When it comes to household basics — whether it be toilet paper, laundry detergent, soaps, trash bags, you name it — there's really no rhyme or reason as to what brand I choose. It's normally the cheapest or the softest or the first thing I see — because who wants to spend more than 30 seconds thinking about which tissue box to pick up?
However, I've come to realize that being pickier with my essentials is something I should consider more thoughtfully, especially when it comes to cleaning. Paper towels, for instance, are something I use quite frequently. They're my primary tool for tidying everyday spills and small messes, and I'll even sometimes use them in place of napkins. After doing the math, I realized that I use paper towels, at the very least, twice a day. So, why am I not taking greater care in finding the best option that adds the most value to my everyday life?
That's how I ended up putting six different paper towels to the ultimate test. Read more to find out which ones landed on top.
Best overall$undefined$10.59
What to look for in paper towels
Before this, I wasn't looking for anything in particular in paper towels. If posed the question, I'd probably answer with: They all do the same thing, right? Well... wrong. And to find out why, you need to pay attention to a few specific factors.
According to professional cleaner Jacqueline Stein, your household essentials should "earn their spot," which is especially important if you live in a small home or have limited storage space. These are the factors she recommends looking out for:
- Absorbency: “If it can’t handle a real spill on the first pass, it’s not coming home with me,” she says.
- Strength when wet: "I don’t want it shredding on contact or leaving lint behind on surfaces I just cleaned. Especially when carrying it to the sink to ring out or to the trash to toss," she adds.
- Sheet size: Stein says you should be taking note of individual paper towel sheet sizes and factoring in how many tasks one sheet can handle. "Efficiency matters more than branding."
Best overall paper towel
Absorbency score: 3.75/5 | Durability score: 4.5/5 | Cleaning performance score: 3.92/5 | Perforation score: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.29/5
As its name suggests, durability is what put this paper towel right on top. I pulled and tugged and yanked one of these sheets multiple times and it took way more tries than expected to get a single sheet to rip.
According to the brand, this is "the only" three-ply paper towel, so it makes sense that it's so strong. It definitely felt different from the rest, with a rougher texture and noticeably thicker design, all of which lent to how well it handled the most difficult food test: honey. It picked up the sticky residue better than the other brands, while also remaining intact.
Surprisingly, its strength didn't give it an advantage in the absorbency department. When tasked with wiping up a watery salsa, the substance sunk right through the towel and onto my hand. And despite the paper's quilted texture, water spreads quickly through the towel as soon as it touches.
Now, for the people who can't stand subpar perforations, let me direct you to the cleanest edges in the paper towel game. I can't describe how satisfying it was to tear each sheet off of this Brawny roll. Even better, each single sheet has an extra perforation across its middle, so that you can create an even smaller sheet for tinier messes — and that tear is also smooth as butter.
As far as value goes, the current price of this six-pack comes out to about $1.76 per roll — "double" meaning each roll is equivalent to two of Brawny's regular rolls, so it's really like you're getting 12 rolls' worth of paper towels. Even if the absorbency doesn't hold up as well as other brands, its overall capabilities makes it a great choice, especially at such an affordable cost.
Other paper towels to try, tested by the author
Most absorbent:
Absorbency score: 4.25/5 | Durability score: 3.75/5 | Cleaning performance score: 3.92 | Perforation score: 5/5 | Overall average score: 4.23/5
Kirkland handled the water test the best out of all the paper towel brands I tested. I poured half an ounce of liquid onto the middle section of a single sheet and it stopped the spread the quickest. The water slowly spread to the edges of the sheet, as it did with the other products, however the Kirkland towel absorbed it at a quicker rate, effectively leaving less water behind on the table. And when lifted off the table and hung in the air, it didn’t allow any water to drip.
As far as cleaning performance, Kirkland excelled in wiping away the ketchup and honey messes. The way it gripped the honey, in particular, was unexpected, as it only needed a few swipes to pick up a majority of the spill. This brand also scored top marks in the perforation field, as I didn’t experience any roque tearing as I ripped off each sheet.
The one downside I have to note is its middle-of-the-pack durability. It didn’t take much elbow grease to rip each sheet. It easily tore where my hands gripped it a few times.
