The Costco Kitchen Essential Shoppers Swear By Is Under $10

If there's one thing I want to do more of in the kitchen, it's reduce waste. And if you feel the same, this one product that Costco customers swear by (which currently goes for slightly under $10) is something you might want to take note of. This would be the 12-pack of Swedish dishcloths. If you've never heard of them, Swedish dishcloths are reusable squares of fabric that are typically made of both cellulose (derived from the cell walls of plants) and cotton, which makes them durable and washable.

One reviewer says, "Been using Costco's Swedish Dishcloths for the last year or so; I love them." After explaining how they appreciate the fact they can be sanitized more easily than a kitchen sponge, they add, "They are better than paper towels both functionally and economically."

You might wonder why something like a Swedish dishcloth is useful because it sounds basically like a kitchen rag. It's because these things can absorb a lot more water from their dry state. So if you're cleaning up a table spill, don't be fooled — a small Swedish dishcloth can handle much more than you think. You can wash them in the dishwasher with the rest of your dishes, but you'll want to rinse and wring them out afterwards. Drying them merely involves hanging them overnight from something like a wall clip or rack, and they're good to go the next day. You'll find that the dishcloths will shrink back to their original size, ready to either be stored or be used again.

The idea sounds dandy and all, but you're probably wondering if these things are any good in practice. Fortunately, you're looking at a guy (digitally speaking) who actually uses them. I bought some Swedish dishcloths when I first heard of them years ago since I was feeling wildly guilty about going through so many paper towels. There was a bit of a learning curve, but not in terms of using them — it was about breaking bad habits. Muscle memory is awfully hard to rebel against, so every time I wanted to clean up a splatter or maintain a kitchen appliance, I'd find myself reaching for a paper towel before I grabbed the Swedish dishcloth until I forced myself to be better about it.

They're admittedly not the best solution for everything. A disaster of a spill or some really oily messes may just necessitate paper towels which you can throw away. And washing them in the dishwasher isn't totally perfect since they do retain some soapy water and need a good rinsing and wringing afterwards. That being said, once you build a new habit around them, you'll find that your paper towel use has dwindled enough to make a difference, and isn't that the point? Once you incorporate Swedish dishcloths into your toolkit, they'll make more sense as you go along. But at $10 for a dozen, that's about the same price as a dozen paper towels, and they're reusable. I'm siding with the often opinionated Costco reviewers on this one — Swedish dishcloths are definitely worth looking into if you want a reusable solution to paper towel waste.