Spring Cleaning in Scandinavia: Squeaky Clean and Squeaky Green

Cleanliness is next to godliness, or so the saying goes; but for folks in the Nordic countries, it may be the other way around. They “vask” themselves and “vask” their homes with religious zeal. The Finns have gone so far as to create a temple to bathing. They have their own popular saying: “Two places are holy – church and sauna.”

The Nordic countries produce cleaning cloths out of earth-friendly cellulose. Using the cellulose dishcloth can definitely help with being squeaky clean plus it can double your squeaky green effect with two green benefits: environment and money.

                 Deer In Forest Dishcloth

[By the way cellulose is a substance which is the main constituent of plant cell walls and of vegetable fibers such as cotton … not to be confused with cellulite which according to Cosmopolitan is one of the great tragedies of the world.]

The Swedish dishcloth is used all over Scandinavia and stays true to Scandinavian tradition of form and function. Across Scandinavia, in the spirit of reuse and recycle, paper towels are rarely used. In fact, the Swedish cellulose dishcloths replaces not only the paper towel but also the traditional sponge:

  • Can be used with just water, soap, or cleaners
  • Cleans counter tops, granite, stainless steel and glass
  • Cleans streak-free
  • Use the super soft cloth for cleaning your children
  • Cleans dishes easily and efficiently
  • Pro tip: The backside of the cloth is the scrubby side

Some facts you should know about these handy-dandy cloths:

  • One dishcloth can replace 17 rolls of paper towels and absorbs far more (20x its weight!) as demonstrated here:

Swedish Dishcloth Hanger
  • It’s a 100% natural product (made of 70% wood cellulose and 30% cotton)
  • They soften when wet and wash and dry like a dream
  • They are long lasting, and when they have reached the end of their useful lives, they can be composted which can take a while since…
  • Each individual Swedish dishcloth can be thrown in the dishwasher (top rack) or washing machine for over 200 cycles! You can also clean them by boiling or putting in the microwave
  • They’re more sanitary than sponges since they dry out more quickly and are more durable and hygienic than a slow-to-dry, bacteria-ridden sponge
  • They come in so many designs there is one for everyone, every occasion or holiday. And the styles will give your kitchen a Scandinavian accent!
 Uff Da Cellulose Dishcloth

One small change can make a big difference for the environment and for your pocketbook. Did you know that annually in the U.S., we use more than 13 billion pounds of paper towels, and that number is growing every year. This leads to over 3,000 tons of paper towel waste just in the U.S. each year. If each U.S. household used one less 70-sheet roll of paper towels, 554,000 trees could be saved every year.

The average family uses two rolls of paper towels per week, and at $14 for an 8-pack you could be spending up to $182 a year for that convenience.

  Pet Cellulose Dishcloths

The blog Growing A Green Family goes into depth on how much money a family can save by switching from paper towels to cloth towels, such as the Swedish cellulose dishtowel. In fact the blog has amazing ideas to save money and save the environment at the same time.