The Best Paper Towels (Review) in 2020

Things to Consider When Buying Paper Towels

• Absorbency

Arguably the most important factor when buying paper towels. The absorbency of your new purchase can make the difference between a quick clean up and pushing lots of water around, until you’ve used the entire roll.

Single ply (one sheet) paper towels are often the most likely to have a poor absorption rate, as there is less surface area to pick up liquids. Naturally, two-ply options will have added space between the sheets and generally be much thicker, and therefore be able to soak up liquids faster and easier – making higher levels the most absorbent paper towel types.

• Size

When it comes to cleaning up mess, size matters. In particular size has three very important considerations. Firstly, with an increased interest on going green, many of the options provided above now offer customizable sizing – this allows you to tear off only what you need to complete the task at hand.

Secondly, the larger the surface area, the greater the amount of cleaning you can complete in one fell swoop – and vice versa. Thus, if you opt for those without different sheet sizes, then choose an option that allows for enough room when cleaning up larger spills, yet small enough to fit nicely in your kitchen.

Finally, it’s important to have enough paper towels available for you to go a fair amount of time before needing to restock. The number of sheets you get per roll will therefore affect your overall value for money, so check this before you buy.

• Material

There is an increased focus on providing eco-friendly alternatives at the moment, and while most towels are made from paper, recycled paper towels are slowly becoming the norm. The difference between the two is often actually very small – but can affect color and even how it has been processed.

Those who have sensitive skin or allergies may be better choosing the recyclable alternatives. The main reason for this is that these recyclable paper towels are often create without using any dyes, bleaches or fragrances – or are naturally whitened. This is a lot easier on your skin and you’re therefore less likely to have a breakout.

No matter which type you eventually purchase, do be sure that your materials are sustainably sourced. In other words, that they come from regulated forests that are replanted with each tree that is cut down, or formed from recycled materials. All of our options above meet these requirements, which allows for our forests to continue growing, while we still meet our kitchen needs.

• Quantity/Quality

Once again relating to value for money, the quantity of sheets you get can be just as important as how well they work. Lots of sheets or rolls that aren’t absorbent and require plenty of waste will inevitably cost you more money in the long run, even if they are cheaper at the time. Meanwhile, lower quantities that have a higher quality of materials are likely to last longer, and can save you more money over time, despite being more expensive initially.

You should also consider the number of rolls or boxes available with each purchase. If you’re looking for paper towels for commercial use, you’ll naturally want a much higher number of towels and probably won’t have to worry about storing them around the building. Households, however, may prefer smaller amounts of rolls, to better suit the space they have in their home.

• Design

If you’re into your aesthetics and want your paper towels to match your kitchen, you may be after more than the standard white paper towels. For example, some options given above use patterned options or present their tissues in colored boxed, which makes them much easier on the eye.

Others, of course, are unbleached and will therefore look like simple brown paper towels that some may not like – while others love this. It’s all about personal choice and comes down to your own preferences, here.

You should also look out for patterns in the quilting, as this can encourage grip when cleaning up mess and also provide a larger surface area.  This larger surface area adds to the absorbency of your paper towels and therefore makes a more effective cleaning fabric.

Different Types of Paper Towels

• Pull-Roll Paper Towels

These are the more traditional paper towels that you probably envisage when using the term. They are usually rolled over a cardboard tube and can be pulled off in multiples, until you get the number of sheets you desire.

These are great for around the house, as they can be used with freestanding paper towel holders or wall-mounted variations. They are often a little thicker and come with multi-ply thicknesses, as well as being made in a range of sizes and patterns.

• C-Fold Towels and Multifold Towels

Due to their similar nature, we’ve popped these two together under the same banner. However, as well as their similarities, there are a few key differences. For starters, C-fold towels are named so due to their “c” shaped folding pattern, while multifold options are likely to take a range of different shapes, although they usually come in a “Z” shaped fold.

Both of these will need a suitable dispenser in order to use them as they were intended – with one towel being pulled out at a time. They are frequently interchangeable, but the size of your dispenser will need to be taken into account before you buy a fresh pack.

They are also, usually, only single-ply and won’t have any great detail of pattern or quilting available. This makes them very basic – although it also lowers the price, increasing the economical factor of buying multifold and c-fold paper towels in bulk.

Best Paper Towels FAQ:

Q: What Chemicals Are in Paper Towels?

A: There are many companies who manufacture paper towels with natural alternatives to avoid the use of chemicals, opting instead for a wider use of natural alternatives – many of which you can see in action in our Top Picks. However, there are still producers who use chemicals within the manufacturing process of paper towels.

The most common of these is chlorine, which is used as a bleach, in order to produce a clean, white paper towel. If you have sensitive skin, you may be affected by this chemical through the regular contact with the chlorine. In these cases, you might suffer from bouts of eczema, or find that your skin and eyes become irritated after using your kitchen towels.

Q: Is There Bleach in Paper Towels?

A: Often, many white paper towels use chlorine in order to bleach their towels, unless otherwise stated. If you are concerned about the levels of chlorine in your paper towels, you may prefer to purchase recycled paper towels, which are less likely to use bleach, or opt for a white paper towel that states it has been “naturally whitened”.

Our Top Pick

The Bounty Select-A-Size are easily the best paper towels on the market, today. As well as being available at a very cost-effective price, they also allow for less waste as you can pick the size of sheet you require. This, along with the fact that they are responsibly sourced, means you can use your kitchen paper towels without worrying about any damage to the environment.

They come in a bulky pack, due to their larger-than-average number of sheets but this usually just means that your purchase will last much longer than average. They also come in a range of fantastic designs that will brighten up any kitchen.

Source:

1. Which kind of paper towels are there and what are the differences? - Viking