Soap and Guest Towel: Ways to keep green I can live with

Keeping green is now a nagging thought at the back of my mind. When I see something I know is a waste, I start thinking about how to replace it with something that is environmentally friendly.

My latest quandary is guest towels. My choices are paper towels, which are far too wasteful, and cotton towels. I love the Swiss dot cotton guest towels, but I have to confess that I find them hard to maintain since in order to look really great they must be starched and ironed. Every time they get used I have to wash and iron them again. Not a great solution!

At our hotel in the Dominican Republic, they solved this problem beautifully. White terry cloth face towels were neatly rolled together and arranged on a tray. They are pretty, inviting, very efficient, and relatively environmentally friendly. I can throw them in my washer and dryer along with my other towels, roll them back up and they are ready for use.

To create a less industrial look I decided to add color and a fun basket. I took twelve green face towels (on sale) and by rolling them up and fitting them into the basket they look great.

It’s also a good solution for big parties. If there are more than twelve quests I can use a larger basket and more towels. To add a little variety and some fun I tried an assortment of colors—fun!

When it comes to the environment every little bit helps and this is a simple solution.