Nice cotton full-size towel for kitchen wipe down?

[GeneH]

I did due diligence and searched here for "towel" and found only the "synthetic towel..." thread. Looking for a nice, flat, all cotton, not too thin kitchen towel to wipe down my home counters and sink from general messiness. (Flat meaning not textured like a washcloth or bath towel) I use a washcloth for the greasy stove and counter after cooking and want a larger towel for all that other wet, crumbs, sticky stuff throughout the day. Seems like I wipe water out of the sink a hundred times a day...

I'm kinda shy of throwing a dart at Amazon and getting really old, thin, or cheap stuff, but Amazon is good if you know what to look for. I don't. And My wife would kill me if I used her really good white kitchen towels for anything but clean dishes.

 

[ptolemy]

I don't have a specific recommendation to a model. but I would go for basketweave pattern as they are sturdier. Also, if you're looking for absorbtion, I believe pure linen ones are better (although much more expensive)

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I have some of each of these:

Williams Sonoma Classic Striped Dish Cloths | Williams Sonoma

<p>There's something inherently cheerful about crisp striped linens in the kitchen. Our absorbent dishcloths are made of soft, sturdy cotton that resists shrinking and fading. They're woven for us in Turkey, the source of some of the

www.williams-sonoma.com

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0152D0VVW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not sure I like either much more than the other. Both work well.

 

[Heckel7302]

I’ve been using those William Sonoma striped ones for years. They are very good. We get new ones every couple years. Probably on my 5th set.

Otherwise “flour sack” cotton towels I like a lot too. I think they are all pretty much the same.

 

[Migraine]

I don't have a specific recommendation to a model. but I would go for basketweave pattern as they are sturdier. Also, if you're looking for absorbtion, I believe pure linen ones are better (although much more expensive)

Bought some linen ones a year or so ago and I find them much better.

 

[WCV]

These are pretty good and absorb water better than the WS striped ones (although those hold up very nicely and are thicker).

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjsraHAmLqBAxUtkYkEHS5UBW0QFnoECBQQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHarringdons-Kitchen-Cotton-Absorbent-Substitute%2Fdp%2FB013YVHOJG&usg=AOvVaw1nF1BF4Npp1EQf5H2ELG1v&opi=89978449

 

[GeneH]

Wow that was fast. Yes I my wife's towels are some high thread count tight crosshatched weave and she's holding some in reserve as they wear out.

My best use would be water absorbency/quick drying (kind of an oxymoron) and less expensive because never know how much I'll abuse them. But it sounds like I should get the WS striped ones for a "new kitchen" gift for my daughter and also for my niece.

 

[Michi]

I second the linen recommendation. Linen towels are expensive, but work considerably better than cotton.

 

[dragjp]

A bit expensive but works very well and long lasting..

15% Hemp Fukin (1 piece)

Product Description Detailed Specs Measurements Fukin are a type of Japanese towel made from "kaya", or a style of mosquito netting. They are extremely soft and absorbent, and therefore make great dish towels. Over time, with proper care, they become even softer. These are some of our...

www.japaneseknifeimports.com

Edit: it's linen

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Wow that was fast. Yes I my wife's towels are some high thread count tight crosshatched weave and she's holding some in reserve as they wear out.

My best use would be water absorbency. But it sounds like I should get the WS striped ones for a "new kitchen" gift for my daughter and also for my niece.

The ones I linked aren't the best at absorbing liquid. Terry cloth is better but I don't like them as much for general use.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

The problem with buying expensive towels in my house is they all end up with little holes from the heel of my knives.

 

[BillHanna]

The problem with buying expensive towels in my house is they all end up with little holes from the heel of my knives.

Hello, Brother.

 

[WCV]

Yeah mine are all cut to hell and back or stained from wiping out cast iron pans. Except the WS ones, since I don’t use them to dry my knives.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Speaking of towels, these things are awesome!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MY7TKSH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[GeneH]

A bit expensive but works very well and long lasting..

15% Hemp Fukin (1 piece)

Product Description Detailed Specs Measurements Fukin are a type of Japanese towel made from "kaya", or a style of mosquito netting. They are extremely soft and absorbent, and therefore make great dish towels. Over time, with proper care, they become even softer. These are some of our...

www.japaneseknifeimports.com

Edit: it's linen

I didn't catch it earlier these are from JKI. I might be purchasing another Christmas present from Jon and have to remember a couple of towels!

 

[GeneH]

The problem with buying expensive towels in my house is they all end up with little holes from the heel of my knives.

Somehow I mostly avoid that, but nick my forefinger instead .... <sigh>

 

[Heckel7302]

This isn’t what OP was asking about, but since this is a knife forum, and there aren’t that many threads about towels, I’ll add that this towel is really good at drying knives.

Norwex Chenille Hand Towel (Graphite)

Shop mirandaswavely's closet or find the perfect look from millions of stylists. Fast shipping and buyer protection. The luxuriously soft, yet powerful Chenille Hand Towel is perfect for drying your hands and keeping germs and bacteria away, using our exclusive BacLock® technology. This plush...

poshmark.com

It doesn’t catch the heel ever, doesn’t scratch, and is very absorbent. If you have a bar on your dishwasher, it’s always there next to the sink. When my wife first bought it I was skeptical, but I love it.

