Amazon
Swedish tea towel made from cellulose sponge
CNN
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I’ll just admit it: I’m a paper towel addict. While I’ve managed to nip some of my previously eco-friendly habits in the bud – Stasher’s reusable silicone bags, for example, were my biggest discovery of 2019 – I’m embarrassed about ripping a paper towel off the shelf a dozen times during the day. Whether I’m sweeping crumbs off my kitchen table or cleaning a red sauce explosion in the microwave, I 100% reach for a paper towel.
However, recently I decided that this needs to be changed. This consumption is not only bad for the planet but also for my monthly budget. For example, my favorite Brawny 16-pack of paper towels is a whopping $ 30.99 (it’s on sale now for $ 26.46). In my search for a more sustainable solution, I discovered the Swedish dishcloth.
Grab this bulk pack of 10 and replace your paper towels forever.
This pack of 10 is on sale now, from its original price of $ 24.99 to $ 19.95.
With nearly 23,000 positive reviews and a 4.6-star rating on Amazon, the 10-pack retails for $ 19.95, originally $ 24.99, and it’s currently trending for the reasons I mentioned above a) paper towels are wasteful and bad for the environment and b) paper towels are expensive! Are you ready for a fun fact? One Swedish tea towel can actually replace 17 rolls of paper towels. Let this work in, folks.
Here’s the backstory: Invented by a Swedish engineer in 1949, the dishcloths are reusable, biodegradable and extremely affordable, not to mention being highly effective. As a result, they are used in Scandinavian countries like Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland, which are also the most environmentally friendly countries in the world. The point is, in a Nordic household or business it will be hard to find a roll of paper towels as they all rely on Swedish tea towels.
Aside from sustainability, the scarves have many additional selling points that attract many fans here in the USA. Made from renewable and natural fibers, especially 70% cellulose and 30% cotton, the tea towels air dry much faster than, for example, the smelly sponges we Americans grew up with. Because of this, germs and bacteria (and the associated smells) don’t have time to multiply on them – and if they ever smell bad, just throw them in the dishwasher or washing machine and they’re like new after a cycle. Yes, really. You can reuse every single towel hundreds of times before you throw it away, and fear not – they won’t end up in a landfill later as they are also biodegradable.
@cnn underlined
Stop wasting paper towels and use tea towels instead! Link in bio to the shop! #schwedishdishcloth #cleaningtiktok #cleaning #commissionearned
déjà vu sickmix – sick music
Although I assumed that I would primarily use my towels in my kitchen, it turned out to be a lot more versatile than I expected. You can use the cloths to wash your car, for example. Or remove nail polish (just add remover and voilà!). Or dry your pets’ paws. Or clean your mirrors and windows (free of lint and streaks!). I have one dedicated to wiping the messy faces and sticky hands of my four kids. I have another one in her bathroom for a nightly toothpaste clean at the counter / sink. Since the cloths are safe on surfaces such as wood, marble, tiles, stainless steel and yes even on human skin, they suddenly replace not only paper towels, but also napkins, sponges and your constantly damp tea towels.
In addition, the dishcloths are extremely absorbent. The brand actually has a very watchable video of a cloth sucking up a whole cup of liquid (fast forward to 0:35 to catch it). That advantage didn’t mean much to me – until I remembered the number of times I used dozens of paper towels to wipe up a spilled cup of milk. So much. Waste.
For even more reasons, all you have to do is turn to the Amazon reviewers to try Swedish tea towels. “Much better than all cotton dishcloths because they are VERY absorbent and still easy to wring out completely (and I mean completely!) After use,” wrote an Amazon reviewer. Another says, “I rarely write reviews, but they deserve praise. SO much more substantial than Handi Wipes and you can really scrub with them, but they never feel gross like a sponge. I’ve been using the same two for a month now and they still look great. ”
Amazon
Swedish tea towel made from cellulose sponge
The tea towels are available in three color variants – the white hue goes perfectly with the currently indispensable all-white kitchens, while the yellow and multi-colored package (which is currently only being delivered in August) is fun to add a splash of color to a quiet room – and because of its stiff nature When dry, combined with their 3D diamond-shaped texture, they can also be used to remove hard residue from pots, pans and more.
After using the tea towels for several weeks now, I can confirm that my consumption of paper towels has decreased significantly. But more importantly, my peace of mind is way up. I love knowing that I am drastically reducing my household’s annual waste by reusing it every day. We’ll never be a zero waste family, but the Swedish tea towel is proof that a little change can go a long way.