This $14 Find Will Seriously Reduce Your Paper Towel Usage
And it’s cute, too!
Published Dec 1, 2021 1:49 AM
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Of all the swaps I’ve made to be more eco-conscious—from dish soap to dryer balls—the one that’s been the trickiest for me to adopt is getting rid of paper towels. But that’s because I hadn’t yet met the Swedish dishcloth. Nowadays it’s become indispensable in my kitchen. Think of it as a sponge–paper towel hybrid with myriad merits: It’s made from cellulose and cotton (both materials are biodegradable), can be reused over and over (for multiple months—up to a year, possibly), and can even be thrown in the washing machine or dishwasher and air-dried when it’s time for a refresh. Plus it soaks up way more than a paper towel ever could.
However, while superhandy, most are not aesthetically pleasing—in fact, the majority of them come in garishly bold colors and look like something you’d use to detail a car. So I was very happy to be introduced to Philadelphia-based Supra Endura’s collection. It is printed with founder and artist Gabrielle Mandel’s colorful original artwork—including a series of on-trend geometric motifs, tropical fruits, and tie-dyed patterns—that are quite chic. And because I’m a sucker for anything that updates the everyday and brings beauty into my space, it was love at first sight.
In practice, though, they’re just as effective and hardworking as any other Swedish dishcloth I’ve tried. I rely on them for general countertop tidying throughout the day (you know, all those water drops and mini spills that happen around the sink regularly), dining table cleanup (for me, some scrubbing is involved in this task because my 2-year-old basically uses the table as a plate, and these are durable enough for that), and even soaking up bigger spills when they happen (they do the job of several paper towels in this case). Friends I know even use them as a sponge replacement to clean dishes. I usually throw mine in the wash once a week, but that frequency is dependent on usage. If you find yourself using them to clean up food spills rather than just water or to do the dishes, you might like to give them a refresh more frequently.
Oh, and if you’re a fan of reusable beeswax wraps (a sustainable replacement for plastic wrap), Supra Endura makes that, too. Just another box check on my quest to make sure even the most utilitarian items in my life are also pretty.
