Products · Kitchen tools & cleanup · Papaya
Papaya Reusable Paper Towels
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Printed cloths of 70% cellulose and 30% cotton that replace paper towels, about $9 a sheet. The maker says its water-based ink is non-toxic and the cloths are compostable, but shows no certificate or test. We are asking for them.
Best for Someone who wants Swedish-dishcloth-style towels with printed designs and accepts the maker’s word on the ink for now.
- Our quality rating
- Fair (3 of 5)
- Price range
- Premium
- Size
- Sheets are 6.6 x 7.8 in; each 2-pack comes with 1 hook; larger packs are $36 for 4 sheets, $54 for 6 and $75 for 8
approx. $18 for 2 sheets and a hook
See it on Papaya’s site →We are not affiliated with Papaya. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.
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Your review
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How we evaluated it
Why we chose it What put it on our list
- The fibers are named. The product page says the towels are “made of 30% cotton and 70% cellulose” and calls the materials “100% natural, raw and renewable”.
- Care is written down: rinse with soap and water and hang to dry, wash on the top rack of the dishwasher, or machine wash, and air-dry only.
- The maker says one $18 pack lasts 3 to 6 months. A subscription price of $12.60 per 2-pack, with 10% off each refill, is listed.
- Papaya is a known brand with a large review base: its page shows 11,320 reviews, 98% of them five-star. These are the maker’s own reviews and say little about materials.
Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy
- The ink is the open question. The page says the designs are “printed with non-toxic, water based ink” but names no ink, no supplier and no certificate such as OEKO-TEX, and links no test. A 2025 brand review by Shifting Gaia also found no OEKO-TEX or GreenGuard certification.
- “100% compostable” is the maker’s claim, and we found no test of it. The page does not say whether the printed designs change how the cloth composts.
- “Naturally antibacterial” is marketing: the page gives no test for it, and we found no antimicrobial treatment on the cloth. Papaya’s own explanation is that the cloth dries quickly, which limits bacterial growth.
- It costs about $9 a sheet. If You Care sponge cloths of the same 70/30 fiber mix are about $1.40 each. The page does not say where the towels are made.
What to know Details worth knowing first
Papaya sells small printed cloths, about 6.6 by 7.8 inches, that you rinse and reuse instead of paper towels. They are the Swedish-dishcloth kind: cellulose, which comes from wood pulp, blended with cotton. The fiber content is a good one, and it is stated plainly on the product page.
What the page does not give is evidence for the printed designs. Our clothing and textile chemicals guide explains why dyes and finishes on fabric are worth asking about. Papaya says only that its ink is water-based and non-toxic. It names no ink, no certificate and no test, and it makes two further claims, “naturally antibacterial” and “100% compostable”, that we could not check.
An unprinted cloth with the same fibers costs a fraction of the price, and Kattinatt, a Swedish printer, at least says its inks are certified. We are asking Papaya for its ink specification, an OEKO-TEX certificate number and compostability testing. Until we have them, treat the ink and compostability claims as the maker’s own.
Quality & testing How it measures up against our checklist
| What we checked | What we found |
|---|---|
| Named materials where food touches Maker’s claim | 30% cotton and 70% cellulose. The ink is described as “non-toxic, water based” but not named. |
| No antimicrobial treatments Maker’s claim | The page names no antimicrobial treatment, only cotton, cellulose and ink. It calls the cloth “naturally antibacterial”, which we treat as an unsupported marketing claim, not a treatment: we found no test behind it. |
| Plastic-free where it wears Maker’s claim | Cellulose and cotton, which the maker calls 100% compostable. We did not find a compost test. |
| Safe by design Maker’s claim | No metal, bristles or coatings other than the printed design. |
| Easy to clean or replace Maker’s claim | Rinse, dishwasher (top rack) or machine wash, then air-dry. Refills by one-time order or subscription. |
| Ink, certificates and testing Not verified | No OEKO-TEX or other certificate is shown, the ink is not named, and no test is linked. OEKO-TEX’s Label Check needs a certificate number, and Papaya publishes none. |
What the labels mean
- Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
- Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
- Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
Sources Where our facts come from
- Papaya Reusable Paper Towels product page. Maker’s page. Source of the fiber content, ink, compostability, care and price statements, as seen on 2026-10-22. Open ↗
- Shifting Gaia brand review: Papaya Reusables (October 2025). Independent source. A third-party review with no score yet. It reports no OEKO-TEX or GreenGuard certification. Open ↗
Alternatives Other options to compare
- If You Care Sponge Cloths The same 70/30 cellulose-and-cotton mix at about $1.40 a cloth, with the care steps and compostability marks listed by the maker.
- Kattinatt printed Swedish dishcloths A Swedish printer that says its inks are OEKO-TEX certified. We found no certificate number to check.