Written by Samantha Mangino, home appliance and furniture tester with over two years of experience.
Updated April 3, 2024
In addition to sponges and multipurpose sprays, paper towels are a necessary household product to always have on hand. But with an entire aisle of paper towels at the grocery store, which paper towel brands offer the best cleaning ability for the money?
After researching and testing the best paper towels, our favorite paper towel is the Bounty Select-A-Size (available at Amazon) because of its incredible strength and stellar absorbency.
For a great value, the Kirkland Signature Create-A-Size Paper Towels (available at Costco) are our pick. You get more sheets at an affordable price and it offers comparable performance to Bounty’s paper towels.
But we tested plenty of great paper towels, here are the best paper towels for your cleaning kits and kitchen counters.
Best Overall
Bounty Select-A-Size
Bounty makes the best paper towels we’ve ever tested. These redesigned paper towels feature microstructures for increased absorbency. While you can’t see said microstructures just by looking at the paper towels, you can tell they’re present when you’re sopping up liquids and cleaning up messes.
Right off the bat, it impressed us with how easily it could clean up a chunky smear of tomato sauce. We just needed one pass to get it all cleaned up.
Despite feeling soft to the touch, the quilting on this paper towel won’t tear against rough surfaces. It can absorb and hold the second most amount of water of any of the other paper towels we tested.
When we let it dry out after use, it felt almost as strong as an unused sheet of Bounty.
Bounty paper towels tear off cleanly from the roll, so you always have even sheets and aren’t left with awkward strands left behind. While these are the second most expensive of the bunch, Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels are by far worth every penny.
Pros
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Strong and thick
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Can withstand rigorous scrubbing
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Absorbent
Cons
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None that we could find
Buy now at Amazon
$22.45 from Walmart
Best Value
Kirkland Signature Create-A-Size Paper Towels
The Kirkland Signature paper towels, available at Costco, are an exceptional value—especially if you have a Costco membership.
Each package contains 12 rolls of paper towels with 160, 2-ply sheets per roll, for a total of more than 1,000 feet. The size of the paper towels is also one of the largest we tested, coming in about one inch longer than others in our guide—giving you the most bang for your buck of any paper towel we tested.
The Kirkland Signature paper towels are made of quilted paper that holds about three-quarters of an ounce of water and maintain their structure when used on rough surfaces with only minor tearing.
When reused, Kirkland Signature paper towels uphold their structure very well, however, the paper towels lose a lot of strength and tear more easily after being wet and dried. For reuse, it’s best to use them for light tasks like dusting or wiping up liquids.
You don’t need a Costco membership to purchase these paper towels, but non-members do have to pay a fee on orders that Costco cardholders do not. You can also find listings for Kirkland Signature paper towels on Amazon, but be cautious as these are typically sold by third-party sellers at major markups.
For a paper towel that’s strong, absorbent, and larger than most, Kirkland Signature paper towels are a value-packed choice.
Pros
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Strong
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Absorbent
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Large rolls
Cons
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Lose strength when wet
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Only available at Costco
Best Reusable
Papaya Reusable Paper Towel 2-Pack
The best reusable paper towels we tested are Papaya’s reusable paper towels, which are made from cellulose and cotton. When dry, the Papaya paper towels are stiff and hard to move around, but once wet, they are flexible and are ideal for cleaning.
Papaya paper towels are able to hold over ten times its weight in water—about 3.5 ounces—head and shoulders above other paper towels in our guide.
These reusable paper towels are strong and won’t tear when you tug on them or rub them against rough surfaces. Compared to the standard paper towels we tested, the Papaya paper towels can be wet and dried over and over again without losing strength. Papaya claims its reusable paper towels have a life span that’s equivalent to using 17 rolls of paper towels.
These are not ideal for dry dusting, as the dry cloth is stiff and hard to move on dry surfaces. Additionally, these paper towels stain easily. While it did an outstanding job at picking up a spill of tomato sauce in one wipe, the sauce stain lingered on the cloth even after rinsing it with dish soap.
If you’re looking to try a more sustainable option, Papaya’s reusable paper towels are a great place to start.
Pros
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Absorbent
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Strong
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Reusable
Cons
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Stiff when dry
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Stain easily
Buy now at Papaya
Best for Dusting
Viva Signature Cloth
With a soft, rag-like feel, Viva Signature Cloth paper towels offer stellar absorbency and strength—especially for dust removal. When rubbed over a dusty surface, it picks up an immense amount of dust, more than any other towel we tested.
The paper towels don't tear or pill against a rough carpeted surface when wet, making them ideal for scrubbing. The lack of pilling makes it a superb candidate for cleaning surfaces like windows and mirrors.
Viva Signature paper towels take a couple of passes to fully clean up tomato sauce, while other brands, like our No. 1 pick, clean up faster.
Overall, Viva is a soft and durable paper towel for dusting or cleaning delicate surfaces.
Pros
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Soft touch
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Cloth-like feel
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Great on dust
Cons
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Thin
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Not good on spills
Buy now at Amazon
$15.89 from Target
$16.48 from Home Depot
$15.54 from Walmart
Strongest Paper Towel
Sparkle Paper Towels
Sparkle paper towels are surprisingly strong. The texture is soft and has a waxy-like feel. Despite being thin, Sparkle’s paper towels hold together well even when you give them a hard pull. On rough surfaces, it stood up well and only had one small tear on it after we ran it over carpet.
