The Best Dish Towels

Utopia Ring Spun Cotton Kitchen Towels

Long-Lasting Durability

These well-made cotton dish towels handle tough jobs with ease.

Best Overall

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Are you searching for an affordable set of kitchen towels that will last through dishes, spills, scrubbing, and more? If so, the Utopia Ring Spun Cotton Kitchen Towels are a fantastic choice. The durable dobby-weave style helps them be both soft and durable, all while providing scrubbing power that handles most household cleaning and drying jobs without a problem. After you’re done using them, simply wash and dry them as you would any other towel. Then they will be ready for the next time you need them.

Pros:

• These towels are available in a variety of colors to best suit your style
• They are affordable
• The 100% ring spun cotton is eco-friendly and sustainable

Cons:

• Can create quite a bit of lint in the washer and dryer
• Though well-rounded, they aren’t the most absorbent towels available

Swedish Cellulose Sponge Dish Cloths

Super Soaker

For tough spills and drying jobs, choose these cellulose dish towels.

Most Absorbent

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Sometimes you need to get a little unconventional to get the results you want, which is why we recommend the Swedish Cellulose Sponge Dish Cloths. These unique towels are made from a blend of cellulose and cotton, which gives them the ability to absorb up to 20 times their weight in liquid. When they’re dry, use them for scrubbing and cleaning up tough messes. Then you can rinse them in the sink, squeeze all the liquid out, and start all over again.

Pros:

• These cloths are machine washable and dishwasher safe for easy care
• When they get wet, wringing them out will make them almost completely dry again, so you can use the same one repeatedly
• They are eco-friendly and biodegradable

Cons:

• Quite stiff when they’re dry
• They are smaller than most dish towels

Zeppoli Classic Kitchen Towels

Great Value

Get a fantastic deal on a ton of dish towels when you choose this set.

Best Bulk Buy

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We tend to keep a lot of dish towels on hand, which is why we love the value of these Zeppoli Classic Kitchen Towels. You’ll get 15 dish towels for an excellent price without sacrificing quality or cleaning power. Each one is made of ultra-absorbent cotton in a herringbone weave for extra durability. When they get dirty, all you need to do is machine wash them with the rest of your towels or linens. In fact, they can even go in your dryer — they don’t need any special care.

Pros:

• These towels are available in packages of 15, 30, and even 45
• They are affordable
• The simple design goes well with any decor or kitchen design

Cons:

• They shrink in the dryer the first time you wash them
• Although they absorb as much as other towels, they take longer to absorb the same amount of liquid

DG Collections Natural Cotton Salsa Dish Towels

Colorful and Cute

These bright, fun dish towels are awesome for everyday cleaning and tough messes.

Best Style

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When you want to brighten up your kitchen without spending a ton of dough on new appliances or window treatments, dish towels can give you just the accent you need. This set of 12 colorful cloths from DG Collections includes blues, greens, reds, oranges, and more to provide an easy and practical way to add some unexpected fun to your space. We love how fun and vibrant all of the colors are, and to make them even better, they each have a handy loop attached for quick drying and storage between uses.

Pros:

• These towels are eco-friendly and made of sustainable cotton
• They’re unique and look great in almost any kitchen
• Care is as simple as throwing them in the washer and dryer

Cons:

• They are a little pricey for dish towels
• We would like them better if they were thicker

Aunt Martha’s Flour Sack Dish Towels

Versatile and Convenient

This set offers extra-large multi-purpose towels that can be used for a wide variety of jobs around your home.

Largest Size

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Flour sack towels are known for being an all-purpose option for jobs all over the home. The better the quality, the more use you get out of them, which is why we prefer the fabulous Aunt Martha’s Flour Sack Dish Towels. We love their large size and simple design, and we think their heavy-duty hemming and absorbency will make them a great addition to your cleaning and dish-drying arsenal. They can be used for picking up spills, food messes, and more. Some parents even use them as cloth diapers because of how absorbent they are.

Pros:

• The hemming ensures they don’t become unraveled with regular use and washing
• They’ve been prewashed to prevent shrinking
• The thick cotton material makes them absorbent and durable

Cons:

• You only get seven in a set
• They take time to soften up

Frequently Asked Questions

What are dish towels used for?

Dish towels are traditionally used for drying dishes as you wash them and setting clean dishes on while they air-dry. You can also use them for cleaning spills all over your home, scrubbing set-in food stains, and setting things down. For example, we like putting a towel down when we are prepping food so that we don’t need to set the washed veggies directly on the counter.

Does material matter?

In most cases, the material that your towels are made of will make no difference, but there are some exceptions. People who prefer natural materials usually go with widely-available cotton or sustainable bamboo. Others prefer microfiber, which is very absorbent and easy to care for. There are other options, but these are the ones you’ll probably come across the most.