The Clever Method For Storing Kitchen Towels That Saves A Ton Of Space

No kitchen is without mess, which means that no kitchen is without towels. Hand towels to keep your hands clean for sanitary cooking, tea towels for laying out veggies that are washed and ready to peel, and cleaning cloths to wipe up messes are common in almost every kitchen in the country. While it's practical to have a variety of kitchen towels on hand, this does raise the question of how to fold them and where to store them.

It may seem instinctual to fold them into little squares and tuck them away in a drawer or cabinet, but this can make them hard to get to when you need one in a hurry. Additionally, if you just found the perfect towels among Trader Joe's cute kitchen products, it's also a shame to store them where no one can see them. You can easily solve all of these problems in a pinch with a simple storage move that makes your towels pretty enough to store in plain sight.

First, try folding them once lengthwise and then rolling them tightly, then tuck them lengthwise into a pretty basket that lives on your counter. This way, you can easily see all of your towels at once, helping you determine when it's time to wash them, not to mention always having a towel close at hand is invaluable. Nestling them together instead of stacking them also prevents them from coming unfolded or falling when you have to grab one in a hurry.

Of course, not everyone has the counter space for an aesthetic display of rolled towels — but that doesn't mean this hack isn't for you. It just means you'll need to modify it to fit your kitchen. For instance, if counter space is at a premium, but you have extra space in your drawers or in a cabinet, commandeer that space for your towels.

If using a drawer, tuck the rolls side by side, stacking duplicate patterns or colors on top of each other if the drawer is deep enough, so you can just reach in and snag one when you're ready to deep-clean your kitchen with white vinegar. For cabinets, find a basket or even upcycle a lidless plastic container to keep your towels contained. Stack them as you would in a drawer, or slide them in vertically if the container is tall enough to hold them securely that way. This method ensures your towels are organized, eliminates the need to stack them, and keeps them relatively close at hand.

Whatever storage method you use for your rolled towels, it's important to keep them where you can get to them quickly. Don't store them on a high shelf or in a basket below counter-level where you have to rummage through them by feel. You should be able to see what you're grabbing to ensure your towels stay neatly folded, assess whether you're running low, and avoid potential injury via straining up or crouching down.