The 8 Best Kitchen Towels for Drying Dishes

What’s that one thing in your kitchen that you reach out the most whether you’re cooking or cleaning? Yes, you are right: a kitchen towel!

This easy-to-ignore item is actually one of the most useful and multipurpose things that’s a must-have for every kitchen. So why not put a little effort into which ones to buy?

Here’s the thing:

These towels are used for a number of things around the kitchen. Whether you want to dry your hands after doing the dishes, or dry the freshly washed dishes, or clean a surface, or even pick a hot plate or cookware, you will need a kitchen towel.

This insignificant piece of cloth can take care of lots of dirty work for us. So why not get something that offers more performance and less effort? Keeping your main purpose of use in mind, get a suitable kitchen towel in the right size for the best results.

Below you will find all our top products and information that will help you make a smart choice and buy the best kitchen towels for drying dishes.

The 13 Best Kitchen Towels for Drying Dishes

Top ProductsBest Features
1. Utopia Towels Kitchen Bar Mops Towels, Pack of 12Made from highest quality cotton, includes 12 highly absorbent towels, large towels for cleaning a variety of surfaces
2. Sticky Toffee Cotton Terry Kitchen Dish Towel100% Oeko –Tex Cotton, easy care allows machine washing and drying, designed with a ribbed terry construction for absorbency
3. DII Terry Combo Windowpane Dishcloths AbsorbantHighly absorbent, long-lasting multipurpose towels, made from 100% cotton
4. Gryeer Microfiber Kitchen Towels – Highly Absorbent, Soft, and Lint Free Dish TowelsDurable and long-lasting material, perfect multipurpose dishcloths, low lint and ultra-absorbent
5. Fecido Classic Kitchen Dish Towels with Hanging Loop – Heavy Duty Absorbent Dish ClothesCommercial-grade heavy-duty kitchen towels, superior-quality, perfect for drying glassware, dishes, and cookware

1. Utopia Towels Kitchen Bar Mops Towels, Pack of 12

Best Features: This is a great multipurpose kitchen towel set made with a super absorbent material and breathable characteristics that’s also gentle on your hands.

If you’re in search of a dish towel that you can have for daily or rough use, these mop-style towels can do the job for you. Made with 100% ring-spun cotton, the towels are highly absorbent and lightweight. They feature loops on each side to make dying easier and improving the material’s absorbency. These kitchen towels are highly recommended for drying dishes because, in addition to featuring a zero-twist construction, these towels also go through the process to reduce shedding, lint, and fraying to ensure your cookware or dishes are left crystal clean! Available in a set of 12 towels, these towels are a must-have for any kitchen.


2. Sticky Toffee Cotton Terry Kitchen Dish Towel

Best Features: The durable and long-lasting kitchen towels can assist you with a number of kitchen needs and can easily help with drying dishes because of high absorbency

This kitchen towel is labeled as Amazon’s number one best selling product and for all the right reasons. Made with 100% high-quality terry cotton, these towels are not only highly absorbent but also durable. These can be used for a number of purposes around the kitchen including cleaning up spills and drying dishes. The four-piece set is available in a variety of colors and has a smooth texture. The easy-to-care towels can be washed in the washing machine without affecting the durability. It has a high absorbency rate which makes the task of drying dishes easier.


3. DII Terry Combo Windowpane Dishcloths Absorbant

Best Features: The towel set features a classic design and is available in a variety of exciting colors. The absorbent kitchen essential is a must-have to effectively dry the dishes in no time

If you’re looking for a highly efficient kitchen towel that’s also easy on the pocket, this is the one. These towels easily get the job done and add to the aesthetic appeal of your kitchen upon hanging. The set has six cotton towels in classic colors and a windowpane design. The towels are lightweight, absorbent, and can be washed in a machine. And if you like to keep up with your kitchen’s theme, you can also select your set in a variety of fun colors like eggplant, aqua, spice, or pebble. These kitchen towels offer great value for the price to tackle all your kitchen needs, including drying dishes.


4. Gryeer Microfiber Kitchen Towels – Highly Absorbent, Soft and Lint Free Dish Towels

Best Features: These fast-drying kitchen towels carry out stink-free dish drying task and can take care of a variety of kitchen cleaning tasks with great efficiency

This excellent product by Gyreer has the ability to hold eight times their own weight in water. These highly durable and excellent-quality towels will have your dishes dry flat within minutes. Additionally, it can be used for a variety of other purposes including cleaning surfaces, spots, or lints. The durable and strong microfiber makes it the best kitchen towel you can own for every day, daily use.


5. Fecido Classic Kitchen Dish Towels with Hanging Loop – Heavy Duty Absorbent Dish Clothes

Best Features: The heavy-duty kitchen towels come in a pack of two and generously sized to take care of various kitchen needs, including drying dishes

These thick kitchen towels by Fecido are known as commercial-grade kitchen towels. The high-quality absorbent material is free of lint and makes drying dishes and cleaning up surfaces a simple task. These large kitchen towels boast 100% cotton and a variety of appealing checkered designs that don’t make it look like an ugly mop on the counter. These useful towels are available in 10-pack or 4-pack options.  


