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Paper towels are one of the most underappreciated commodities of modern life.
They help out with everything from kitchen cleaning to car washing to personal hygiene to baby care.
You might not think about them often, but you'd miss them if they were gone. The Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels are our top pick because they're absorbent and tough, yet soft enough for delicate tasks.
How many times have you already used a paper towel today? Chances are that you can't even remember exactly because you probably take them entirely for granted. But try to imagine the acute absence you'd feel the next time you spilled a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and no paper towels were there to help sop up the mess. Or imagine cleaning the kitchen or bathroom without a roll of trusty paper towels at your side. And good luck getting the inside of the microwave spic and span without them. Or the windows streak-free. And so on.
Long story short, we take paper towels for granted even though most of us depend on them multiple times a day. Just over a hundred years ago, people didn't even have the option of casually dismissing paper towels. The Scott Paper Company marketed the first paper towels in the year 1907, apparently after cleverly re-branding a shipment of improperly produced toilet tissue that was too thick and coarse to use for cleaning nether regions. Disposable paper towels quickly caught on, both for their basic convenience and because these single-use products could prevent the spread of illness as opposed to the reusable fabric towels theretofore used in restrooms.
Today, paper towels are as ubiquitous the world over and are used in homes, businesses, restaurants, auto body shops, schools, hospitals, and everywhere else human beings do, well, anything. Since you're going to use paper towels almost every day of your life, it's great that you're taking a moment to consider which brand of paper towels best fits your needs and lifestyle.
For while all paper towels are made from pulped wood and are designed to be absorbent, durable, and disposable, they're not all identical. We've assembled a lineup of great paper towels that differ based on size, feel, production method, cost, and more. But don't worry, any of these paper towels will help you clean up that coffee spill, which you might want to address before you read on...
Updated on 10/29/2019 by Mara Leighton: Updated pricing and formatting. Added a few related links. We are currently testing new products, so we'll update this guide soon.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
Bounty Select-a-Size Paper Towels manage to be both tough and delicate at once, suitable for use scrubbing the floors or for cleaning sensitive objects.
When it comes to some things, I'll always choose the generic brand and save a few bucks. That goes for medicine, batteries, breakfast cereal, and so on. When it comes to paper towels, though, I trust Bounty. And so do millions of other people around the country.
Bounty Select-a-Size paper towels are thick and absorbent, sopping up more fluid than any other paper towels I've used, therefore readily justifying their rather elevated price because you go through fewer of these paper towels per cleanup than you would with a flimsier alternative.
Soft to the touch, Bounty paper towels are safe for use on delicate objects like paintbrushes (or makeup brushes), jewelry, decorative items, electronics, and more. But you can also ball up a Bounty paper towel and scour away at pots and pans, scrub at bathroom tiles or kitchen floors, or use them in the grime and grease you need to clean off your car, bike, or lawn mower. I know, because I periodically clean the car, bike, and lawnmower. Though probably less than I should.
The product testers from The Wirecutter praised Bounty paper towels' "scrubbing strength" and appreciated the fact that they left behind "no noticeable lint."
Pros: Resist tearing even when saturated, soft feel, excellent absorption
If you care about nature but still want convenience when you clean up spills, wipe down countertops, or wash the car, then using a roll of Seventh Generation Unbleached Paper Towels is the way to go. These paper towels are made entirely from recycled paper products, and thus don't use any virgin wood pulp from trees chopped down to make paper.
They are also made without the use of any dyes, ink, or fragrance, and as the name makes clear, they are not bleached. The absence of all such chemicals further reduces the effect these Seventh Generation paper towels have on the environment, both in terms of their production and their impact after they are thrown away.
We use several Seventh Generation products in our house, including baby wipes and dish soap, and we've used their paper towels many times. They are as durable as most more heavily processed paper towel options and are perfectly suitable for most cleaning tasks. I will tell you, though, that they are less absorbent than a number of other paper towels I've tried, though it's a tradeoff most people will gladly accept for the minimal impact the paper towels have on the planet.
With dozens of reviews posted, the Seventh Generation Unbleached Paper Towels currently have a 3.9-star average, with some buyers noting their middling absorbance. Most buyers, however, echo the sentiments of a buyer named Colin who called them "great paper towels" that are "very strong" and "never leave fuzz or lint behind."
A writer with Good Housekeeping called Seventh Generation paper towels a great choice for "environmentally conscious" consumers, but did note that they're "not very thick" and thus absorb less liquid than other options.
Pros: Made from 100% recycled paper, no chemicals used in processing
Plenty Ultra Premium Paper Towels are about as absorbent and durable as any other major brand, but they cost less than the other choices.
There's nothing I can say about Plenty Ultra Premium Paper Towels that will wow you really. They're not 100% recycled and they're not free of bleach and other chemicals. They are, however, soft and absorbent and relatively durable, and they can be used to sop up spills, as napkins with casual meals or snacks, or to help you clean the bathroom or wipe down furniture... but so can lots of other paper towels.
So what sets these paper towels apart from the pack? They cost less, and that's pretty much that. But the fact that they are lower priced than most paper towel options while not being lower quality? That is worth noting, no? Also, all Plenty Ultra Premium Paper Towels are manufactured in either North Carolina or Pennsylvania, in case you value American-made products.
One self-professed "paper towel snob" called the Plenty Ultra Premiums "freaking awesome" and was thrilled by their "strength and softness." Another customer called their price "unbeatable" and their quality "great."
A review post from KitchenEm pointed out how soft the Plenty paper towels feel, calling them perfect for use "as napkins during supper" beyond their suitability for myriad "cleaning needs."
Pros: Low price point, soft to the touch, durable enough for scrubbing
With a box of paper Kleenex Hand Towels, multiple people can share a bathroom without sharing their germs after hand washing.
Whether used in a home, school, or office during cold and flu season or in any public restroom any time of the year, a box of Kleenex Hand Towels is a great way to prevent the spread of germs after hand washings.
When people share a cloth towel after washing their hands, any residual germs not rinsed away or killed off during the washing can be readily transferred to the next person who uses the same towel. If you are responsible for a bathroom that does not have a built-in paper towel dispenser (or a hand dryer), then putting a box of these disposable paper hand towels beside the sink is a great way to help people keep their hands clean and dry and to keep their germs a private matter.
Kleenex Hand Towels are a great choice for use in the home, especially during an open house or dinner party when people outside the family are visiting, but as each box holds a generous count of 60 towels, they are also perfectly suitable for use in the bathroom of a busy office or a restaurant.
The angular design of the box allows it to be perched atop a towel bar for easy access, but the box can also simply be set on a counter or on the side of the sink, too. Also, beyond the fact that stopping the spread of germs is a plus, it's also just convenient to grab a fresh, dry paper hand towel after washing up, germ concerns or not.
The Kleenex Hand Towels enjoy a sterling 4.7-star rating on Amazon at the time of this writing. One satisfied customer says she "loves to use them all around the house for more than wiping [her] hands" alone," while another calls them "thick and soft" and "luxurious compared to [a] hard roll [of] paper towels."
A writer with The Impulsive Buy calls Kleenex Hand Towels "very absorbent" and "more hygienic than a communal hand towel."
Pros: Great way to stop spread of germs, convenient dispensing, absorbent and soft
