To ease expected shortages of common household cleaning disposable cloth products, consider some very easy upcycle/recycle sewing or low-sew projects for substitutes. Old T-shirts, really any terry cloth like or thirsty cotton fabric can be cut up and used as reusable stand-ins for expensive store-bought made-to-be-disposable cleaning cloths. Adding some simple machine or hand stitching allows many stand-in DIY cleaning cloths to be washable and reusable time and again.

Paper towel substitute - a kitchen staple for sure. Use those old wash cloths destined for the rag pile just as they are, cut up older thinning towels into desired paper towel size (6-inches by 10 or 12-inches should do), revive thread-bare kitchen tea towels as they are super useful even cut up since several can be had from one tea towel. Flour sack towels (once in every kitchen in times past) are exquisite as paper towel stand-ins too. Helpful to have several paper towel substitutes ready to use perhaps stacked into a plastic container or baby wipes container to place within ready reach on top of the kitchen counter or discretely under the kitchen sink. Launder used cloths separately from regular clothing.

Non-toxic reusable wet cleaning wipes - a modern and efficient convenience. Double layered 6-inch squares of cut up previously washed flannel fabric make for easy to sew together wipes. The flannel provides a reasonable thickness for absorption and when layered and machine stitched around all edges and across the center allows for a good grip of the cloth as it is swiped along a surface. Place several rolled up or stacked into a container - a deep glass jar with lid, plastic storage container or baby wipes container works well to hold the wipes. Pour desired DIY non-toxic cleaning solution over until dampened.

Note: There are several recipes for DIY non-toxic cleaning solutions online. A few favorites are distilled water/Castile soap/few drops of essential oil like lavender or lemon; distilled water/Dawn dishwashing liquid/rubbing alcohol; distilled water and lemon infused vinegar. Be sure the surface to be cleaned will not be damaged with repeated use of a particular recipe solution since wood, stone, Formica, porcelain all require different recommended cleaning.

Reusable duster cleaning cloths - here is where those old T-shirts come in handy. Cut shirts into several or as many 8-inch squares as can be had from one shirt. Layer 3 or 4 squares on top of each other. Machine sew using a straight or zig zag stitch or hand stitch a running stitch from one point to an opposite point through all layers forming an "X". Having several layers stacked, rather than one layer, makes dusting go faster. A single layer cloth will maddeningly bunch up. No need to stitch around all edges but do so if desired.

Reusable cloth pads for Swiffer-like floor/broom mops - the single use disposable pads for floor mops and brooms (the kind that push into gripper spots on the mop top) are undoubtedly convenient however they can be costly. If available use a disposable mop pad as a template to cut one from flannel fabric and one from thin terry cloth. With wrong sides facing, stitch the two fabric pieces together using a straight machine stitch or a zig zag stitch around all edges. Trim close to stitching. Having two fabrics stitched together seems to help the DIY cover for the mop stay firmly in place and not tend to roll off.

Sew happy, sew inspired. Stay vigilant and prepared. Follow personal safety guidelines during these challenging times. Remember, sewing soothes the soul.