 

[Michi]

The problem with buying expensive towels in my house is they all end up with little holes from the heel of my knives.

Welcome to the club!

Despite diligently wiping from the middle, I still manage to make new holes

 

[sanmateo]

And now for something completely different... I bought a case of these medline brand huck towels off ebay. They are super absorbant and don't leave lint (they're produced for use in surgical wards.)

They get very loose and very wrinkled after being washed, but they're also cheap. And absorbent.

Huck Towels, When You Want to Treat Yourself

For shop rags, we mostly use old T-shirts that have been washed and washed and are almost falling apart. But when I have a finishing operation where I want almost zero chance of lint or threads com…

blog.lostartpress.com

 

[Benuser]

My preferred ones are half linen.

https://amzn.eu/d/2IpmFLz

For good absorption 24h soaking and washing and tumble drying a few times prior to first use are essential.

 

[Jovidah]

Maybe I've just always been unlucky but all the half and full linen towels I used seemed to be crap and not dry properly.

Have better experiences with relatively cheap large stacks of cotton towels from restaurant supply store or ikea. If it comes near your knives I'd always go cheap since they usually end up full of holes anyway.

 

[BillHanna]

And now for something completely different... I bought a case of these medline brand huck towels off ebay. They are super absorbant and don't leave lint (they're produced for use in surgical wards.)

They get very loose and very wrinkled after being washed, but they're also cheap. And absorbent.

Huck Towels, When You Want to Treat Yourself

For shop rags, we mostly use old T-shirts that have been washed and washed and are almost falling apart. But when I have a finishing operation where I want almost zero chance of lint or threads com…

blog.lostartpress.com

There’s always a bunch of theee left over after cases. This is one of the small things that people want.


“Heyyyy. There are towels left. If nobody wants any, I’ll take them!”

So nice. And disposable, since we have a functionally unlimited supply.

 

[MarcelNL]

washing towels without softener helps with absorbing water, the linen towels we have are mainly doing service to polish wine glasses as I too find them little absorbant.

I'll see how the bamboo towels will fare...and look for huck towels, great idea!

 

[Choppin]

A bit expensive but works very well and long lasting..

15% Hemp Fukin (1 piece)

Product Description Detailed Specs Measurements Fukin are a type of Japanese towel made from "kaya", or a style of mosquito netting. They are extremely soft and absorbent, and therefore make great dish towels. Over time, with proper care, they become even softer. These are some of our...

www.japaneseknifeimports.com

Edit: it's linen

I always add a few of these when buying something from JKI. Not cheap but they are super soft and absorbent. (I never tried this one with hemp fibers, just the regular ones).

 

[GeneH]

How about washing the smell out? Both in t-shirts and kitchen cloths. (Yeah, both are stubborn smelly stuff) I seem to have got lucky by accidently leaving a dishcloth in Oxiclean for 3 days but now it still is good - just a nice clean smell. My wife is adamant about disposable dishcloths now but I'm not giving up on cotton, or synthetics for that matter. We wash the dish towels and dish cloths in hot water. I've tried detergent, Dawn, sometimes mixed with concentrated glass cleaner .... nada for smell until the Oxy soak.

We almost never use bleach - that stuff seems pretty destructive, and literally bleaches the color out of anything it spills on.

 

[btbyrd]

I use the JKI ones for drying clean dishes and glassware. For just wiping down surfaces and whatever, I use the Williams Sonoma towels. They're great and you can often find older "seasonal" colors on sale if you look at the right time.

 

[boomchakabowwow]

I like the Huck towels!

I have the WS versions and mine are very dingy looking now. Bleach is ineffective now. Haha.

 

[Jovidah]

Another thing that came to mind. Sometimes you see these towels with metal rings in them to makethem easier to hang on hooks. I avoid these like the plague; really easy to accidentally scratch things with those.

 

[Choppin]

How about washing the smell out? Both in t-shirts and kitchen cloths. (Yeah, both are stubborn smelly stuff) I seem to have got lucky by accidently leaving a dishcloth in Oxiclean for 3 days but now it still is good - just a nice clean smell. My wife is adamant about disposable dishcloths now but I'm not giving up on cotton, or synthetics for that matter. We wash the dish towels and dish cloths in hot water. I've tried detergent, Dawn, sometimes mixed with concentrated glass cleaner .... nada for smell until the Oxy soak.

We almost never use bleach - that stuff seems pretty destructive, and literally bleaches the color out of anything it spills on.

For kitchen cloths and other cleaning cloths (I treat them separately of course), soaking + washing in hot water does the trick for me.

I don't use bleach as well, I find it very irritating. For the soak, Oxyclean (or any other oxygen bleach) or baking soda or washing soda, left overnight, and them throw in the washer with regular laundry cleaner in hot cycle.

For smelly clothes I do the same, but soak with laundry detergent only and then wash in cold or warm cycle (hot cycle cleans better but also shortens your clothes lifespan). I guess Oxyclean would work as well but I'm not sure it's ok for colored clothes?

 

[GeneH]

Whups. Bar mops arrived. My bad, so just ordered 20x28 Herringdons, coming tomorrow.

There was another identical looking brand recommended by Amazon, cheaper, and the recent reviews were sketchy.

And this other I thought was linen priced to good to be true: