How to Make No-Sew Unpaper Towels at Home

When you finish, you will have a roll or a basket of cloth towels cut from fabric you already own, with no sewing and no snaps. The work is all cutting, so a set takes as long as it takes you to cut two dozen squares. Check one thing before you start. Knit fabric, such as old t-shirts, will not fray at a cut edge. Woven fabric will. The kind you have decides which scissors you need.

1. Wash and dry the fabric without fabric softener. Softener coats the fibers and makes them repel water. Flannel also gets more absorbent after its first few washes, according to Lola Products' material guide. You should end up with clean, dry fabric that feels a little softer than before.

2. Lay the fabric flat and smooth out the wrinkles. Cut t-shirts open along the side seams first so you are working with a single layer. The fabric should lie flat with no folds under it.

3. Mark 12-inch squares with your ruler or template. This is the size House Digest recommends, though any size works. If you are using a receiving blanket, you can skip the ruler. The Crunchy Ginger folds the blanket in thirds lengthwise, then in thirds again, and cuts along the folds to get nine rectangles of about 8.5 by 10 inches. You should see a grid of even shapes.

4. Cut along the lines. Use regular scissors on knits and pinking shears on woven fabric. Every edge should be clean, with no long threads hanging off.

The roll works best if you want the towels to feel like paper towels. The basket is faster and does not need a tube. Commenters on a long-running Mommypotamus tutorial said they preferred a basket to building a roll holder at all.

For a roll:

1. Lay two squares so one overlaps the next by about an inch. The overlap is what lets you pull off one towel at a time. You should see a continuous strip with no gaps.

2. Keep adding squares with the same overlap. The strip will grow toward the length of a full roll.

3. Roll the strip tightly around the empty cardboard tube. Flannel grips itself, so the roll should hold its shape without pins.

4. Slide the tube onto your paper towel holder. Give the loose end a gentle tug. One towel should come away while the rest of the roll stays put.

For a basket:

1. Fold each square in half, then in half again. You should have a neat, flat stack of squares.

2. Stand the stack in a basket beside the sink. You should be able to grab one towel with one hand.

Either way: put a waterproof bag or bin under the sink for used towels, as the Taste of Home tester did. Wash them in cold water with a little detergent. A mesh laundry bag keeps small squares from tangling. Then air dry, or tumble dry on low.

You now have a working set that cost you nothing. For comparison, the Grove flannel set Taste of Home tested cost about $2.50 a towel. Use your homemade set for a few weeks before you buy anything. If the squares keep curling, or you find you want more absorbency for heavy spills, you can then compare store-bought reusable options such as Swedish dishcloths and cellulose blends.