Dish Towels

An easy way to freshen up your kitchen’s vibe or add a seasonal flair is with kitchen towels. Often overlooked, at least until you need to dry your hands, dish towels can bring color, character and vibrancy when draped over the sink, displayed on the oven door handle or neatly placed on hooks. Their daintier cousin, the tea towel, can add a feminine touch with lace and embroidery. Despite being a simple addition to your kitchen, there are a few things you should consider before adding a new kitchen towel to your shopping cart:

What kind of material is best for my kitchen towels?

When it comes to working in the kitchen, the best quality your kitchen towel can have is absorbency. You may opt to have a few silk-screened or embroidered towel sets to have out when guests visit, but for the nitty-gritty work, you should follow these tips:
• Cotton is the king of absorbency. Your dish towels will absorb much more water if they’re made of cotton. Aim for high-quality Turkish or Egyptian cotton, and don’t be distracted by cotton blends.
• Use linen for drying high-end kitchenware. The best part about a linen dishcloth is it won’t leave lint, which makes it perfect for drying your glass and fine china. Flour sack towels are also a great choice for their lint-free quality.
• It’s all in the weave. A basket or waffle weave will increase the absorbency of your kitchen towel. The raised bumps in the weave can also provide friction for scrubbing those dishes clean.
• Give ’em a wash. Just like bath towels, you’ll want to wash your dish towels at least once before you put them to work.

How many dish towels do I need?

While dishcloths typically come in packs of four to eight, you may decide you need more if you cook large meals, have a large family or don’t own a dishwasher. You may even decide to aim for a paperless kitchen, in which case you’ll need to make sure you have enough backup dishcloths to clean up spills and wash dishes while others are being cleaned. As for decorative kitchen towels, the sky’s the limit! Choose some for everyday decoration and don’t be afraid to add a few seasonal designs, too.