6. BONDRE Bamboo Kitchen Dish Cloths, White Washcloths Dish Towels

Best Features: The oversized kitchen tower is made from high quality material for quick drying of dishes and a number of other cleaning and handling tasks around the kitchen

If you thought a cotton kitchen towel was your only choice, this might come as a surprise. This kitchen towel is made of 100% bamboo and has all the great features that make it highly efficient. These sustainable towels are quick-drying, soft, and incredibly versatile. From drying dishes to cleaning surfaces, these towels come in handy and complete the tasks efficiently and absorb anything from water to oil. You can use these towels for scrubbing out stain as well. And unlike the regular microfiber and cotton towels, these bamboo kitchen towels also have antibacterial and anti-microbial properties and can even repel odors, mites, and insects.  


7. Liliane Collection Red Dish (13 Pack)

Best Features: These towels are made with 100% cotton and offer excellent absorbency and overall performance to solve most of your cleaning problems in the kitchen

If we take into account several important factors like quality, price, customer reviews, versatility, and purpose, this simple kitchen towel will leave you surprised. The affordable bundle offers 13 towels to take care of all your kitchen needs. Designed in 100% two-ply cotton, the highly absorbent kitchen towels boast commercial-grade quality and makes drying dishes a breeze. No wonder, these simple white cotton towels are also commonly used in commercial settings like hotels and restaurants.  


8. T-Fal Textiles 60954 2-Pack Solid & Check Parquet Design 100-Percent Cotton Kitchen Dish Towel

Best Features: The high quality kitchen towels are known to withstand different kitchen tasks and can be used for thorough scrubbing and cleaning of hard-to-clean surfaces as well

This excellent kitchen towel helps you deal with big kitchen messes without any trouble. These cotton-based towels are highly absorbent and soft. If drying dishes or cleaning kitchen surfaces seem like a time-consuming task, this is a great kitchen accessory that can help you complete such tasks with maximum efficiency. The traditional checkered towels are available in a variety of interesting colors to look good with your kitchen theme.  


Buyer’s Guide

The Different Types of Kitchen Towels You Should Know About

It is natural to feel overwhelmed with the variety of choices you have, especially if you are not sure what you really need. This buyer’s guide will answer all your questions so keep reading.

Cotton Terry Cloth

This style features raised loops that allow grabbing and absorbing moisture. The material is affordable, highly absorbent, and ideal for drying hands and dishes or wiping up surface spills.

Waffle Weave

This type of towel has a waffle-like woven grid pattern and is touted for being quick drying and absorbent. These are often made from microfiber or cotton for the best results.  

Cotton Huck Towels

These are basically used in a medical setting for drying surgical instruments after sterilization. These are absolutely lint-free and highly absorbent. These towels are smaller and much thinner than the standard kitchen towels.

Flat-Weave Towel

This style boasts a smooth weave and does not have any stitches or raised loops. They’re not the most absorbent towels but comparatively more lint-free.

Factors to Look for In The Best Kitchen Towels

When you’re looking for the best kitchen towels for drying dishes, hands, or handling hot cookware, nothing is more durable, versatile, and safer than a thick cotton towel. The material is absorbent, affordable, and long-lasting.

Here are all the factors that makes a basic towel worth buying for your kitchen.  

Durability

Durable stitching and tight weave will last your kitchen linens longer. Since this piece of cloth is exposed to dirt and bacteria from your dishes, hands, food, and cutting board, they need to be washed regularly. Only towels that are made from high-quality cotton will offer maximum durability.

Here’s an interesting video about how you can keep your kitchen towels clean and smell-free:

How to keep kitchen towels, dish towels and tea towels clean and smell free

Size

This crucial piece of kitchen linen is mostly a multi-purpose accessory. Therefore, it is important to use a suitable size so it can be used for various purposes. It is best to have a few different sizes to cater to your specific needs.

Absorbency

Dish towels are available in a variety of different suitable materials. The thickness varies too. Your choice should depend mainly on how you plan to use your dish towels. If drying hands and dishes is the only purpose, choose a cloth with high-absorbency yet smooth texture. For cleaning surfaces, a higher absorbency rate is required with a rough texture for easy cleaning.


FAQs

1. Which fabric is considered the best for dish towels?

Cotton – hands down! It is not only the most popular one but also the best and most absorbent material used for dish towels.

2. What’s the difference between a dish towel and a tea towel?

According to the definition, tea towels are usually only made of cotton or linen. Dish towels, on the other hand, can also be made using a terry cloth. Both these towels are roughly the same size and range between 16 x 28 inches and 18 x 30 inches.

3. How big are tea towels?

Tea towels are almost the same size as regular dish towels. The size may, however, vary depending on the manufacturer. The standard size for tea towels is 19 x 27 inches.  

4. Why are my dish towels not absorbent enough?

It is very important to wash your dish towels correctly. If you’ve been using fabric softeners for washing, it could cover the fibers of the cloth, making them less efficient for absorbing moisture. Fabric softeners (sheet or liquid) can ruin the absorbency of towels and rags. Also, if your dish towels are not made from the right fabric – for example, cotton – and do not have enough absorbency, it wouldn’t do the task efficiently.

5. How should I soften my dish towels?

Instead of using fabric softeners, use one cup of white vinegar to soften your towels. Simply wash your kitchen towels in a regular washing cycle and remove the soapy residue by redoing it using vinegar. Do this once every six weeks for the best results.

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