (ex. one chicken thigh per jar) so that they're easier to grab and go for work lunches like a ziplock would be.</p> <p>We just made the switch to microfiber shop rags for cleaning and let me tell you, compared to kitchen towels the shop towels are a game changer. They suck up so much more liquid and are infinitely better than our standard dish towels on sticky messes in particular (I'm assuming because of the texture, but idk.) DH brought a couple home from work where he uses them to clean all sorts of engineering lab goop and I am hooked. Since then we bought a 20 pack of similar rags from lowes and I use them every day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800935 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 18:20:59 +0000 MamaBear87 2800935@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrsbells: raw meat and grease is what I still use paper towels for. But I don't worry too much if someone uses one for meat cleanup as they get washed in bleach </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800933 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 18:11:53 +0000 Mrsbells 2800933@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We clothed diapered with DD, and I'm all for saving the environment but when it comes to food spills especially when there could be raw meat, i just cant see a way to use cloth in my kitchen just yet. we used to use the blue reusable towels but mainly to dry up water around the sink </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800917 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:50:53 +0000 MamaBear87 2800917@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@808love: i use a new towel at least every day and usually more often if I'm cooking. You can also use a 1/4 of bleach in the load, even with colored towels. Not sure why that's less sanitary than paper?<br /> And guys are weird. My hubby still insists I clean the washer after every cloth diaper load. Even though the whole point of a washer is it washes things 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800915 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 16:46:20 +0000 808love 2800915@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use mason jars, glass containers and glass bowls that will last forever. We also did cloth diapers and cloth wipes. I cut up old receiving blankets in squares. I would LOVE to get rid of paper towels. My husband won't budge though which is sad. He is afraid of food poisoning and sanitation of reusing a cloth rag. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800857 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 13:35:12 +0000 gotkimchi 2800857@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: we compost our paper towels -<br /> Not sure if something like that is an option for you </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800855 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 13:20:36 +0000 petitenoisette 2800855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: hahaha first off I cannot imagine using the diaper sprayer as a bidet! Ours is seriously powerful and oh man that would make a mess!! I would love a regular bidet though :P </p> <p>We are not totally paper free, but we use cloth napkins and I have a huge supply of plain, really absorbant kitchen towels that I use. We have small flannel cloth napkins that we use to wipe of LO's face after meals. We keep a roll of paper towels out but go through it really slowly. </p> <p>I also have these special cloths for cleaning that I use in the bathroom, sometimes I will use paper towels for cleaning the toilet but otherwise I use the cloths. </p> <p>All these things go together and are laundered on their own. Honestly it's so easy now that I have a big enough supply of everything and only end up doing that load of wash every 2 weeks or so. </p> <p>I looked into the beeswax wrap but it is expensive and I had literally just bought a couple huge rolls of plastic wrap from costco that will last us 3-4 years so I decided not to bother! We do use plastic baggies, but try to reuse and go through them very slowly. Basically only get regular use for my DH's lunch sandwiches but he keeps the same bag and uses it for a long time (it's just pb&amp;j so doesn't get gross). I basically just haven't gotten around to buying him a reusable bag yet or he would. Otherwise we have tons of glass pyrex, and my LO uses plastic lunchbox containers for school. I also have a couple reusable bags that I use for my own snacks. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800843 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:50:19 +0000 Baby Boy Mom 2800843@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We were almost completely plastic/paper free until recently. I store everything at home in glass Pyrex or mason jars. For the kids’ lunches I use stainless steel containers (they do have plastic lids but I’m fine with that). Cloth napkins/rags for everything. Costco sells big packs inexpensively. They make those reusable snack bags but we don’t have a dishwasher so I had to stop using them for the amount of time it was taking to wash. Essentially it’s not that hard. We eased into it slowly and I do keep paper goods for that occasional need. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800837 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:31:06 +0000 honeybear 2800837@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Fwiw, I do keep plastic bags on hand, but we go through a box like once a year. Everything we're using goes into a reusable box, so I really only use them when I'm sending food home with a guest or giving out cookies or something. