What’s a Tea Towel Actually For?
If you’ve ever seen a tea towel hanging on someone’s oven handle and wondered what it’s actually for… you’re not alone.
It’s one of the questions I get asked the most.
With my new kitchen linens launching soon, I thought it might be helpful (and fun!) to share how I personally use tea towels and Swedish dishcloths in my kitchen.
Once you know the difference, you might find yourself reaching for them every day. (I do!)
So… What’s a Tea Towel?
A tea towel is basically a lightweight kitchen towel, usually made from cotton or linen. It’s thinner than the typical fluffy dish towel, which makes it great for drying things quickly.
But tea towels are also a little more decorative, which is probably why you see them hanging on oven handles so often.
They’re one of those kitchen items that are both pretty and practical, which is honestly my favorite combination.
How I Use Tea Towels in My Kitchen
Over time, tea towels have become one of those things I use constantly without even thinking about it. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them.
Drying dishes and hands: This is the obvious one, of course. Because tea towels are lightweight, they’re great for drying dishes, especially glassware.
Lining a bread basket: If you’re serving bread or rolls, lining a basket with a tea towel makes it feel instantly cozy. It also helps keep the bread warm.
Covering dough while it rises: I'm not really a baker but my daughter is, and when she's baking, she often drapes a tea towel over dough while it proofs. It works perfectly and is also more eco-friendly than a plastic wrap.
Wrapping baked goods as a gift: One of my favorite little tricks is using a tea towel as gift wrap. Wrap it around cookies, bread, or even a bottle of wine and suddenly the gift feels extra thoughtful.
Adding color to the kitchen: I always drape one over the oven handle. It’s such an easy way to bring a little color and personality into the kitchen, and is also an easy way to change the atmosphere as season changes.
Taking them on picnics: Tea towels are also great for picnics. They can double as napkins, placemats, or even a small cloth for holding fruit or bread.
Why Tea Towels Make Such Good Gifts
Tea towels are one of my favorite things to give because they feel both useful and special. They’re the kind of gift people actually use.
You can tuck one into a housewarming basket, wrap it around a loaf of sourdough, or include it in a hostess gift — and suddenly the whole gift feels a little more thoughtful. Or when you need a small simple gift, a single tea towel does the trick!
What’s a Swedish Dishcloth?
Now let’s talk about Swedish dishcloths, which are a different type of kitchen magic. If you haven’t used one before, they’re somewhere between a sponge and a paper towel but reusable and much cuter.
They’re made from plant-based materials (usually cotton and cellulose), which makes them super absorbent but also quick to dry.
How I Use Swedish Dishcloths
These are the cloths I usually reach for when I’m doing quick kitchen clean-ups.
- Wiping counters and tables: They’re perfect for wiping down counters, tables, and stovetops.
- Cleaning up spills: Because they’re so absorbent, they’re great for soaking up spills.
- Drying the sink area: I keep one all the time to wipe down the sink after doing dishes.
- Rinsing soap from dishes: I usually use two separate cloths when hand-washing dishes. One that is more spongy to soap-clean the dishes, and another to rinse off soap and do the final cleansing. A Swedish dishcloth works perfectly for this second stage of rinsing soap
A Great Eco-Friendly Swap
Another thing people love about Swedish dishcloths is that they’re reusable. Instead of reaching for paper towels all the time, you can simply rinse and reuse them. Most dishcloths can be used for about 9 months. And when the cloth has done its life, I use it to wipe the sink drain before tossing it in the compost bin!
Washing it is so simple! You can clean them by:
- washing by hand
- putting in the dishwasher
- tossing them in the washing machine
But remember not to dry them in a dryer. You can simply ring it and hang it to dry, and it'll be dry before you know it.
Why They Make the Sweetest Little Gifts
Even though Swedish dishcloths are small, they make surprisingly thoughtful gifts. They’re practical, affordable, and easy to add to a gift bundle.
I’ve seen customers include them in:
- hostess gifts
- teacher appreciation gifts
- housewarming baskets
- holiday stockings
I've also seen people gift a single dishcloth as a small gift. One of my regular customers always keep my dishcloths in stock, and hand it out as a small gift or even include it in a handwritten card mailed to friends.
Tea Towels vs. Swedish Dishcloths
If you’re wondering which one you actually need or want to gift, here’s the simple way to think about it:
Tea towels
- Lightweight towels
- Best for drying dishes or serving bread
- Often decorative
- Great as an elegant gift
Swedish dishcloths
- Super absorbent cleaning cloths
- Best for wiping counters and spills
- Reusable and eco-friendly
- Great as a practical small gift
And a lot of people end up using both.
Why I Love Designing These
Tea towels and Swedish dishcloths have become some of my most popular gift items, and I think it’s because they strike such a nice balance. They’re beautiful enough to feel special — but useful enough that people actually use them.
They don’t sit on a shelf. They become part of everyday life. And I love the idea of a little piece of watercolor art living in someone’s kitchen.
New Kitchen Linen Designs Coming Soon
This Sunday (Mar 22, 2026) I’ll be releasing:
• three new tea towel designs
• eight new Swedish dishcloth designs
But for now, you can check out all my current designs of tea towels and Swedish dishcloths here.
Each one features my watercolor artwork inspired by flowers and butterflies, and was designed to add a little color and joy to everyday kitchen moments.
If you love practical things that also feel beautiful, I think you’ll enjoy them.