Kitchen towels are an invaluable asset for any home cook. Beyond just drying wet hands and cleaning up spills, they’re surprisingly versatile. They can sop up messy condensation on pot lids, they’re great for proofing bread without plastic, and, in a pinch, they can even remove stubborn muffins stuck in pans. But despite their utility, a surplus of towels can quickly pile up into an unsightly mountain in your kitchen, and an unorganized drawer packed full of haphazardly-crammed towels can make it hard to find the right one when you need it most. Thankfully, there’s a solution to this organizational dilemma, and it’s just as affordable as it is effective.
Start by picking out a few deep plastic bins for your drawers, which can be found at your local dollar store. These bins vary greatly in size, so ensure that you’re picking out containers that are the same width as your drawer. Slide a few bins into a drawer and arrange your folded kitchen towels vertically, just like files in a filing cabinet. With multiple drawer bins, you can easily separate your towels by their purpose. No longer will your tea towels be mixed in with your microfiber cloths, or your cheese cloths with dish towels. Plus, for an aesthetically-pleasing look, you could even separate your towels by color. It’s cheap, it’s effortless, and it makes organizing your kitchen towels a breeze.
Tips for organizing your kitchen towels
Optimizing your towel storage comes from a smart and proper fold. For slim, uniform rectangles that are compact, consistent, and stable, fold your towel in half, spin it around 90 degrees, and fold in half again. From there, spin it another 90 degrees, then carefully fold into thirds. These folded towels have enough strength to hold their shape vertically, which makes them perfect for storage in a drawer bin. For smaller towels, such as microfiber cloths, a simple bi-fold will suffice, or you can fold in quarters for maximum conservation of space.
If you don’t have any extra drawer space in your kitchen, don’t worry. You can place a drawer bin or other similarly-sized container on your countertop, in the center of your kitchen table, or inside of your pantry; essentially, wherever you have room will do. Since it’ll be on display, simple, understated colors and patterns work best for your drawer bin. When displaying your towels out in the open, you can, of course, fold into the aforementioned rectangles, but for a visually-appealing, hotel-like quality, try folding your towels in half, then rolling. You can then arrange the rolls inside of the bin. Plus, if your towels are out in the open, they’ll be ready at arms-length in a moment’s notice whenever you need them.
