Paper towels are one of those household essentials you don't think much about until you really need one. A drink goes flying, dinner ends up on the bench, the dog walks through something questionable, and suddenly the difference between a good paper towel and one that falls apart the second it gets wet becomes very obvious.
Walk down the cleaning aisle of any Australian supermarket, and you'll find plenty of paper towels promising to be thicker, stronger, more absorbent or better value than the next.
So, which one is actually the best?
We think a great paper towel should handle everyday mess without unnecessary waste—and yes, we think Eco Cheeks does that rather well. We'll admit we're slightly biased.
But before we crown ourselves Australia's paper towel royalty, let's look at what actually makes a good paper towel.
What Makes a Good Paper Towel?
A good paper towel should be absorbent, strong, and effective without requiring sheet after sheet to clean up one mess.
It sounds obvious, but absorbency matters more than you might think. If a cheaper paper towel needs three or four sheets to do the job of one stronger sheet, that bargain roll might not be such a bargain after all.
The best paper towels should be able to tackle everyday jobs like:
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Drying hands
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Kitchen spills
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Wiping benches and surfaces
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Cleaning up after kids and pets
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Absorbing excess oil while cooking
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Moisture absorbing stored fruits and vegetables
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Those mysterious sticky patches nobody in the house will admit to creating
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The goal is simple: use fewer paper towels to get the job done properly.
Is bamboo good for paper towels?
Yes. Bamboo is naturally strong and absorbent, making it an excellent material for paper towels. It's also a rapidly renewable resource. Unlike trees used for conventional paper products, bamboo grows incredibly quickly and can regenerate after harvesting without needing to be replanted.
And bamboo paper towels aren't just handy for wiping up spills. From keeping produce fresh to food prep and even seed sprouting, there are plenty of ways to put them to work in the kitchen. Discover 5 Kitchen Uses for Bamboo Paper Towels Beyond Cleaning
For something designed to be used once and thrown away, what it's made from and how much use you get from it matters.
Are Bamboo Paper Towels Absorbent?
Absolutely! In fact, absorbency is one of the reasons bamboo works so well for everyday paper products.
A paper towel has one fairly straightforward job: soak things up.
Whether it's water around the sink, spilled milk at breakfast, or pasta sauce that somehow made it halfway across the kitchen, you want a sheet that can actually handle the mess.
Eco Cheeks bamboo paper towels are designed to be strong and absorbent, helping you clean up effectively without reaching for sheet after sheet.
Because an eco-friendly paper towel isn't particularly helpful if you need twice as much of it to do the same job.
Are Paper Towels Environmentally Friendly?
Paper towels are still a single-use product, so even the most thoughtfully made option creates waste. That's worth being honest about.
For many cleaning jobs, a reusable cloth is the more sustainable choice. If you can wipe something up, wash the cloth and use it again, brilliant.
But there are also plenty of situations where paper towels are genuinely useful, particularly for greasy, unhygienic or particularly unpleasant messes you don't necessarily want sitting in the laundry basket.
The answer isn't pretending we'll never use paper towels again. It's being more thoughtful about when we use them and choosing a better option when we do.
Look for paper towels made from renewable materials, without unnecessary additives and with minimal plastic packaging. And perhaps most importantly, choose something absorbent enough that you don't need to use five sheets where one or two will do.
What Should I Look For When Buying Paper Towels?
The next time you're comparing paper towels, don't just look at the price printed on the shelf. Consider:
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Packaging: Is the roll wrapped in plastic?
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Strength: Will it hold together once it's wet?
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Absorbency: Does it actually soak up liquid efficiently?
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Processing: Has it been unnecessarily bleached, dyed, or fragranced?
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How much you'll actually use: A strong, absorbent paper towel that requires fewer sheets may go further than a cheaper, thinner alternative.
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Material: Is it made from virgin wood pulp, or a sustainable option like recycled paper, bamboo, or another renewable material?
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It's the same thinking we apply to many everyday products. Price matters, but so does what you're actually getting for it.
Why Choose Unbleached Paper Towels?
There's something we've been conditioned to expect from paper products: they should be perfectly, brilliantly white. But paper doesn't naturally look like that.
That bright white appearance generally requires additional processing, and when you're using a paper towel to wipe a bench or clean up a spill, colour doesn't exactly improve its performance.
Eco Cheeks paper towels are unbleached, which is why they retain their natural beige colour.
No pretending to be snow white. No unnecessary bleaching just to make a cleaning product look prettier.
They simply do their job.
So, What is the Best Paper Towel in Australia?
Here's where our bias officially enters the chat. We think the best paper towel should combine strength, absorbency, thoughtful materials, and less unnecessary processing. That's exactly what we set out to create with Eco Cheeks.
Our bamboo paper towels are strong and absorbent enough for everyday household mess, made from fast-growing bamboo, unbleached and free from unnecessary dyes and fragrances.
And because they're effective, you don't need to unravel half the roll every time someone knocks over a glass of water.
Are we going to pretend we've conducted an independent investigation and accidentally discovered that our own paper towel came out on top? No.
But if you're looking for a paper towel that cleans up properly while aligning with a lower-tox, more environmentally conscious home, we think we've made a pretty strong case.
A Better Roll for Everyday Mess
No paper towel is going to save the planet by itself. And we're big believers in using reusable cloths whenever they're the more practical choice.
But when you do need a paper towel, choosing one made from more thoughtful materials is an incredibly easy swap.
Eco Cheeks bamboo paper towels give you the strength and absorbency you need without the unnecessary bleaching, fragrances, and dyes you don't.
One less conventional household product. One very easy switch. And one very capable roll waiting for the next mystery spill.
Ready to put our bias to the test? Browse Eco Cheeks Bamboo Paper Towels and see what all the fuss is about.
