Trader Joe’s puts out some unique and interesting products, and the super amazing reusable kitchen cloth is one of them. I know Trader Joe’s rigorously tests their own products, but the reusable kitchen cloth is one product I’ve personally tested. Between using them myself, talking to others that use these reusable kitchen cloths, and researching them online, I figured they are worth writing about.
To put it short and sweet, the Trader Joe’s reusable kitchen cloth can replace your paper towels, your kitchen washcloths, napkins, and just about anything else you would use to clean up spills and messes. They are long-lasting, cheap, sustainable, and work exceptionally well. And after you fill like you’ve used up all their useful life, they become great rags for the garage, shop, or anywhere else you need a rag.
What Are Trader Joe’s Kitchen Cloths Made Of?
According to Trader Joe’s, “the amazing kitchen cloths are made from 100% viscose, a veritable miracle fabric that absorbs 10 times its weight in water.” How good or bad viscose is on the environment is debatable. The raw material of viscose is pulp. The transition from pulp to viscose involves chemical treatment, and therefore can result in some bad effluent. But the wastewater effluent can be treated via normal wastewater treatment methods. On the other hand, it is more biodegradable compared to cotton.
Why Use Trader Joe’s Resuable Kitchen Cloth
The amount of waste we produce is huge, and as a result, our landfills are filling up. On average, Americans produce over 1,700 pounds of waste each year. Traders Joe’s amazing reusable kitchen cloth can replace so many items that are filling our landfills. Depending on how much you use them, the lifespan of these kitchen cloths can easily be a few years. It could literally replace thousands of paper towels and napkins.
Cost Of Trader Joe’s Kitchen Coth Vs Paper Towels
A two-pack of these amazing kitchen cloths seems to range from $3-$5 each. Since there are so many varieties of paper towels is difficult to get an average cost. But according to The Atlantic, in 2017 the average American spent $17.50 per year on paper towels. We as Americans are hooked on paper towels. And they are easy to use, convenient and handy.
But it’s time to toss the paper towels and start using something a little more eco-friendly. Not only will you benefit from the cost savings, think about the space you’ll save. Paper towels are big and bulky and usually end up occupying a ton of space. These kitchen cloths take up roughly the same amount of space as an oven mitt or potholder.
I know I’ve put these kitchen cloths on a pretty big pedestal but let me touch a little on the pros and cons, just in my experience.
Pros of Kitchen Cloth
- They’re super absorbent. Unlike some cheap paper towels or even crummy wash cloths, they don’t push the water around, but they actually absorp it.
- The materail is great for scrubbing. The cloths are strangely soft, yet have great texture for scrubbing up stains. Papertowels seem to break apart too easily.
- Easy to clean up and rinse out after using them.
- Machine washable. Similar to a wash cloth, eventually, you’ll have to throw them in the washing machine. They’re durability is excellent.
Cons of Kitchen Cloth
- Costly. In the short-term, they do cost more compare to a single roll of paper towels. But the math shows, in the long-run, these cloths are a wiser investment.
- Only two cloths per package (usually).
- Lack of colors or designs
Verastility of Trader Joe’s Kitchen Cloth
As the name implies these absorbent cloths are primarily used in the kitchen. They can replace napkins at the table and paper towels.
Another great use for them is drying dishes. I have a drying rack, but after picking these cloths I tend to dry my dishes immediately. It makes the kitchen feel and look cleaner. The drying rack works just fine, but you have to wait for the dishes to dry before putting them away. Sometimes you just want to be done with all, and these cloths do the trick.
After a while, you’ll get the most out of their useful life. At least in the kitchen. This is when they kicked to rag duty in the garage. They still absorb liquid great, so if you have any spills in the garage, these work wonders.
Two Alternatives To Trader Joe’s Kitchen Cloth
Some people are lifelong customers of Trader Joe’s, but not everyone is a die-hard fan. I’ve looked around and found a couple of alternatives that may fit your needs.
1) Swedish Dishcloths – Similar to Trader Joe’s these are very absorbent, long-lasting, and safe for all surfaces.
2) Wowables Reusable Paper Towels – These eco-friendly paper towels are a step up from the one-use paper towels Americans are obsessed with. They’re not quite paper towels and they’re not quite cloth. But better than standard paper towels. If you’re unsure of taking a dive into the cloths, these might be a good start.
Wrapping Up Review of Trader Joe’s Kitchen Cloth
One of the easiest ways to go green is to swap out your daily use of paper towels. It’s these little things that start to add up. If you can, get rid of much single-use items as you can. They may take some getting used to, but eventually, you’ll come to like these replacements. And the best part is, these kinds of replacements can save you money as well as save the Earth.