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Paper towels are a staple in many American households. People use them as napkins, or to clean counters or other surfaces, or to wipe up spills or pet messes, or sometimes to dry hands after washing.
However, paper towels can create their share of household waste, especially if you use them daily and if you use them for multiple tasks. A paper towel often tends to be a single-use item, meaning you use it once and throw it away or possibly compost it. When you throw away paper towels, you’re also throwing away products you spent money on, and that cost can add up. In addition, paper towel production contributes to the problem of deforestation, which has a cascading effect on the environment.
There are some steps you can take to reduce or even eliminate paper towel usage. You could use cloth napkins during meals. You could use rags made from old clothing for household cleaning.
You could also try using Swedish dish cloths. And, Aldi is selling Swedish dish cloths for a limited time.
What are Swedish dish cloths? Swedish dish cloths, invented by a Swedish engineer in 1949, are reusable cloths that are like a cross between a sponge and a paper towel. They’re similar to microfiber cloths, but microfiber cloths are often made using plastic, while Swedish dish cloths are made of a more sustainable blend of 70% cellulose and 30% cotton.
You can use them with all kinds of different cleaning products, and you can use them to clean all kinds of things: dishes, counters, bathrooms, walls and baseboards, appliances, windows, pet messes, furniture, etc. They can stand up to trips through the dishwasher or washing machine. They’re highly absorbent but dry faster than a traditional sponge, and they can clean up as much as 50-100 paper towels or more. When you’re done reusing them, you can compost them because they’re made of natural materials that will break down.
Huntington Home Swedish Dish Cloths are an Aldi Find, which means they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back later. Aldi does not offer online ordering for these dish cloths if they’re sold out at your local store.
These cost $4.99 for a four-pack at the time of publication. That comes out to about $1.25 per dish cloth. I found some packs of Swedish dish cloths on Amazon that cost less, but they’re basic solid colors like blue, pink, and yellow. If you want fun designs — and there are a lot of unique prints to choose from when it comes to these cloths — you’ll pay more.
The Aldi cloths all come in pretty prints, including potted herbs, citrus fruits, geometric designs, and floral / earth prints. I bought the pack with the herb prints.
Here’s more information, according to the Aldi package labeling:
- Content: 70% cellulose fibre / 30% cotton
- Dimensions: 6.7 inches by 7.7 inches
- Eco-friendly
- Machine washable and dishwasher safe (shrinking may occur after washing)
- Ultra absorbent
- Odor resistant
- Multipurpose
- Safe for all surfaces
- OEKO-TEX certified
All four cloths that came in the package. They feature prints on one side and are plain white on the other side.
I’ve been putting these through the paces during the brief time I’ve had them. They’re stiff when dry, almost like a dried-out sponge, but they soften up like a very strong paper towel when wet. They don’t shred or tear like a paper towel, which makes them good for a lot of tough cleaning jobs.
The back side of a cloth.
These are good for wiping down kitchen counters, and I’m looking forward to using them to clean walls and baseboards. I might also use them with a little furniture polish for dusting furniture. These could be great for wiping down bathroom surfaces with some spray cleaner and then tossing in the wash, rather than using disposable disinfecting wipes. (I might buy a separate set for the bathroom.) I’ve been hanging my wet dish cloth over a faucet to let it dry, but some people drape them over a dish rack or hang them using a binder clip.
They’re a little thicker than a regular paper towel.
I’m still testing these out and haven’t yet put any of them through the washing machine or dishwasher. I’ll update this post after I’ve used these more. So far, these look like a good purchase and I’m eager to use them.
The Verdict:
Huntington Home Swedish Dish Cloths are made with a sustainable blend of 70% cellulose and 30% cotton. They’re reusable and can go in the dishwasher and washing machine, making them a more eco-friendly option than paper towels. You can use them for everything from cleaning dishes to dusting furniture, cleaning windows, wiping up kid or pet messes and spills, cleaning bathrooms, and more. Because they’re made of natural materials, you can also compost them when they’ve finally worn out. If you’re wanting to use fewer paper towels, these are worth a look.
