Cotton Tea Towels vs. Conventional Tea Towels

Tea towels are among the most used kitchen and household tools. It pays to know what you should look for when buying them. Here is a quick comparison between cotton tea towels and conventional tea towels.

Cotton Tea Towels

Cotton is one of the most versatile crops grown worldwide for thousands of years. It is used not only for textiles and clothing; cotton is also a valuable raw material for fuel, fishing nets, archival paper bookbinding and coffee filters, among many other products. That is because cotton is highly absorbent. If you notice, cotton shirts are more comfortable to wear than those made from other fabrics like polyester or linen. Cotton inherently draws away sweat from your body due to its high absorbency, so you cool off faster.

The same theory applies to cotton tea towels. Using tea towels with maximum absorbency is vital when mopping up water and moisture from countertops, tables and other surfaces. Cotton tea towels also don’t leave water spots when drying dishes and utensils.

Cotton tea towels are also highly durable. Cotton is a tightly woven fabric so its high tensile strength makes it less prone to tears or rips. This is very important considering you use tea towels in your kitchen day in and day out. Cotton tea towels are also less likely to retain odour because they dry faster compared to tea towels made from other fabrics.

Conventional Tea Towels

The typical tea towel is usually made of polyester materials. This is great because polyester is cheaper and more affordable than cotton. One of the reasons why conventional tea towels made from polyester are more affordable is because they are highly recyclable and, best of all, the recycled polyester has the same quality as the original. Polyester tea towels are widely available so you can find them in many department stores. Polyester tea towels are also easy to maintain. Simply stick them in the wash and they will be clean and ready to use when they come out.

One thing worth mentioning about polyester teal towels is that they don’t work well for wiping off oil-based liquids. Polyester bonds quickly with oil and you will have a hard time getting oil stains off with regular washing. You will have to soak your polyester towels in warm water and detergent to get rid of the oil. Over time, this will compromise the integrity of your tea towel.

Takeaway

All things considered, cotton tea towels are a better option compared to conventional tea towels made from polyester. They are more absorbent, hardwearing and functional. Because they are more durable, you won’t need to replace cotton tea towels as often as polyester tea towels. While they are more expensive, they make a good investment if you are looking for the best value for your money in this highly essential kitchen necessity.