Some of this article’s listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this article by looking for better, hand roll vs cut roll reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. A paper towel is an absorbent, disposable towel made from paper.
In Britain, paper towels for kitchen use are also known as kitchen rolls, kitchen paper, or kitchen towels. In 1907, the Scott Paper Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, introduced paper tissues to help prevent the spread of colds from cloth towels in restrooms. Paper towels are made from either virgin or recycled paper pulp, which is extracted from wood or fiber crops. Tissue products in North America, including paper towels, are divided into consumer and commercial markets, with household consumer usage accounting for approximately two thirds of total North American consumption.
Commercial usage, or otherwise any use outside of the household, accounts for the remaining third of North American consumption. Within the forest products industry, paper towels are a major part of the “tissue market”, second only to toilet paper. Paper towels are popular primarily among people who have disposable income, so their use is higher in wealthy countries and low in developing countries. Growing hygiene consciousness during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a boost in paper towel market growth. Paper towels are a global product with rising production and consumption. Electric hand dryers are an alternative to using paper towels for hand drying. 40 seconds to achieve a similar dryness.