9 Reusable Paper Towels Helping You Ditch The Disposables (2024)

Trying to cook up a zero waste kitchen?

It’s time to ditch your disposable kitchen towel in favor of reusable paper towels.

While single-use habits can be hard to break, learning to replace paper towels with cloth ones is one simple swap that can soak up a lot of waste.

Like lots of outdated recipes that have a number of bad ingredients, paper towel “ingredients” consist of virgin tree materials. If you consider the number of paper towels used globally, that equates to a lot of cut trees for the sake of spills.

Add in the manufacturing emissions, plastic wrap, and their single-use contribution to landfill waste, and you have an enormous impact.

Most of which is avoidable if you opt for paper towel alternatives.

How To Use & Care For Eco Friendly Paper Towels

First, are reusable cloths safe?

Absolutely–as long as you’re taking the proper care to wash and dry them so that no mold or bacteria can build up within the fibers.

This is also the best way to make them last longer. Switching to an eco-friendly product doesn’t mean much if we don’t try to extend its life.

Here is our guide for using and making each reusable paper towel last longer.

How to wash reusable paper towels

Check the manufacturer’s instructions, but in general, handwashing, laundry machine washing, or putting in the dishwasher are the usual recommendations.

Unless the clean-up was very messy, a quick hand wash, rinse, and ring is all you need to do.

Then be sure to deep clean by machine (if suggested) on a weekly basis.

Then hang to dry, dry flat, or prop in the dish rack to prevent shrinking and premature pilling.

How to store reusable paper towels

Some reusable paper towels come with a loop for hanging so you can store them on a hook somewhere handy. This is also helpful for air-drying in between uses.

Others are designed to either cling or fasten together with poppers so that they can be stored on a roll in the same way as conventional paper towels.

Either way, once they’ve been used, be sure to hang or lay them somewhere well-ventilated to prevent mold, mildew, and odors.

Drying in the sun will do this as well as help keep your reusable paper towels stain-free.

How long do reusable paper towels last?

If all the above steps are taken, how many times can you use reusable paper towels?

That depends on the type of paper towel and the sort of jobs you’re using it for.

Those only used as dish towels will likely last much longer than one used for dirty jobs like washing a car or pairing with your eco-friendly mop.

Thick cotton cloths are the most durable and easy to wash.

Cellulose paper towel replacement (AKA Swedish dishcloths) are typically quoted to last anywhere from 6-12 months—depending on frequency of use.

ZWS Essentials says theirs should last for 200 washes, which should easily put it around the year mark, even if you’re washing regularly.

Why Choose Reusable Towels Instead Of Paper Towels?

The United States loves their single-use paper towels—so much so that their usage far exceeds that of the rest of the world.

In 2017 (before people were washing their hands more fervently), global spending on disposable paper towels for use at home amounted to $12 billion, of which America accounted for $5.7 billion alone.

According to the EPA, America’s combined totals for all “tissue” waste (including sustainable tissues, paper towels, and toilet paper) amounted to a whopping 7.4 billion pounds.

If that’s not a reason to use eco-friendly toilet paper and a reusable paper towel, we don’t know what is.

Now remember, what are regular paper towels made out of?

That’s right: trees.

That means that every time your tired morning eyes miss your mug of coffee with your sustainable milk alternative, you’re contributing to deforestation.

At worst, that means contributing to illegal logging and biodiversity loss.

At best—meaning you’re choosing paper towels from sources with sustainable forestry certifications—you’re still taking away necessary carbon sequesters.

Not only that, but turning tree pulp into something soft and absorbing is a water and chemical-intensive process.

While a reusable paper towel alternative obviously still has an impact, you’re getting countless uses (and fewer raw materials) in exchange for that impact—instead of a measly one.

How We Chose The Best Reusable Paper Towels

While you can compost a paper towel, opting for reusable alternatives will always be one of the most eco-friendly cleaning products you can choose. However, there are a few considerations to be aware of before giving the green seal.

Materials:

The best fabric for reusable paper towels are those that absorb the most liquid, which is why cotton (ideally organic cotton) and wood pulp cellulose are popular options.

We tried to ensure the latter came from responsibly managed forests.

While we didn’t include any bamboo reusable paper towels on this list, that’s another absorbent material that can also be home composted at its eventual end-of-life. Just be sure it’s responsibly-sourced bamboo fabric.

Supply chain & green business practices:

The best unpaper towels are also made via ethical manufacturing by brands that demonstrate a commitment to reducing their carbon footprint through practices like supporting carbon offset programs and using compostable or recycled packaging (especially important considering you can’t recycle paper towels themselves).

Final Thoughts On The Best Reusable Paper Towels

Do reusable paper towels really work?

They do, in just about every way they’re meant to and more. Switching to reusable towels is a simple yet effective way to cut down on waste in your zero waste bathroom, kitchen, and everything in between.

We know, it can be hard to kick single-use habits, so pat yourself on the back for each eco-switch you make. If you just can’t get passed this old habit then opt for recycled paper towels as your next best option.

But remember, the best reusable paper towel replacement is something you already own, so consider learning how to make reusable paper towels, DIY style.

You can easily repurpose scrap fabric or old clothes made of absorbent fabrics like cotton into some DIY paper towels without sewing—taking out two wasteful birds with one reusable stone.

Overheard anyone asking, “What can I use for reusable paper towels?”

We’d roll head over heels with happiness if you shared this article with your sustainable buddies and spread the word about reducing paper towel waste.