Towels Linens

Spoiler: You're about to save so much money.

Whiten your towels without using bleach.

See how it cleaned up a greasy dish towel after a messy brunch session.

You'll use them for everything in the kitchen.

You can totally steal this look!

It's my official do-it-all towel.

Wait until you see how well it removes red wine stains.

Here's how to get that leaning stack under control.

It turns out, washing kitchen towels with all of your clothes is a big no-no.

C'est magnifique! (Yes, they're French!)

These cloths are relatively inexpensive, durable, and effective!

You get six rolls for $10!

Got a bag full of other bags? Read this!

We have a tried-and-true cleaning method in the back pocket of our summer cutoffs.

Don't be so quick to toss it!

You're probably not doing it often enough!

Without bleach!

You're gonna want to use three every single time you cook.

You know who’s really good at shopping for things on Etsy? People who sell things on Etsy! After all, the countless craftspeople and artisans are the ones who make Etsy what it is. (In addition to all the other stuff they make, of course.) So we decided to ask a few of our favorite sellers for some of their best, most recent Etsy purchases. Because who knows the site better than they do? Here are a few of their favorite finds. “Linley of Matted Ink is one of my favorite makers.

Most of us have our kitchen cleaning routines down — which surfaces to scrub, where to sweep, how often to trade out our sponges, and all the rest. Once you get into the habit of the things you clean daily or weekly or seasonally, you’re pretty much set. Or so I thought until recently, when I came upon something I’d just never thought to clean. It came to me while I was baking lasagna.

Kitchen towels are serious helpers in the kitchen. Not just used for drying (dishes, your hands, fruit, and more), they’re also what we grab in a pinch for a quick cleanup or as a workaround oven mitt or makeshift lid to keep food warm after it comes out of the oven. Plus, they can add some serious style to a kitchen. Of course, anytime you have something with so many roles, you run the risk of spreading germs — especially when you store it someplace where it gets even more exposure.

My name is Susan and I’m a former paper towel abuser. I recycle and compost and use LED lightbulbs. I buy non-toxic cleaning products, sustainable clothing, aluminum-free deodorant, clean mascara, and organic tampons. The only thing bursting my eco-bubble was my Bounty habit. Yeah, I said it — BOUNTY. No thin, gray, non-absorbent recycled paper towels for me. I liked my PT’s plush and bleached. The Quicker-Picker Upper or death.

Recently, I was talking to Melissa Maker, author of Clean My Space. While I consider myself pretty neat and tidy, she’s made a career out of being a bit of a clean freak — she ran a cleaning company for 11 years, has her own line of cleaning products, and for-real washes her kitchen towels every day! And there’s one common cleaning tool she just loves to hate: paper towels. “Paper towels are the worst!” complains Maker.

Kitchen linens get a special kind of dirty, because most people don’t just use them for drying dishes — they also use them to wipe up crumbs off the countertop, dry their hands, swab spills off the floor, and dab jelly off their kids’ faces. Often, all in one day, several times a day. And some of us (okay, me!) don’t wash our kitchen linens nearly as often as we should.

When it comes to summer DIY projects, there’s nothing better than shibori. It’s a little messy, completely free-form, and a lot of fun. Plus, you can feel a bit like a hippie mad scientist stirring up a bucket of dye in the backyard in preparation of this tie-dyeing project. But lest you think shibori is a one-trick wonder, we found five glorious DIY projects to show off its full range. Spoiler alert: Indigo isn’t the only color you can use.

Let’s be honest — kids are dirty little creatures. They spill everything. Plus there are paint stains from the budding artist, and grass and dirt stains from the future soccer star. And, my favorite, potty training stains. Between these and the spaghetti sauce stains from the — you know — adults of the household, a good stain remover is a must-have. Here’s my go-to formula for getting tough stains out.

I know — how can we possibly talk about napkin folding when you’re still using paper napkins at the table? Disposable may cut it for everyday dining, but if you’re setting out paper napkins when guests come over, cute design or not, it’s time for an upgrade. First you’ll need to get yourself a set of 100 percent cotton napkins, or make them yourself. You don’t even have to spend a lot! Most home stores have a least a few options on sale.

A few years ago, a fellow cooking class instructor and I were setting up for class when the topic of kitchen towels came up. She offhandedly mentioned her favorite towels weren’t really even made for the kitchen, but were in constant use after she had kids. Can you guess what she was talking about? Cloth diapers! Turns out that good ol’ fashioned cloth diapers also double as kitchen or even regular household towels.

Q: I have plenty of loved colorful kitchen towels. After some use, they naturally obtain spots and splotches from food, drink. I run them through the washer and dryer but nothing seems to work to get rid of stains. Is there hope for my colorful towels? Or am I doomed to bleach-able whites or “screw-it” tie-dyes? Sent by Greta Editor: Readers, what’s your advice on this?

We don’t know about you, but January can get us a bit down. It’s cold, the days are short, and if it weren’t for the return of Downton Abbey, we’re not sure what we’d do. With those winter doldrums in mind, we’ve pulled together a few of the cutest and silliest oven mitts (yes, oven mitts) we can find. So the next time you’re pulling a tray of roasted veggies out of the oven, you’ll get a little chuckle in the process.