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Best Dish Towels for Drying, Polishing, and Spills

What are the best dish towels to use?

The best dish towels depend on what you need them to do. For everyday dish drying, we recommend absorbent cotton towels that are easy to wash and comfortable to handle. Waffle-weave cotton is a versatile choice: its textured surface gives water more room to spread and evaporate, making it useful for drying dishes, wiping counters, and handling routine kitchen cleanup.

If you want one set for most jobs, start with several cotton waffle-weave towels. You can keep one near the sink for clean dishes, another for wiping hands, and a third for counters. Our guide to 4-piece waffle-weave dish towels offers a closer look at using a coordinated set around the kitchen.

Choose a towel for the task

For drying everyday dishes

Look for a towel that absorbs water without feeling bulky in your hand. Cotton waffle weave works well on plates, mugs, and cookware because the texture helps pick up moisture. Give a wet towel space to dry between uses; a towel left bunched beside the sink can stay damp longer than you want.

For glassware and polishing

A smooth, low-lint flour-sack towel is often the better choice for drinking glasses, silverware, and surfaces where stray fibers are noticeable. Use a clean, dry towel for the final polish rather than one that has already wiped up a spill.

For spills and messy prep

Keep a separate towel for food-prep messes and counter spills. Thick terry cloth can soak up a larger puddle quickly, while a waffle-weave towel is handy for smaller wipe-downs. Wash towels used around raw meat, poultry, or seafood before using them again, and don’t use a soiled towel to dry clean dishes.

What should you look for when buying dish towels?

Prioritize absorbency, washability, and a size you can fold and maneuver easily. A useful set should give you enough towels to rotate through the day instead of asking one damp towel to do every job. We also suggest choosing a color or pattern that makes it easy to tell your dish-drying towel from your cleanup towel.

Skip fabric softener when you wash absorbent kitchen towels; residue can make them less effective at picking up water. Dry them thoroughly before putting them away. With a few towels assigned to different tasks, you’ll have a clean one ready when it matters.

FAQ

How often should you wash dish towels?

Wash dish towels when they become dirty or develop an odor, and replace damp towels with clean ones regularly. Wash a towel after using it to clean up around raw meat, poultry, or seafood.