ModernGear Helpful and Handy: mini towels for life outside the home

Sometimes when life hands us messes, we're lucky enough to be at home. In any given week, I can deal with a Duane-related clean-up (he's house-trained but there's sometimes a bit of drool to contend with),a spilled glass of wine, an errant dollop of jam...you know those little accidents well.

So what do you do? Just grab a towel or sponge and wipe up any manner of mess, and Bob's your uncle. Well, I don't know about that, but I do know you're on your way. As we all know, though, life continues outside of the home, and so do accidents! I have two solutions for those big and small problems...

Sometimes you just need a little helper - dusty dashboards, a spill of coffee or scuff marks in the car, leaked hand lotion in your handbag, a spot of jam on your baby's face that you didn't see as you were getting ready to leave the house.

For these small problems you just need a small solution, and my favourite helper is a miniTISSUE. I always carry a few of these - one in my makeup bag, another in an inside pocket of my purse, one in the glove compartment of the car.

They start out tiny - no larger than a small after-dinner mint in a wrapper. Add a few drops of water, and they expand into a washcloth. A small bag of the miniTISSUE has 8 individually wrapped for $1.99, and their unfolded size is 8 1/2 x 9 1/2" or 22 x 25 cm.
I love the bag of rolls of tissues, 5 tubes with 10 pieces for $9.95:
They come in three other sizes as well:
Napkin - 12 x 18", $5.95 for 10
Wipe - 12 x 27 1/2", $6.95 for 10
Towel (washable cotton) - 12 x 22" or 30 x 55 cm, $1.95 each.
The smaller tissues, napkins and wipes are made of cellulose cotton fiber that is 100% biodegradable, so I don't mind using them when I need to. You can get them in retailers and at minitissue.com.

While those ones are for everyday folks with everyday messes, these ones are great for active people. Say you fancy a swim at the beach, or one night after work are able to squeeze in a quick work-out before a dinner date but forgot your towel...or even want to lighten your load and take up less space while camping, climbing, cycling or traveling...Lightload Towels are perfect.

When compact they fit into the palm of your hand and take up barely any space in a bag:
They measure 36 x 60", and have a whole bunch of other uses that are handy for the active outdoors lover: flag for signaling, dish towel for washing or drying, blanket for covering or as a ground cover, fire starter, coffee or water filter, wind scarf, first aid cloth and more .

I tried one and found it to be really absorbent and strong too, which is handy when you're out in the wild (though I tried mine in the wilds of my kitchen!). I also like that they store for a long time, and don't go bad...so while your sleeping bag and tent might get musty over a long winter, any unused Lightload Towels will be as good as new for your next adventure...and after they're done, they're biodegradable as well.

Get them at outdoor equipment stores, and lightloadtowels.com.

There! Now you're prepared for any problems life throws at you...