It’s hard to imagine a world without paper towels. Chances are you will find them in just about any kitchen out there. But have you ever wondered why? For millennia people were getting by just fine with cloth. And yet in just over a century, the disposable paper towel has become so deeply ingrained in our routines that the idea of replacing them with something reusable (not to mention more functional, and, especially in the case of our Reusable Non-Paper Towels, far more beautiful) catches most people off guard.
A Brief Ode to the Rag
Before disposables flooded our kitchens, cloth was king. Old shirts, worn-out linens, flour sacks—nothing was wasted, and everything had a second life as a dish rag, cleaning cloth, napkin, or handkerchief. Fabric was the default for wiping, drying, polishing, and soaking up whatever mess the day brought. It didn’t have to be fancy (though sometimes it was quite fancy), but it worked. And more importantly, it didn’t end up in the garbage after 2 seconds of use. In short: rags were zero waste before it had a hashtag.
The Paper Trail Begins
To understand paper towels, we need to go... behind. That is, behind the invention of toilet paper.
Long before the Charmin bears danced across your screen, humans used whatever was handy to clean their cheeks (yes, those ones): grass, moss, corn cobs (we're not kidding!), seashells (ouch), and even pottery shards (the Ancient Romans were nothing if not resourceful...and tough).
The first recorded mention of something resembling toilet paper comes from China around 6th century AD, and by the 14th century, they were producing it in bulk—reportedly in sheets two feet by three feet, because why not?
Fast forward to 1857, when American inventor Joseph Gayetty sold medicated paper for "the water closet." It flopped. Apparently, people weren’t ready to pay for something they could get for free ripping it out of a Sears catalogue.
Then came the Scott brothers in the 1890s, who found success selling toilet paper on a roll. Though they didn’t put their name on it at first because, well, social norms. Apparently no one wanted to be the face of bum wiping.
From Overstocks to Overuse: The Accidental Birth of Paper Towels
The story goes that in 1907, Arthur Scott of the Scott Paper Company found himself with a railroad car full of paper that was deemed useless because it was... well, too thick for its intended purpose. (A rough situation in more ways than one.)
Rather than eat the cost, he got creative. Inspired by a local teacher who had given students individual sheets of paper for blowing their noses (instead of spreading germs on shared cloth towels), Scott had a bright idea: take those too-thick toilet rolls, perforate them into individual sheets, and market them as disposable “towels” for use in schools.
Thus, the first paper towels were born—not as kitchen staples, but as single-use tissues for germy school kids. The idea didn’t just catch on; it snowballed.
By the 1930s, Scott Paper had launched “Sani-Towels” for kitchens and public washrooms. They were marketed as the height of modern convenience. No more smelly rags! No laundry! Just wipe and toss—straight into your trash bin (or the ocean, but nobody mentioned that part).
And so, with a mix of marketing genius and a happy manufacturing mishap, the paper towel was born…
Disposable Hype: How Paper Towels Won (for a While)
The whole idea of disposability was a 20th-century marketing invention—an industry-fuelled way to sell more by convincing you that single-use was cleaner, more modern, and less effort.
Disposability was rebranded as progress. Marketers weren’t just selling paper towels, they were selling an ideal: modern, sanitary, and effortless. This was the golden age of convenience culture, when throwing things away wasn’t just acceptable, it was aspirational.
Paper towel ads painted a picture of domestic bliss: radiant housewives wiping up spills with a smile, then effortlessly tossing the used sheet into the trash. No stains. No smells. No laundry. Just an endless supply of fresh, white paper that promised cleanliness without effort.
It was clever. It was effective. And it was so very wasteful.
By the 1950s and ’60s, paper towels had solidified their place in North American kitchens. Not just as a convenience, but as a status symbol. Cloth rags? Those were for penny-pinchers, relics of the Depression era. And if you still used them in your post-war, suburban split-level? You were probably the quirky aunt with strong opinions about margarine.
