Tea-towel
The tea-towel
A tea-towel or tea towel is a small hand towel that is commonly used to dry dishes after washing-up. They can also be used instead of disposable kitchen towels and this may be more environmentally friendly (but see below). They can also be used as an impromptu jelly-bag. Linen or cotton tea-towels are probably the best to use in these cases.
Paper kitchen towels
A paper towel is a piece of paper that can be used once as a towel and is then disposed of. A perforated roll of paper towels is normally mounted on a rod a little longer than the width of the roll, or in an alternative type of hanger that has protrusions on ears, the protrusions fitting into the ends of the inner cardboard tube.
Environmental concerns
It can be disputed whether tea-towels are in fact kinder to the environment than kitchen towels. It is possible to buy re-cycled paper towels, which in turn can be re-recycled. Also, tea-towels need to be washed in detergent in hot water, and may need additional stain removing chemicals to make them totally clean.