Are Dish Rags or Paper Towels Better for Cleaning Counters? Here's What Experts Say

There's a household debate that divides roommates, spouses, and friends alike: Should you use a dish rag or a paper towel for cleaning the kitchen? It's common knowledge that a reusable dish rag is more sustainable and cost-effective than a disposable paper towel, but what about the cleanliness of a damp rag after use on spills, dishes, and hands? There are pros and cons to both methods, but we looked to experts to shed light on this kitchen-cleaning dispute.

The Impacts of Paper Towels

Dish rags offer an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to paper towels. On average, about 45.3 million Americans use eight or more rolls of paper towels per month. At a cost of approximately $8 for a six-pack, that equates to roughly $11 per person each month, or $132 annually, primarily for items discarded after one use.

In the United States, spending on paper towels for home use reaches $5.7 billion, nearly matching the $6.3 billion spent worldwide. Furthermore, the production of paper towels contributes to deforestation, and because they are often classified as contaminated waste, they cannot be recycled.

Pros and Cons of Each

Studies have shown that approximately 89% of dishcloths and kitchen sponges contain coliform bacteria, which originate in the feces of warm-blooded animals, including humans. Furthermore, 25% of these items harbor E. coli, which can be harmful. Used dish rags, due to their warm and damp nature, provide an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and can spread germs throughout your kitchen and onto anything they contact.

The Verdict

While dish rags effectively harbor germs, disposable options like paper towels and disinfecting wipes contribute to environmental harm through their lifetime cost and landfill waste. Ultimately, the decision comes down to your priorities: weighing environmental and cost concerns against the potential risks of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Tips for Safely Using Dish Rags

If you prefer dish rags, it's important to clean and replace them regularly. Follow these tips to minimize bacterial growth: 

• Rinse and wring out the dish rag thoroughly. After each use, rinse and wring out the rag and then lay it flat or hang it up to dry, as this reduces the chance for bacteria to thrive.

• Change your dish rags and towels daily. This is especially true if they're used to clean up spills or wipe your hands.

• Immediately replace any cloths that touch raw meat. A non-metal kitchen sponge can be sanitized by microwaving it for 1 to 1.5 minutes while still wet, then allowed to cool. Consider using paper towels for cleaning raw meat and juices from surfaces.

How to Disinfect Dish Rags

"You can’t prevent a cleaning rag from picking up germs while cleaning. Either have a lot of rags on hand so you can switch to a clean one as needed and disinfect all your dirty rags together when finished or if you don’t have a lot of rags, using bleach to disinfect them in between cleaning tasks will help get them germ-free," Gagliardi says.