Milk Strainers

[misfitmorgan]

This may sound like a silly request, but could you share a picture of a flour sack towel? I buy flour in paper, 5 or 10 pound bags and have no idea what it is you're describing... You say you buy the cloth and make them yourself? I've never seen anything by that name in a store, so wouldn't have the faintest idea of what to buy or even look for Never mind what store to even start looking at... wally world? doubt it.

I'm nowhere near the point of needing them yet, and definitely feel for those who don 't want any additional laundry, but it just sounds more economical than paper filters... Thanks in advance.

Flour sack towls have been around for ages. It is literally the fabric they used to put flour in before everything switched to paper...so you can imagine how fine a weave it is to keep flour in lol. They used to make towels out of the old flour sacks and dress aka flour sack dresses. Its basically a very fine cotton woven fabric sort of looks like linen but very thin, no fuzz. They currently sell them at wally world, meijers, target, sur la table, bed bath & beyond, williams and sonoma, kohl's, they used to have them at some dollar stores as well they are in the kitchen/kitchen towel section usually come in single or two packs.

These are some of the cheapest largest pre-made ones ive found that seem like good quality, they come in a 5 pack. http://www.dreamproducts.com/jumbo-flour-sack-towels.html?gdftrk=gdfV27929_a_7c2477_a_7c10728_a_7cJUMBO_a2s_FLOUR_a2s_SACK_a2s_TOWELS&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=JUMBO FLOUR SACK TOWELS&gclid=CjwKEAjwmdu5BRCg1O3a-tDY0AQSJACKPgRKoRCKnEg3OMlOGpGqgk8W_wkEBWeS_jdDrlt1FNNebRoC18nw_wcB

There are all sorts of patterns and colors you can get but i strongly encourage plain white so you can bleach. I got some pretty ones from meijers with double teal blue bands to match my kitchen that i thought were so pretty....4 months later they are all stained cause i am afraid to bleach those ones. Just do a image search for flour sack towel on google..they have gotten quite popular and "in fashion" over the past 2yrs or so.

 

[Southern by choice]

I am not convinced they are more cost effective. I love the cloth though. I wonder what the thread count is?

I use the small filters... it comes out to .03 per filter... less from some stores... I throw them away. No rinsing no having to wait til I have enough to wash etc.
Just not seeing how using water, laundry soap, bleach would be less then that.

I will say I think I may order some "flour cloth" to have on hand.. for those times when oops I forgot to order filters!

We actually use up to 4 filters per day... 2 strainers 2x day.
That is still maximum of .12 per day x320 days roughly- $38+ per year. If I only did 1 filter per day it would be about $9-$10 year.

I have to use cheesecloth to strain colostrum.. it is too thick for filters.
If I used the big disk it would be less expensive.
I wonder if this would work better for the big strainers that everyone hates because the filters don't fit in then right... Hmmmm
maybe I could get the big strainer and that would be so much easier... just line the whole thing with the flour cloth....

 

[Latestarter]

Flour sack towls have been around for ages. It is literally the fabric they used to put flour in before everything switched to paper...

Thanks! That made it quite clear! Saved the link too... for later.

Hmmmm
maybe I could get the big strainer and that would be so much easier... just line the whole thing with the flour cloth....

That was kinda what I was thinking along the lines of...

 

[sadieml]

My mother used to make all of our clothes, at least, until around 1970, when Daddy started to make more money (though never a lot), and growing, busy children meant less time for sewing. She would make everything from play clothes to swim suits from feed sacks she bought for 10 cents or 3 for a quarter-chicken feed sacks from the feed store. There were some awesome patterns--and of course the old standard red and white check that is so common on table cloths (even plastic ones these days). There were Mickey Mouse, and nursery rhyme ones, and floral prints, and farm animals, and every feed mill had it's own patterns. Mama could make shorts and a top from one feed sack when we were really young. She'd make jumpers and dresses, too, and little drawstring purses, and hair bands to match. She did it all--and for FOUR daughters. When #4 (that would be I) daughter came along, GrandDaddy gave her his (yes, HIS--not Nanny's) sewing machine because he said he just couldn't stand by and watch her sew for herself AND 4 daughters, it was too much work for her poor, SORE fingers! BUT, I completely forgot about the FLOUR sacks. They had patterns, yes, but they also had these WONDERFUL cross-stitch patterns. They had flowers and herbs, birds, seasons, months, his & hers (for hand towels), all sorts of things. That's how we all learned to cross-stitch. And they were really nice, almost like linen. I guess "poor folks linen". Thanks, @misfitmorgan, for the wonderful trip down memory lane!