To get the best deal on this brand, you’ll have to go to Costco. For a 12-pack, you’ll end up paying less than $2 per roll. The towel design also allows you to create a size since it offers half- and whole-sheet tearing options.
Best texture:
Absorbency score: 3.75/5 | Durability score: 4.25/5 | Cleaning performance score: 3.25/5 | Perforation score: 4.5/5 | Overall average score: 3.94/5
I know there are a lot of people out there that are very particular about feel and texture, especially when it comes to the items they come in contact with daily. If you’re someone who despises the scratchiness or roughness of a typical paper towel, Viva offers a version that might change the game for you. The brand’s cloth rolls have a soft and gentle design that actually feels good on the hands, but more importantly, performs like a cloth.
Don’t let its cotton-like feel fool you; it’s a factor that lends to the paper towel’s impressive durability. Because it’s designed more like a cloth, it was able to withstand tugs and pulls, as well as more forceful drags across sticky residues. And since it’s so soft, I would choose this one to clean more fragile surfaces like glass or wood.
On the other hand, given its makeup, I expected slightly higher absorption scores, but it landed in the middle of the pack. Many of the foods and water spills I wiped up tended to soak through rather quickly. Its score was given a bump, thanks to its truly satisfying perforated edges.
At $7 for a three-pack (coming out to approximately $2.33 per roll), I’d say you’re getting a lot of bang for your buck. However, the brand’s claim of three rolls being equal to six is something I’d have to put into question. The rolls are small in comparison to others I’ve tried and after testing them, I’d argue that you would need at least two sheets to clean up an average mess.
Best for all types of messes:
Absorbency score: 4/5 | Durability score: 3.25/5 | Cleaning performance score: 4.25/5 | Perforation score: 3.5/5 | Overall average score: 3.75/5
Sticky, chunky, wet — Bounty didn't seem to care what mess I put in front of it, which is why it scored the highest for cleaning performance. During our spill tests, the ketchup was wiped clean with a single pass and it picked up the chunkier salsa with just two or three. The honey put up the biggest fight, and while Bounty didn't have the highest score for that particular spill, it was still able to pick up quite a lot of the viscous goo.
I think a lot of the performance has to be credited to the towel's texture and thickness. I tested the two-pack "Mega Rolls," which the brand says is equal to eight rolls, so I was expecting top-notch absorbency. I liked how well it absorbed water and didn't allow liquified foods to soak through to my hands.
What puzzled me was the durability and design. It didn't take much pulling for this one to fall apart — the slightest tug caused it to rip. However, I was a fan of the select-a-size feature, so I could rip off smaller sheets to match the mess that needed cleaning. Although, the perforation needs some work; I couldn't get a consistently clean rip throughout the entire testing period.
You really can't beat the value this Bounty offers with this two-pack. It includes two "mega" rolls, which comes out to about $4.30 each. However, one roll is equal to four normal rolls, per the brand, so if you do the math correctly, you're technically spending less than $1 per roll. That's the kind of saving I like.
Best budget-friendly paper towel:
Absorbency score: 3/5 | Durability score: 3.75/5 | Cleaning performance score: 3.17/5 | Perforation score: 4.5/5 | Overall average score: 3.60/5
This paper towel confounded me in more ways than one. At first glance, it looks and feels quite thin — an immediate red flag considering the trials it was about to go through. However, it survived the durability test (a series of different levels of tugging) shockingly well. Seriously, it tied for second in that category!
However, its thin design ended up being its immediate downfall during the absorbency test, when it allowed water to soak through the towel immediately. When it was lifted off the table, water also started to drip from its edge, making me believe that it truly wasn't picking much up at all.
That aside, there's a positive argument to be made when it comes to this brand's overall value. This paper towel may not have received the highest marks in cleanliness, but it's worth remembering that those tests were done with a single sheet of paper. Personally, I'm a two-sheeter, no matter the mess. So, I think this would have handled the ketchup and salsa spots just fine if I was using it as I normally would.
At $6.49 for three triple rolls — which is equivalent to nine regular rolls due to its 2-ply strength (per the brand) — I'm really only shelling out about $0.72 per roll. For me, that's a great price for an everyday paper towel that can handle basic messes and be the occasional substitute for a napkin.
