When you need to clean up a spill or wipe down the kitchen table after dinner, what do you reach for first? Paper towels are an obvious choice, but there's actually a more affordable, less-wasteful alternative than your go-to bulk pack: Swedish dishcloths, also known as reusable paper towels.
Patented in 1949 by Swedish civil engineer Curt Lindquist under the brand name Wettex, reusable paper towels are typically made of a cellulose-and-cotton blend. They're meant to be dampened, squeezed out, and used to sop up spills or clean up crumbs, just like a regular paper towel. They're slightly spongy when wet but feel just like paper when dry.
Where Can You Use Reusable Paper Towels?
You can use reusable paper towels with an all-purpose cleaner nearly anywhere that a regular paper towel can be used: on glass, tabletops, countertop surfaces, and floors. Buying multiple patterned designs can help you designate them for cleaning separate areas. However, we wouldn't recommend cleaning soiled areas or your toilets with reusable paper towels unless you plan to throw them out immediately afterward.
How Do You Wash Reusable Paper Towels?
Washing a reusable paper towel is simple. You can give it a quick rinse and wring out, just as you would with a sponge. For a more substantial clean, they can also go in a washing machine or on the top rack of a dishwasher and hung out to dry in both cases.
How Long Can You Use a Reusable Paper Towel?
When the reusable paper towel is starting to look dingy, even after washing and drying, or its edges are starting to curl or fray, it's time to dispose of it and move on to the next one in the pack. Many reusable paper towel brands claim that they can be used for a few months before throwing away or composting — but as a general rule of thumb, you shouldn't compost anything that's been used with a chemical cleaning spray.
The best reusable paper towels are absorbent, quick-drying, and come in cost-efficient multi-packs. They're the perfect, eco-friendlier alternative to using paper towels to wipe up dust, crumbs, and small messes around the home. Read on to check out the best reusable paper towels for spiffing up any household.
The European Dish Cloths from Grove Co. come in a pair of complementary designs. Designate one for surfaces and the other for floors to keep things sanitary. The brand even says that these can be microwaved or hung on the top shelf of a dishwasher to thoroughly clean them.
These dishcloths were my introduction to reusable paper towels. I used them with just plain water or an all-purpose cleaner to give my kitchen surfaces a good wipe-down after dinner. Once moistened, these dishcloths become thick and spongey, and their wavy, textured surface is adept at picking up crumbs in just one pass. I was impressed with this pair's resiliency over a combined 3 months of use — they never ripped or picked up kitchen smells while I used them. They also don't stain as much as you'd think. A thorough rinsing after each use is the key to these looking and smelling fresh.
If you plan to make your reusable paper towel commitment a long-term thing, you can sign up for recurring, flexible monthly shipments from Grove Co. for 40% off your first order and 5% off subsequent orders.
With a 77% five-star rating from over 38K Amazon reviewers, it's safe to say that these reusable paper towels from Swedish Wholesale are a fan favorite.
Users love that this super absorbent 10-pack of cloths doesn’t smell when dry (even after sopping up spilled milk!) and that they can be used with virtually any cleaning agent, including bleach.
To clean the cloths themselves, many have said that they throw them in the washing machine or the dishwasher, or they boil them in hot water. The cloths' 2-month-plus life span and compostable material are also touted as major pluses.
This cost-efficient set of reusable paper towel rolls from If You Care are thick and spongey, and they’ll last you for a while. (Each towel averages out to about $.88 each.) Many users are surprised by how strong they are and how much unnecessary paper waste they save.
They're designed to fit right onto a regular paper towel holder, too. Stash the three rolls in different areas of the house so that you're not searching for them when something spills. We only wish they had slightly different designs on them to help avoid mixing them up — but this is hardly a flaw because they work so well.
If you're ready to go all-in with reusable paper towels, we suggest getting a roll of Wowables. This biodegradable, 30-sheet roll is the best value on our list (at $.66 per towel), combining sponge-like absorbency and strength with the surface area of a regular paper towel.
You can use these for wiping up grease stains, washing dishes, and even sanitizing with bleach. Afterward, just soak them and wring them out to reuse them over and over again for the same cleaning purpose.
The brand claims that it'll take you roughly 2.5 years to get through a single roll ... we can't imagine how many paper towels we've used in that same period.
Sometimes your messes require a bit more muscle. These reusable scouring pads from SKOY can be used at the sink to assist in your handwashing, but they can also be used in place of a reusable paper towel to help scrub off stubborn bits that the soft sponginess of a towel just can't.
These fun, colorful scrubbers are made from cotton-towel scraps and treated with food-grade resin to give them a coarse (but not scratchy) feel. They can last an estimated 3-6 months, and just like reusable paper towels, they can be washed on the top rack of your dishwasher.
Papaya's reusable paper towels may be the priciest in our guide, but they make integrating green cleaning into your life the easiest.
Available as a one-off purchase or on a subscription basis, these reusable paper towels come in a set of six and are bundled with three handy hooks to help them dry out wherever you use them the most. This helps ensure that you always have a freshly cleaned towel ready to go, even when your others are in the wash or still drying off from the last wipe-down.
Melanie YatesSenior Home Decor EditorMelanie is the senior home decor editor of Best Products, where she's been researching and testing out home and bedding products since 2015 — her work can also be found on House Beautiful and Women's Health.
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