Thanks to aggressive marketing and the rise of television advertising, disposable paper products were positioned as the future of hygiene. Never mind the actual cost. Never mind that forests were being flattened and landfills bloated. Those were problems for “later.”
Well, that “later” is now.
We’ve reached a point where it’s estimated that more than 13 billion pounds of paper towels are used annually in the U.S. alone—most of them destined for landfill after just a few seconds of use. To meet this demand, it's estimated that 17 trees are cut down and 20,000 gallons of water are needed for every ton of paper towels produced. What began as a symbol of modern convenience has become a devastating contributor to deforestation and landfill waste. A single-use solution with long-term consequences.
And while you can certainly make the argument that paper towel product doesn’t actually contribute to deforestation, as most pulp trees used in their production are from managed forests (replanted for future harvesting), those ‘managed’ forests are often monoculture, and lacking the biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecological value of the virgin forests they once were.
But the brilliance of the paper towel was never the product itself; it was the marketing. It convinced us that “new” meant better, that reusable meant dirty, and that wiping up a spill should somehow generate household waste.
But Are Disposables Really More Hygienic?
Let’s think about this for a second. Are you currently wearing disposable underwear? No? Didn’t think so. And yet, here we are, still with the mindset that reusable cloths “aren’t sanitary,” while we all toss our socks, undies, and sweat-drenched gym clothes into the laundry without a second thought. If you trust your washing machine to clean your unmentionables, why would you not trust it with your kitchen cloths?
Reusable Non-Paper Towels are no different. They just get included in your regular wash. It’s not high maintenance. It’s literally laundry, which you’re already doing… Unless you’ve opted for a full paper wardrobe (and if so, we have questions).
So no, disposables aren’t inherently more hygienic. They’re just more disposable. And sure, some people may still keep a roll of disposables on hand for extra-greasy jobs or mystery fridge spills. That’s totally fine! It’s not about perfection; it’s about making better choices more often. So no, swapping disposable paper towels for reusable cloths doesn’t make you a crunchy purist. It makes you practical and clean. Very, very clean.
The Plot Twist:
Here’s where it gets poetic: while disposable paper towels were made to replace cloth, our Reusable Non-Paper Towels are here to replace paper towels!
Yes, we’ve come full circle.
Our Non-Paper Towels are pre-rolled on our sturdy kraft Towel Tubie (yes, Tubie. Say it out loud—it’s fun!), made to fit on your standard paper towel holder. So your kitchen still looks Pinterest-worthy, only without the waste.
And unlike disposable paper towels, these cloths don’t disintegrate when you wipe up a toddler spill or that mystery goo in the fridge. They last for years. YEARS! That’s a lot of spills. And a lot less waste.
They’re machine washable, highly absorbent, remarkably durable, and, in our very humble opinion, way cuter than anything made from pulped trees and bleach. Oh, and no plastic packaging either. Because we’re not just here to get your countertops clean, we’re here to help your conscience be even cleaner.
So… Why Are We Still Using Disposables?
Great question.
Maybe it’s habit. Maybe it’s marketing. Maybe it’s just that the idea of washing a towel sounds hard.
But reducing waste doesn’t require a lifestyle overhaul.
Our Reusable Non-Paper Towels are designed to look and feel familiar—rolled on a Tubie, ready to grab, and built to last through years of messes. We’re not here to shame your paper towel roll—we’re here to replace it with something better. Better for your home, better for your budget, and better for the planet.
Cheeks Ahoy didn’t start as a business plan. We started with a homemade cloth wipe, stitched together in a moment of new-parent resolve to stop tossing out baby wipes. From that one small swap, our entire zero waste product line was born!
Proof that one small change really can add up to make a huge impact.
TL;DR
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Toilet paper came first (and yes, it was once made of corn cobs).
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Paper towels were a fluke invention that exploded thanks to convenience culture.
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Before all of it, people used cloths.
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Now? We’re back to cloth—but make it modern, make it cute, and make it Canadian.
So, go ahead. Embrace your inner frugal grandma, but with better design and no musty-smelling rags. It's time to roll with Cheeks Ahoy.