How we tested paper towels
All six paper towel brands were put through various tests during a three-hour period. One sheet from each roll was used to pick up several types of messes. I rated each one based on four key factors, using a scale of 1 through 5 (1 being the worst, 5 being the best):
Durability: Each sheet was put through a series of tugs and pulls of various strengths to test how much pressure it could withstand without ripping. At least two sheets were used for each brand to ensure accuracy.
Cleaning performance: The paper towels were given three food types to wipe up: ketchup, honey and salsa. Each food provided its own unique texture (viscous, sticky and wet, respectively), which in turn, posed its own unique absorption challenge. Like the above-mentioned, only one fresh, regular-sized sheet was used to test each food. I noted how many swipes were needed, the strength of the paper towel and if the food soaked through the sheet.
Perforation: Every paper towel roll, no matter the brand, has perforated edges to separate each sheet. For me, this functionality is almost as important as a towel's absorption capabilities. Nothing irks me more than when a towel rips outside its perforated edges, just to ruin two sheets at once. So, I carefully observed every tear as I collected sheets throughout the testing period and scored each based on how well the perforation held up.
Frequently asked questions
There’s a reason why you reach for a paper towel to clean up a variety of messes around your home, whether you’re aware of it or not. According to Katie Sullivan, director of issue communications at the American Cleaning Institute, you want to use paper towels when the task involves disinfecting so that it can be disposed of immediately after use.
This makes the most sense during a period of sickness, when possibly every area of your home is riddled with bacteria. “If a surface has been soiled with vomit or diarrhea, clean and disinfect the area as soon as possible,” she urges. “Use paper towels to clean up any mess, then put them in a plastic trash bag and dispose of it immediately.”
Sullivan also says a paper towel is the appropriate tool for cleaning streaks on glass or mirrors, appliances made from enameled steel or any surfaces (cutting boards, utensils and countertops) that come into contact with food. Of course, you also want to make sure you’re using the appropriate cleaning solution to properly sanitize each one.
According to Stein, those diamond shapes and textured designs you sometimes see on your paper towels aren't just for show. "It’s not just marketing; quilting can actually make a difference," she shares. "The texture creates little pockets that help trap liquid and debris, so you’re not just pushing mess around."
However, "quilting" isn't the end-all be-all for performance. In fact, Sullivan shares that she has tested plenty that look impressive but failed immediately. "The structure has to be paired with strong fibers or it’s just decorative. And avoid the ones that have fancy 'decorations' on them; they are usually just overpriced with no additional features to help with clean up!" she warns.
If you like the scrubbing power of a traditional cloth but prefer the hygienic qualities of disposable paper towels, you should consider a cloth-like option. "Cloth-like textures tend to be more durable and flexible, which makes them better for scrubbing or cleaning uneven surfaces like baseboards, cabinet fronts or grout lines," says Stein, who adds that she tends to reach for options that feel more like a fabric while deep cleaning or doing detail work.
Stein also explains that these paper towel types tend to rip less often and offer you more control. I certainly found that to be the case, especially after seeing how well Viva (the only "cloth" paper towel I used) performed during the strength test. It also didn't come close to ripping while I used it to scrub up the honey.
I may have tugged and pulled, but if you really want to explore how tough your paper towels actually are, Stein recommends trying her "real-life stress test," which involves a few easy steps. "First, I wet the sheet and wring it lightly to see if it tears. Then I use that same sheet to scrub a textured surface like a cabinet edge or baseboard. Then, I like to test it on spills (milk, ketchup, etc) to see if it actually absorbs and cleans (not just smear things around)," she explains. She also mentions that the sign of a good paper towel is being able to handle multiple motions, like wiping and scrubbing.
At the conclusion of the test, you want to look out for pilling, tearing and whether or not the paper towel is still able to absorb anything.
Why trust Shop TODAY
Danielle Murphy is the audience development writer for Shop TODAY. She joined the team in 2021 and has covered everything from beauty trends to the hottest sales to shop. She has tested several other types of cleaning-related products for Shop TODAY's Ranked series, including carpet cleaners, sponges and soap dispensers.
Meet the experts
- Jacqueline Stein is a professional cleaner and the owner of Home Reimagined in Austin, Texas.
- Katie Sullivan is the director of issue communications at the American Cleaning Institute.