 

[sadieml]

Uh-oh...my age is showing...

 

[Mike CHS]

Don't worry - we won't tell anybody but I haven't even seen those sacks mentioned in I don't know how long.

 

[misfitmorgan]

My mother used to make all of our clothes, at least, until around 1970, when Daddy started to make more money (though never a lot), and growing, busy children meant less time for sewing. She would make everything from play clothes to swim suits from feed sacks she bought for 10 cents or 3 for a quarter-chicken feed sacks from the feed store. There were some awesome patterns--and of course the old standard red and white check that is so common on table cloths (even plastic ones these days). There were Mickey Mouse, and nursery rhyme ones, and floral prints, and farm animals, and every feed mill had it's own patterns. Mama could make shorts and a top from one feed sack when we were really young. She'd make jumpers and dresses, too, and little drawstring purses, and hair bands to match. She did it all--and for FOUR daughters. When #4 (that would be I) daughter came along, GrandDaddy gave her his (yes, HIS--not Nanny's) sewing machine because he said he just couldn't stand by and watch her sew for herself AND 4 daughters, it was too much work for her poor, SORE fingers! BUT, I completely forgot about the FLOUR sacks. They had patterns, yes, but they also had these WONDERFUL cross-stitch patterns. They had flowers and herbs, birds, seasons, months, his & hers (for hand towels), all sorts of things. That's how we all learned to cross-stitch. And they were really nice, almost like linen. I guess "poor folks linen". Thanks, @misfitmorgan, for the wonderful trip down memory lane!

Your welcome. Though i never saw real flour/feed sacks...with flour or feed i love history and my grandma had clothes and things her and her mother had made from feed/flour sacks. My grandma was born in 1919 so vividly remembered the Great Depression and WWII so she was a very creative frugal woman.

Here is a awesome link to pictures of flour/feed sacks dresses and color pictures of feed sack patterns. They really did come in lots of pretty patterns. https://kindnessblog.com/2015/05/06/flower-sack-dresses-from-the-flour-mills-historical-kindness/

I am not convinced they are more cost effective. I love the cloth though. I wonder what the thread count is?

I use the small filters... it comes out to .03 per filter... less from some stores... I throw them away. No rinsing no having to wait til I have enough to wash etc.
Just not seeing how using water, laundry soap, bleach would be less then that.

I will say I think I may order some "flour cloth" to have on hand.. for those times when oops I forgot to order filters!

We actually use up to 4 filters per day... 2 strainers 2x day.
That is still maximum of .12 per day x320 days roughly- $38+ per year. If I only did 1 filter per day it would be about $9-$10 year.

I have to use cheesecloth to strain colostrum.. it is too thick for filters.
If I used the big disk it would be less expensive.
I wonder if this would work better for the big strainers that everyone hates because the filters don't fit in then right... Hmmmm
maybe I could get the big strainer and that would be so much easier... just line the whole thing with the flour cloth....

Yes but i'm cheap and i dont think i could spend $85-90 on the strainer lol.

I dont know my grandma taught me using disposable things were a waste and to her it was being lazy so i dont...everyone uses what works for them though and yes i think the paper filters would be faster and more convenient but again i just can't. I mean i even reuse my old canning lids for fridge storage. I use flour sacks towels instead of paper towels or saran wrap. I esp love them in the kitchen for covering rising dough. These are very often the same towels used in restaurant kitchens and i found out Costco sometimes carries them in large bundles btw.

The towels are 130 thread count...its all in the weave...super tight. Be aware as with all things there are some cheaper ones that you dont want...if you see pinholes of light thru the towel you dont want that one. I know meijers has some nice quality ones if anyone needs to see/feel them in person to see what they are looking for quality wise.

Thanks! That made it quite clear! Saved the link too... for later.


That was kinda what I was thinking along the lines of...

My grandma did have a giant stainless steel funnel she would line with a flour sack towel and strain milk thru if she had a big 8 Gallon Milk Can brought up to make cheese or something. So i know that does work.