# In Search of good kitchen towels



## penguin (Aug 30, 2008)

I'm looking for some good kitchen towels to buy in bulk for my personal kitchen. Ones that absorb, don't hold odors and stand up to frequent washing. Does anyone have a brand of hand towels and washcloths that I like? The towels at Target or Walmart just get so yucky over time, I'm wondering if a commercial line of towels would be better . . . 

Thanks,
Emily


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

I have a selection that includes mostly flour sack towels. They perform exactly as you want them to. I also have a few terry cloth towels and some others that are a plain weave but a bit heavier than the flour sack ones. 

All are 100% cotton. If you can, avoid using fabric softener on them when you launder them.


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## penguin (Aug 30, 2008)

Thanks! What's the difference between flour sack towels and 100% cotton terry towels? When I'm cooking, I feel like I wash my hands 50 times and my towels get soaked just from drying my hands so often.

I also use my towels to dry my pots, pans and knives as soon as they are washed. Do these two different purposes need the same kind of towel? 

Also do you have a washcloth recommendation for cleaning prep surfaces or should I invest in more towels to use instead? 

Thanks, 
Emily


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Microfiber kitchen towels are amazingly better for any purpose you can think of -- from cleaning, to pot holding, to pot drying, to hand drying, to wiping-down the board, to ... you name it. 

BDL


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## amazingrace (Jul 28, 2006)

I have a selection of kitchen towels that I purchased at Sam's club. I think they come 6 or 8 to the package. Half are colored, and half are white with a matching colored stripe. 100% cotton, nice weave, good size, heavy, very absorbant, and they hold their shape. I searched for a very long time, and have found nothing I liked better than these.

For wash clothes, I bought bar wipes at Walmart, 12 to the pack. They are cheap, but also are 100% cotton with good weave,heavy, just the right size, with a nice looking stripe on each end. I keep a plastic wide-mouth jar with a screw-on lid under the sink with a bleach & laundry soap solution in it, and as they get soiled I put them in there, and close the lid. Depending on the day, I might change the cloth several times. When the jar is filled, I dump the whole thing into the washer with other appropriate laundry. I've had some of these cloths over a year, and they are still in good condition. When I think one is no longer suitable for the kitchen, it goes into the rag bin. Because of this system, they have very few stains. The jar is actually a container that biscotti came in from Sam's club. Perfect size.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I have never found any kitchen cloth or towel that compares to diapers. Absorbent, to say the least. Good hard weave for wiping things down. And available everywhere.

Used to be I just recycled old ones. But it's been a long time since there were babies in this household, so I just buy new ones. 

If you go this route, be sure and launder them before using the first time, as they are heavily sized.


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## sushmabramhacharya (Mar 22, 2021)

In my opinion and from personal experience the microfiber towels are best for using in kitchen. They are soft and absorbs sufficient water. They are easier to wash and are good for cleaning purposes. They are easily available and cheaper.


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

Microfiber will melt as kitchen towels are often called on for hot pad duty. 

I like them for cleaning and drying, but better to not divide towel duty in a kitchen so people don't get hurt.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

ditto to what phatch says, plus they are also prone to melting--or getting " hard chunks" if you put them in the dryer.

I use microfiber pretty much only for auto detailing and for glass. That said I am not happy handling them because I have rough skin on my hands and boy do they ever snag on rough skin or ragged nails.


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