The Best Paper Towels of 2026

Bounty makes the best paper towels we’ve ever tested. These redesigned paper towels feature microstructures for increased absorbency. While you can’t see said microstructures just by looking at the paper towels, you can tell they’re present when you’re sopping up liquids and cleaning up messes.

Right off the bat, it impressed us with how easily it could clean up a chunky smear of tomato sauce. We just needed one pass to get it all cleaned up.

Despite feeling soft to the touch, the quilting on this paper towel won’t tear against rough surfaces. It can absorb and hold the second most amount of water of any of the other paper towels we tested.

When we let it dry out after use, it felt almost as strong as an unused sheet of Bounty.

Bounty paper towels tear off cleanly from the roll, so you always have even sheets and aren’t left with awkward strands left behind. While these are the second most expensive of the bunch, Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels are by far worth every penny.

The Kirkland Signature paper towels, available at Costco, are an exceptional value—especially if you have a Costco membership.

Each package contains 12 rolls of paper towels with 160, 2-ply sheets per roll, for a total of more than 1,000 feet. The size of the paper towels is also one of the largest we tested, coming in about one inch longer than others in our guide—giving you the most bang for your buck of any paper towel we tested.

The Kirkland Signature paper towels are made of quilted paper that holds about three-quarters of an ounce of water and maintain their structure when used on rough surfaces with only minor tearing.

When reused, Kirkland Signature paper towels uphold their structure very well, however, the paper towels lose a lot of strength and tear more easily after being wet and dried. For reuse, it’s best to use them for light tasks like dusting or wiping up liquids.

You don’t need a Costco membership to purchase these paper towels, but non-members do have to pay a fee on orders that Costco cardholders do not. You can also find listings for Kirkland Signature paper towels on Amazon, but be cautious as these are typically sold by third-party sellers at major markups.

For a paper towel that’s strong, absorbent, and larger than most, Kirkland Signature paper towels are a value-packed choice.

The best reusable paper towels we tested are Papaya’s reusable paper towels, which are made from cellulose and cotton. When dry, the Papaya paper towels are stiff and hard to move around, but once wet, they are flexible and are ideal for cleaning.

Papaya paper towels are able to hold over ten times its weight in water—about 3.5 ounces—head and shoulders above other paper towels in our guide.

These reusable paper towels are strong and won’t tear when you tug on them or rub them against rough surfaces. Compared to the standard paper towels we tested, the Papaya paper towels can be wet and dried over and over again without losing strength. Papaya claims its reusable paper towels have a life span that’s equivalent to using 17 rolls of paper towels.

These are not ideal for dry dusting, as the dry cloth is stiff and hard to move on dry surfaces. Additionally, these paper towels stain easily. While it did an outstanding job at picking up a spill of tomato sauce in one wipe, the sauce stain lingered on the cloth even after rinsing it with dish soap.

If you’re looking to try a more sustainable option, Papaya’s reusable paper towels are a great place to start.

With a soft, rag-like feel, Viva Signature Cloth paper towels offer stellar absorbency and strength—especially for dust removal. When rubbed over a dusty surface, it picks up an immense amount of dust, more than any other towel we tested.

The paper towels don't tear or pill against a rough carpeted surface when wet, making them ideal for scrubbing. The lack of pilling makes it a superb candidate for cleaning surfaces like windows and mirrors.

Viva Signature paper towels take a couple of passes to fully clean up tomato sauce, while other brands, like our No. 1 pick, clean up faster.

Overall, Viva is a soft and durable paper towel for dusting or cleaning delicate surfaces.

Sparkle paper towels are surprisingly strong. The texture is soft and has a waxy-like feel. Despite being thin, Sparkle’s paper towels hold together well even when you give them a hard pull. On rough surfaces, it stood up well and only had one small tear on it after we ran it over carpet.

Where Sparkle is lacking is in absorbency. It struggles to pick up large, chunky spills like tomato sauce and requires going over the spill at least twice to get it fully cleaned up.

It picks up a good amount of dust when used for dry dusting. While this list has better options, Sparkle paper towels do a good job overall.