Ordering paper towels for the office is one of those tasks most people don't appreciate until it becomes an issue. Without the humble office staple, team members may find themselves drying their hands on dress pants. Or if the selected paper towels aren't up to the job of wiping up kitchen spills, the breakroom may be covered in sticky messes. Only in cases like these does talk of paper towels start rumbling among grumpy office workers.
Taking the time to purchase the best paper towels possible helps ensure team members remain satisfied with the quality of in-office products and that morale doesn't go the way of spilled coffee.
Not sure which paper towels will keep your office in tip-top shape? To help you get started, we've rounded up five of the best paper towels for the money.
5 of the Best Paper Towel Options
Here's an overview of some of the best paper towels available.
- Bounty Select-A-Size Paper Towels
- Brawny Pick-A-Size Paper Towels
- Scott Naturals Recycled Paper Towels
- Seventh Generation 100% Recycled Paper Towels
- VIVA Choose-A-Sheet Paper Towels
Let's take a closer look at each of these options.
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Bounty Select-A-Size Paper Towels
Bounty consistently earns rave reviews on the web for excellent all-around performance. These paper towels get especially high marks for their absorbent qualities. Users rave about the fact that these towels can sop up a lot of liquid, get wringed out, and then absorb some more. The 2-ply towels are thick and strong enough to hold up to scrubbing, yet they still manage to be soft and gentle on the skin. Reviewers also note that these paper towels are unlikely to leave behind lint.
The select-a-size feature lets you choose a smaller towel size (usually 11 inches by 6 inches) for smaller spills, which can help cut down on waste, while you can choose two or three connected sheets (11 by 12 or 11 by 18) for larger messes. That said, these paper towels don't earn many points when it comes to eco-friendliness, in part because they use a bleaching method that's frowned on by environmental groups.
Brawny Pick-A-Size Paper Towels
Similar to Bounty, Brawny tops “best paper towel” roundups all over the web. And also like Bounty, much of this praise can be attributed to the towels' absorbency: Brawny is known for sopping up even significant messes, and these towels can be wringed out and used to sop up more liquid. They're also thick and strong enough to scrub kitchen messes, and this strength holds up even when the paper towels are wet. As a bonus, Brawny is unlikely to leave behind lint or bleed dyes during cleanup.
Brawny's two-ply sheets come in a pick-a-size option that helps reduce waste. However, they're sourced from 100 percent virgin paper and don't incorporate any recycled content, meaning they lose marks on the eco-friendly front.
Scott Naturals Recycled Paper Towels
These chlorine-free, 100 percent recycled paper towels boast a better eco-footprint than many of the other competitors on the list. The 800-foot-long rolls allow for bulk purchasing, which cuts down on packaging waste, reduces the rate at which paper towels need to be restocked, and saves money.
Even though these towels are one-ply, they're still lauded for being thick and highly absorbent. They're also unlikely to leave behind lint after cleaning up a big mess. All of these perks help explain why this option is consistently ranked as a top performer among paper towels with recycled content. (Though some people find them to be a little rough on the skin.)
Seventh Generation Recycled Paper Towels
Seventh Generation is one of the biggest names in the eco-friendly product space, and their paper towels have earned great reviews both for a smaller eco-footprint and performance. These 100 percent recycled paper towels are whitened without chlorine and don't use any added dyes or fragrances. Smaller sheets also help cut down on waste, since users are less likely to use more than they need.
The two-ply sheets absorb quickly and continue to absorb liquid even when wet—plus they don't leave behind traces of lint after a clean-up. However, these paper towels are fairly thin and may not be as strong as some other options on this list.
VIVA Choose-A-Sheet Paper Towels
VIVA may not have the same brand recognition as Bounty or Brawny, but tends to rank right alongside them at the top of best paper towel roundups. These paper towels distinguish themselves due to their cloth-like qualities. They're thick, durable, and strong (even when wet), and absorb messes quickly. They're also soft to the touch and feature a smooth texture that's gentle on the skin.
The dye is unlikely to bleed during cleanup, but some reviewers have found that these towels may leave behind lint. Additionally, some people claim that newer versions of VIVA aren't quite up to the same level of quality as older iterations. Nonetheless, these towels still earn top marks for overall performance.
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Laura Newcomer
Laura Newcomer is a writer, editor, and educator with multiple years of experience working in the environmental and personal wellness space. Formerly Senior Editor at the health site Greatist, Laura now lives and works in Pennsylvania. Her writing has been published on Washington Post, TIME Healthland, Greatist, DailyBurn, Lifehacker, and Business Insider, among others. She has taught environmental education to students of all ages in both Pennsylvania and Maine, and prioritizes living an environmentally sustainable lifestyle. She's a big proponent of creating self-sustaining communities and accessible healthy food systems that care for both people and the earth. An avid outdoorswoman, she can often be found hiking, kayaking, backpacking, and tending to her garden.