Where Sparkle is lacking is in absorbency. It struggles to pick up large, chunky spills like tomato sauce and requires going over the spill at least twice to get it fully cleaned up.
It picks up a good amount of dust when used for dry dusting. While this list has better options, Sparkle paper towels do a good job overall.
Pros
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Soft to the touch
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Don't rip easily
Cons
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Not very absorbent
Buy now at Amazon
$32.00 from Walmart
Other Paper Towels We Tested
Brawny Pick-a-Size
Overall during testing, we noted that Brawny paper towels lack absorbency. Where Brawny impressed us is with its strength, especially on rough surfaces. When damp, it didn’t tear on rough carpet so it’s a suitable option for those constantly cleaning up kid and pet messes on upholstery.
It took over three passes trying to wipe up a smear of tomato sauce with the paper towel as it didn’t have enough absorbency to soak up all of the liquid. But if you’re often using paper towels to scrub at stains, this is a good option.
Pros
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Very strong
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Doesn't tear on rough surfaces
Cons
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Not very absorbent
Buy now at Amazon
$18.15 from Walmart
Presto! Paper Towels
The Amazon brand Presto paper towels are highly absorbent and can hold the third most amount of water of all the paper towels we tested. These paper towels do a good job of picking up tomato sauce and only needed one pass plus a small wipe to get it cleaned up. Presto paper towels are also good for general cleaning like wiping down countertops and glass surfaces.
However, when wet, Presto paper towels start to fall apart—quickly. They rip easily once damp and totally fall apart when rubbed against a rough surface, like carpets or furniture.
Amazon papers are a convenient choice for Prime members, but we think our best overall pick is a better choice for cleaning and daily use.
Pros
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Absorbent
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Good for light cleaning
Cons
-
Fall apart when wet
Buy now at Amazon
Cloud Paper Bamboo Paper Towels
Cloud Paper paper towels are made from bamboo rather than the wood of traditional paper towels. Despite having a similar quilted texture to the paper towels, the bamboo paper towels from Cloud Paper are quite slick and feel as though they have a waxy coating on the outside.
Despite the odd texture, these paper towels are still fairly absorbent and can take on about half an ounce of water per sheet. When dry, these bamboo paper towels can dust surfaces well, but it took more than a few passes to clean up larger messes like tomato sauce.
These paper towels are single-use. Once it has been wet and dry once, it loses all of its structure for use and has a tissue paper-like feel.
For an eco-friendly paper towel, we recommend our pick for the best reusable paper towels.
Pros
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Sustainable material
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Absorbent
Cons
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Fall apart when wet
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Weak
Buy now at Amazon
$49.99 from Walmart
How We Test Paper Towels
The Tester
I’m Samantha Mangino, a staff writer for the Home team at Reviewed. I write about cleaning, appliances, and home décor. I’ve tested my fair share of household goods here at Reviewed including steam irons, trash bags, and cleaning supplies.
I grew up in a household where we had our brand loyalty when it came to cleaning products; now I’m on the hunt for the best products so you’re investing in products that really get the job done.
The Tests
We put each towel through its paces in practical, around-the-house tests that would best reflect the average consumer’s use of the product.
Our first trial was a simple wiping test. We put a teaspoon of tomato sauce on a common kitchen countertop and tried to clean the mess with one swipe of a paper towel. We documented any smudging or smearing, while also taking into account each product’s ease of use.
Next, we swiped each dry towel over a dusty surface to find their cleaning ability without the aid of water or spray.
We also tested the strength of each paper towel in both a dry and wet state. Using just one piece of paper, we attempted to pull it in half while dry and while wet. Next, we rubbed each wet paper towel against the rough surface of a floor rug to test the durability of each towel.
Additionally, we wet each paper towel and then let it air dry to test its ability to be used more than once.
We also paid attention to the smaller, subjective details that make certain paper towels more enjoyable to use than others. This includes ease of tearing (because everyone loathes that piece at the bottom after a jagged tear), texture, softness, and overall ease of use.
What You Should Know About Paper Towels
Cost
When you're looking for the best paper towels, the first factor to consider is the sticker price, which incorporates the actual dollar amount but also the question of reusability. In our testing, we wet the towels, let them dry, and then used them again. This helped us determine which towels were strong and absorbent and the most durable.
Plus, most paper towels allow for the select-a-size option that can give you bigger and smaller sheets depending on the job you’re tackling. Allowing that flexibility means you’ll use only what you need to prolong the life of your paper towel roll.
Reusable paper towels may be best for your wallet. Packages usually are less than $20 for a pack of 2. Each reusable paper towel is the equivalent of 17 rolls. Meaning for the price of less than one pack of paper towels, reusable paper towels offer the value of six packages.
However, with reusable paper towels, there are some downsides including lingering stains. Many turn to paper towels for their single-use nature, so the thought of reusing a paper towel might be a turn-off for sanitary purposes.
Thickness and Absorbency
When we're looking for the best paper towel, we consider the thickness of each towel because that often impacts the absorbency.
To test the absorbency, we soaked each paper towel in water and measured how much water weight it could hold to get a sense of each towel’s full potential.
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Meet the tester
Samantha Mangino is a self-proclaimed homebody. Conveniently she is a home staff writer at Reviewed, covering cleaning, appliances, furniture, and home furnishings and décor. She knows her way around a house and has tested everything from furniture, sponges, steam irons, to Legos. She’s always on the hunt for the latest internet trends and wants to help make your home cleaner and cozier.
See all of Samantha Mangino's reviews
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