October 23, 2008

Skoy cloths: they’re plastic-free and save many, many paper towels.

skoy01 Skoy cloths: theyre plastic free and save many, many paper towels. I gave up paper towels when I first went plastic-free since all brands come wrapped in plastic. Later, I realized how wasteful the whole idea of paper towels is in the first place. So I switched to natural cellulose sponges and cut-up rags. (Microfiber cloths are a no-no for the plastic-free crowd because they’re made from… uh… plastic.)

The thing is, sponges get gross and don’t dry out quickly, so they tend to smell bad after a while. And the rags I was using weren’t particularly absorbent. Then, a few weeks ago, I read about Skoy cloths on the Crunchy Domestic Goddess blog, and thought they sounded like a great idea.

skoy02 Skoy cloths: theyre plastic free and save many, many paper towels. Skoy cloths are 100% biodegradable, as they’re made from cotton and cellulose. They’re also chlorine-free and contain water-based colors and inks. While highly absorbent like sponges, they are thin and dry out fast. The company claims that one Skoy cloth can replace 15 rolls of paper towels and can last for over a year. I guess it depends on how often you use paper towels. I don’t think I’ve gone through that many in my lifetime. But then, I wasn’t counting.

Anyway, I emailed the company and asked for a sample. But not, of course, before asking about the packaging. Guess what! Zero plastic. They come packaged just as you see in the picture, with a simple cardboard strip holding the 4-pack together. And in fact, Michelle Lundqvist, who sent the cloths to me, said, “We really tried hard to find a way to package without plastic.”

So far, Michael and I are really pleased with the cloths. (Well, I should say Michael is, since he does most of the actual cleaning. What a guy!) The fact that they last such a long time (washable in dishwasher or washing machine and microwavable when wet) and can be composted at the end of their lives makes them nearly perfect.

Nearly? Well, the web site says they’re made from “natural cotton” rather than organic cotton. Perhaps we could ask Skoy to create an organic version. A 4-pack of regular Skoy cloths costs $5.99. Would you pay more for organic?

Right now, Skoy cloths are mainly sold online and in a few retail stores. I haven’t found them anywhere in my area yet. But if they last for as long as they claim, I won’t need to buy any more for quite a while.

Have you tried Skoy cloths? And if so, what do you think?

10/27/08 Update: One FPF reader mentioned Twist Cloths, which are sold at Whole Foods. First of all, Twist cloths are packaged in plastic, while Skoy cloths are not. To find out other differences, I emailed Skoy, and this is Michelle’s reponse:

Beth, We welcome you to try the difference between Twist and Skoy. We think Skoy will be the winner. It is a superior product and below defines that.

The differences between Skoy and Twist:

1. SKOY is made of cotton and cellulose and Twist is cellulose only (cotton net). This gives SKOY a rag-like feel rather than sponge-like.
2. Twist’s products are made in China and SKOY in Germany. Our factory is leaps and bounds above on environmental awareness.
3. Twist’s sponges are packed wet – feel free to investigate wetting/antibacterial agents in sponges and you will see the harmful effects to the environment. SKOY uses no antibacterial agent or wetting agent.
4. SKOY is washer and dryer safe and Twist instructs not to put in dryer.
5. SKOY has fun designs, Twist does not
6 SKOY has a full range of colors making SKOY more modern and fashionable.
8. SKOY uses no plastic in packaging, only recyclable paper.

Personally, I don’t care about colors and designs, but some of the other differences are very interesting to me!

October 23, 2008 by Beth Terry
Filed under: cleaning products
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Comments

10 Comments on Skoy cloths: they’re plastic-free and save many, many paper towels.

Jennifer on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 6:28 am

Sounds like a good idea. It would be nice to have an organic option… I might pay a little more for organic (I can see paying $10 for a 4x)

Allie on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 10:54 am

Oh wow! Those sound fantastic. I use rags, but they aren’t as absorbent, and then I have a big bin of rags to wash. I love the idea of being able to just throw these in the dishwasher, and it seems like they will pick up a lot more than a rag would.

jennconspiracy on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 2:19 pm

I just use rags – same rags have lasted 15 years. I don’t use a dishwasher so not sure if there would be much of an advantage.

*shrug*

laurenhamilton7@gmail.com on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 7:36 pm

I have seen these at Whole Foods in Berkeley:

http://www.twistclean.com/eurospongecloth/

I wonder if they are basically the same thing. There isn’t a ton of info on their website.

Fake Plastic Fish on Thu, 23rd Oct 2008 7:53 pm

Hi Lauren. Don’t know if they’re the same, but I do know that the ones at Whole Foods come wrapped in plastic.

Kim on Sat, 25th Oct 2008 9:17 am

This might be a silly question but I was wondering what you do for greasy foods? I use paper towels for oiling my cast iron and for greasy food because I cannot figure out a substitute. Using rags for this kind of thing just doesn’t work since I can’t wash them with the rest of my laundry.

Fake Plastic Fish on Sun, 26th Oct 2008 1:19 am

Hi Kim. You can put Skoy cloths in the dishwasher. I’m wondering if that would be better than the laundry since the dishwasher already contains greasy dishes? You could also keep a bucket of soapy water for soaking them beforehand.

Kim on Mon, 27th Oct 2008 8:08 am

Thanks.

We don’t have a dishwasher, unless you count my kids :) I was just wondering what other people were doing since this is the last area that we really use paper towels in. I’ve tried the soaking method but the grease and oil still tends to transfer to the sheets and other towels that the greasy stuff is washed with. I guess we’ll just continue to use regular paper towels for these few things.

Fake Plastic Fish on Mon, 27th Oct 2008 9:45 pm

Hey Kim. I suggest you email Michelle at Skoy and ask her your question. She’s really nice and responsive. She might have a solution for you.

michelle[at]skoycloth[dot]com

Berry on Tue, 16th Jun 2009 11:01 am

Hi,
I gave up using paper towels over a year ago. We use cloth napkins, wipes, etc for cleaning ourselves up. I have a kitchen rag I use to wipe up spills. If I have to wipe the floor, I use it and then start a new one.

Regarding Kim's question about what to use on greasy items (oiling cast iron, bacon grease, etc)-I use a tea towel designated for oil. Then I wash it in hot soapy water in my sink, rinse it out, then simply wash it with other towels in the regular wash. I DO use hot water for towels (and underwear/socks and diapers). Everything else is on cold water. I've never had a problem with grease transferring to other items.

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