Your kitchen is the hotspot for spills and splashes of liquids. Almost every day there is something or the other that needs to be wiped off your kitchen countertop, be it water or any other liquid.
This needs urgent cleaning or it may stain the surface. Most people use towels for this purpose. Kitchen towels are made of various materials, the most common ones being paper towels and cloth towels. The big question is, which one should you purchase and use on a day to day basis? This leads to the debate of paper vs cloth, which is better, economically, and environmentally.
To settle the debate, let’s look at the pros of using paper towels vs clothes:
Pros of paper towels
It is quick to use and can be easily disposed of. Paper towels can be used for multiple purposes, such as cleaning small spills, soaking up excess oil from fried food, pat drying ingredients or any surface, etc. Paper towels are best suited to clean up things that can possibly spread germs, like a spilled raw egg. It can easily soak up the liquid without leaving much residue.
Pros of cloth towels
Same cloth can be used multiple times which makes it cost-effective. Cloth towels can be used to clean up bigger spills as it can soak up more in one go. You can also use the same cloth towel to wring out excess moisture from food like homemade cheese or curd or to strain liquids. It can also be used to handle hot utensils.
Some cons of paper vs cloth towels for kitchen are:
Cons of paper towels
They lead to a lot of wastage as they can be used only once. This makes them less cost-effective to use as in the long run as you have to use more of them which leads to spending more.
Cons of cloth towels
They need to be regularly washed to get rid of any residue from cleaning. They should also be replaced at regular intervals as wear out if used too much.
Having paper vs clothes towels for kitchen serves multiple purposes apart from cleaning. Cloth towels are better for the environment as they are reusable while paper towels are convenient for small tasks. It is advisable to use them in combination where you use paper towels only when needed. While purchasing paper towels, you can make sure that it is made out of recycled paper or other environment-friendly materials.