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800836 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:29:29 +0000 honeybear 2800836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have always done cloth napkins. It is an extra load of laundry, but I think they're much nicer. I use kitchen towels for everything that isn't totally gross; my husband will use them for whatever if they're out... :meh: I also own a ton of microfiber cloths for cleaning. </p> <p>If you take food anywhere, glass is a real pain, especially once you're bringing food for more than one person and kids are involved. I went to all glass storage and then ended up getting some plastic bento boxes to carry stuff in because the metal one wasn't leakproof in the slightest and shouldn't go in the dishwasher, which was just way too high maintenance. I'm willing to handwash metal water bottles, but not lunch boxes too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800831 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:23:21 +0000 looch 2800831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I am really making an effort to get away from single use ziplock bags, I go through a ton of them and they are very convenient. I use them a lot to keep things organized when travelling and I am making an effort to go to reusable packing bags where possible.</p> <p>As far as the kitchen, my main issue is the fact that I buy some stuff in large quantities and then break it down and freeze it, using plastic bags (Foodsaver). I don't know how to get around this at the moment and would love some suggestions.</p> <p>As for cloth napkins, I like the idea of this, but I am not able to keep up with the laundry as it is and this would require at least an additional load of laundry in my already stretched week. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800824 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:14:22 +0000 yoursilverlining 2800824@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@greencraftycello: Do you have ice/freezer burn issues with freezing things in wide mouth mason jars? I make a lot of big batches of soup/chili/stews for lunch and it would be ideal to be able to take a frozen mason jar, let it thaw and work and then heat at lunch but I'm worried about freezer burn. Is this an issue?</p> <p>We switched from paper towels and napkins to all cloth and I love it. Using cloth napkins just makes the meal feel so much nicer and I prefer using cloth over paper towels for sure (except for real nasty jobs or grease/oil). That's about as far as we've gone though! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800808 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:20:28 +0000 jennlin821 2800808@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@greencraftycello: I'm interested in the beeswax wraps - but how long do they last and what do you do with them once the wax is gone? I read that they only last a year, so it might be green, but not cost effective! Do you have a reference point for me to start? Is there a book, website, or blog that you follow? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800806 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:16:42 +0000 MamaBear87 2800806@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: i do have a sprayer but would never use it as a bidet. Too cold and the spray is serious 😂<br /> Also sprayers are insanely easy to install and take off. We had one in our rental </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800800 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:09:10 +0000 greencraftycello 2800800@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We are definitely on the zero waste spectrum—not perfect, but we have managed to cut out a lot of disposable plastic.</p> <p>We use dishcloths instead of paper towels, and it was a pretty painless switch when we did it several years ago.</p> <p>In terms of avoiding ziplocs and aluminum foil, we use Pyrex and wide mouth mason jars for everything—freezing, storing leftovers, taking lunch to work, etc. We honestly don’t miss them. Have you also seen the cloth beeswax wraps? They work well to cover bowls without lids.</p> <p>Honestly, it’s about doing what you’re comfortable with and taking things one step at a time. :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800796 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 11:00:13 +0000 jennlin821 2800796@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaBear87: Do you use a sprayer for your cloth diapers? So many people in my cloth diaper FB group say they use the sprayer as a bidet, and would never go back!<br /> We use liners, and live in an apt so we don't have a sprayer yet - but I can imagine using it for that purpose! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800775 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:33:20 +0000 MamaBear87 2800775@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@jennlin821: hubby really wants a bidet seat for the toilets but I'm still in the research phase 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800773 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:25:38 +0000 jennlin821 2800773@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MamaBear87: exactly! I want to do it as much as possible, but I'm not trying to be a zealot. I will probably use disposable wipes in my diaper bag; and I will definitely keep some actual paper towels around, just not readily accessible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800767 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:16:48 +0000 MamaBear87 2800767@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We cloth diaper. Sometimes use cloth wipes. And don't use paper towels or napkins. But I couldn't make it work with no plastic ziplocs, I tried!! </p> <p>I suggest getting rid of paper towels entirely to start. That was the only way to get my hubby out of the habit. But i do keep them in the house now for super gross stuff and bacon lol </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/paperplastic-free-kitchen#post-2800764 Tue, 30 Jan 2018 10:13:58 +0000 jennlin821 2800764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Anyone here have a paper/plastic free kitchen? </p> <p>We cloth diaper, so I'm thinking about switching to using cloth wipes. which led me to think about all the other paper products in my house. </p> <p>I think I could easily switch to un-paper towels and linen napkins, but I'm think about trying to get rid of aluminum foil, ziplock bags, plastic wrap, etc. We got rid of Tupperware years ago, and only use pyrex now.</p> <p>Is anyone else Paper/Plastic free?<br /> Anyone have a good website I could use as a reference? </p> <p>I'm not looking to be super strict, I'm trying to save money and be green - but I'm not attempting to be a zero-waste family either! </p>