# Paper towel usage **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 31, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372 "2010-05-31T11:05:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/1 "2010-05-31T11:05:23Z")
I’ve been seeing a lot of commercials these days that extol the strength of this or that paper towel. Scrubbing pots? Cleaning carpets? Doing an entire kitchen? Seriously? My primary use for a paper towel is as a clean place to make a sandwich, since my idiot cats refuse to stay off the counters. Plus I can toss the towel rather than washing a dish. I’ll also fold 2 or 3 together to soak up the occasional pee puddles my idiot dog makes. They’re also good for draining greasy food items - like sausage or bacon. Anyway, do you use paper towels? Is your reality like Bounty and Brawny ads portray? ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/2 "2010-05-31T11:33:57Z")
I use paper towels as napkins, to mop up spills, and to clean up the occasional times when one of my cats horks up something. Oh, and when I’m warming up tortillas in the microwave the package says to put them between two damp paper towels. ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/3 "2010-05-31T12:46:09Z")
I only use them to wash windows and for dirty jobs. It kills tree’s to make them so I use hand towels in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/4 "2010-05-31T13:36:13Z")
I use them for napkins, occasionally to wipe down a counter, to drain greasy foods, things like that. It would never occur to me to scrub a pot with a paper towel. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/5 "2010-05-31T13:41:00Z")
Only mopups. The commercials are ridiculous. And why would you want to hold an entire thing of grapes on a paper towel to rinse them? There are these things called colanders, sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/6 "2010-05-31T15:13:23Z")
I fear I use them too much. They are convenient - so I always just buy a big bunch of them. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/7 "2010-05-31T15:16:56Z")
I only use them to clean up really yucky things, and i also use them when i clean my bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/8 "2010-05-31T15:22:27Z")
I heard that Shamwow dude say something about people using $20 of paper towels in a month and could not beleive it. I would go to the Dollar Tree and get plenty of cleaning products but never buy that many paper towels at once. ---
**Author:** ![6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/6/e19adc/32.png) [@6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/6ImpossibleThingsB4Breakfast)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/9 "2010-05-31T15:23:29Z")
I have been known to occasionally fashion them into jaunty a hat. ---
**Author:** ![Sehmket](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Sehmket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sehmket)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/10 "2010-05-31T15:51:57Z")
I do use them to clean one kitchen item - the George Foreman Grill. We don’t have one of those fancy ones with removable plates, so we have to do some gymnastics around the sink to get it clean. But, soak a paper towel, turn it on, so it can steam up, then let it cool back down, then scrub it out with the paper towels. I can just throw the paper towels away, as opposed to a sponge, which would just be full of grilling grode. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/11 "2010-05-31T16:46:46Z")
> [@anya\_marie](#): > > I heard that Shamwow dude say something about people using $20 of paper towels in a month and could not beleive it. Yeah, I remember that commercial. I don’t know if I buy $20 worth in a year! I had a friend some years back who seemed to go thru a roll a day. Every time she rinsed off her hands in the kitchen, she’d use 3 or 4 to dry them. I use dish clothes and dish towels for just about everything but the messy chores I mentioned. It’s good to see so many sensible paper towelers… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/12 "2010-05-31T17:21:47Z")
I’ve been seeing a commercial for paper towels to be used as hand towels. “Wouldn’t it be great to use a clean towel every time you wash your hands!” Well, yeah, but it’s a waste of paper. I use them like you guys do – draining grease, wrapping something in the microwave, cleaning up pet messes. But for regular cleaning and hand-drying, I use rags and regular towels. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/13 "2010-05-31T18:21:59Z")
I can see going through $20 of paper towels in a year, especially when you buy 3-4 of those giant 8 roll packs, but everyone in my family owns a ton of towels. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/14 "2010-05-31T18:50:29Z")
Don’t know the brand, and maybe there is more than one brand, but love the new paper towels that have smaller sections, so you can rip off a small section for a little spill, or rip out two sections (normal size) for something larger. We have paper towel rolls in the kitchen and out on the back patio. Mostly for spills or quick clean up, but sometimes for the emergency sneeze, or for napkins when we run out, or to clean glass after a spritz of Windex. Otherwise we use two “real” dishtowels - one for drying wet hands, the other for drying dishes. We also have sponges and other rags/cloths for cleaning other things. We get the super large pack of paper towels (16 rolls or so) at the big box stores, and it will last us about 3-4 months easily, if not longer, depending on how klutsy we are with spillage. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/15 "2010-05-31T20:01:10Z")
I like the “select-a-size” ones, too, but my last purchase was recycled paper towels. Put me in the group of people who use them sparingly - grease, cleaning cat puke, and cleaning where regular rags just push the cat hair around. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/16 "2010-05-31T20:14:58Z")
I use paper towels like most of you describe: non-company napkins, pet mess, and final wipe-down after bleaching the countertops (usually after preparing poultry, since that what I’m most paranoid about). I only use them for certain types of draining grease, though, because I find that cooling racks on sheet pans works much better (the fat drains, rather than forms puddles that the food continues to soak in). I’ll also use them from “dry” wipedowns, like fat spatter near the stove. Here’s the big use, though: I truly do use them to wipe out my cast iron cookware. I don’t want to dirty a whole towel, or introduce water with a wet rag, so paper towels do work perfectly (especially if need to throw some salt into the pan for cleaning). I’m not brand loyal, but I avoid the super-cheap crap. My wife thought I was crazy until she saw some on the Wal-Mart end cap, ordered me to get those because they were cheapest, withstood my counterargument to their cheapness, and soon found how crappy they were. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/17 "2010-05-31T20:49:06Z")
I love using paper towels, hate buying them. As such, I never have them around. Instead I use rags. I have an enormous collection of rags and a moderate collection of cloth napkins for mealtimes. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/18 "2010-05-31T20:58:12Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > I’ve been seeing a commercial for paper towels to be used as hand towels. “Wouldn’t it be great to use a clean towel every time you wash your hands!” Well, yeah, but it’s a waste of paper. I have a friend who is mildly germ phobic and watching her cook makes me insane. She leaves the tap running the ENTIRE time she’s cooking so she can wash her hands every minute or two and dries off with 1-2 paper towels each time. To be fair I make her crazy because every time I’m in the kitchen with her I’m turning something off. As for me I use them rarely and sparingly. I think we go through a roll a month. The only large usage spikes are caused by idiot dogs who eat things they shouldn’t and promptly return them and cooking bacon. I haven’t found anything that soaks up the grease like paper towels. ---
**Author:** ![Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/19 "2010-05-31T22:24:30Z")
I only use them to wipe clean the cast-iron pan, and to drain the fried tofu. But I don’t fry tofu every day. > [@Perciful](#): > > I only use them to wash windows and for dirty jobs. It kills tree’s to make them so I use hand towels in the kitchen. Omigosh! Use old newspaper for washing windows. You won’t believe it until you’ve tried it. > [@Balthisar](#): > > I use paper towels like most of you describe: non-company napkins, … Am I the only one who doesn’t use napkins? > [@](#): > > pet mess, and final wipe-down after bleaching the countertops (usually after preparing poultry, since that what I’m most paranoid about). This is seriously one of the reasons I cooked vegetarian at home long before I was actually vegetarian: No need to worry about the diseases found in most factory farmed US chicken. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372/20 "2010-05-31T22:27:09Z")
I just used a metric ton to dust and clean everything from my countertops to my bathroom sink. It didn’t even occur to me to use anything else, especially since I was using cleaning liquid on all of the above. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paper-towel-usage/541372.md?page=2)