Paper towels not so long ago, but very firmly entered our lives and everyday life. We will tell you how and what paper towels are made of, the types and types of folding of sheets of paper, what is affected by the number of layers, the main manufacturers of paper towels, what kind of paper towel holders there are, what you can make from paper towels with your own hands.
What are paper towels made of
Paper towels are made
two grades – first and second grade. First grade paper towels are made from virgin cellulose – they are very durable, absorb water well and are soft to the touch. Most often they have perforations and two or three layers of paper.
See how first-grade paper towels are made in the video below.
Second grade paper towels are made from waste paper and recycled cellulose. They are cheaper, have a rigid structure with inclusions, often crumble in the hands and have low tensile strength. They also do not absorb water well because they are made in one or two thick layers. It is rare to make perforations on such hand napkins.
You can see how paper towels are made in a good video.
Folding paper towels
Paper towels produced today are packaged and folded in a variety of ways. It all started with simple sheet packs of towels, then they began to roll them into rolls, so that when wound into a roll tension, the sheets lay tightly and took up less space. Then we added perforations to make it easier to tear off the sheets. With increasing hygiene standards, new types of folding sheets of paper towels appeared and special dispensers and holders began to appear. These devices improve the convenience of disposable paper towels and napkins. Let’s look at all the types of folding paper towels, their advantages and disadvantages.
Rolled paper towels
The good thing about rolled paper towels is that you can buy them at any store. Roll mounts are usually cheap and are also available at most chain stores. The disadvantage of rolled towels is their low degree of hygiene – you often have to grab the penultimate sheet to tear off the last one. Such packaging of towels is not very suitable for public bathrooms and washstands, which is why many manufacturers produce sheet paper towels.
Sheet paper towels
Single-layer sheet
paper towels are cut into individual sheets and supplied in packs of 200 or 250 sheets. Special dispensers are used for sheet towels, which allow you to remove sheets one at a time, similar to the principle of sanitary napkins.
Paper towels Folded
Folding paper towels in a C shape reduces the likelihood of accessing the next sheet when pulling out the last one. That is, with wet hands it will be more difficult to wet the next sheet with such a two-layer fold.
Paper towels
Z addition
The Z fold for paper towels is a great alternative to the previous C fold. It turns out that with Z folding there are 3 layers of paper on the way to access the next sheet, so even with wet hands it is almost difficult to wet the next sheet. This arrangement of access to sheets of paper towels provides a high degree of hygiene.
Paper towels
M or
W addition
This is a complicated type of folding paper towels into three layers. This folding further increases the hygiene of using paper napkins, but is more expensive due to the use of more complex equipment during production.
Paper towels
V addition or
ZZ (
ZigZag) addition
V-fold paper towels are stacked so that their edges intersect. This type of folding of paper towels is used so that when a paper sheet is pulled out, the tip of the next sheet is also pulled out. In this case, it will be easier for the next visitor to pull it out. This is a very hygienic type of folding because the person does not need to reach into the dispenser with their fingers, but only needs to pull the edge of the towel.
The number of layers of paper towels – what does it affect?
Single layer towels
Single-ply paper towels are among the cheapest consumables and are most often supplied in rolls. To wipe and dry your hands, you have to tear off or pull out two or three pieces of paper so that all the moisture is absorbed. These towels are more suitable for public toilets and restrooms because they provide minimal maintenance costs.
Double-layer towels
Double-ply paper towels are more suitable for home and household use. Additional perforation gives this paper increased softness and absorbency.
Three-layer towels
Three and multi-ply paper towels are most suitable for washrooms, cosmetic purposes and cooking. The high number of layers maximizes the amount of moisture these towels can absorb. They are especially helpful when drying hair or storing vegetables.
Paper towel size
The sizes of paper towels are most often determined by the equipment used by a particular manufacturer. You need to understand that the type of production equipment also depends on the number of layers and the density of the paper raw material. Therefore, it often happens that one manufacturer has in its assortment different sizes
paper towels depending on the series and number of layers of paper.
Paper towel width
If we are talking about paper towels in rolls, then the width of the rolls is usually from 19.5 cm to 23 cm. The standard widths of towels are 21 and 23 cm. Each manufacturer sets its own roll width.
Paper towels in sheets are most often produced square with dimensions of 23 x 23 cm when unfolded. Sometimes you come across sheets 22×22 cm, 24×23 cm, 21×34 cm, 20×32 cm, 23×25 cm.
Paper towel length
The length of paper towel rolls also varies depending on the diameter of the roll. Thus, paper towels are produced in rolls for household needs from 12 m to 60 m. Rolls for public restrooms have a length from 120 to 200 m.
The length of paper towels in sheet packages is no more than 40 cm. Apparently, this is due to limitations in the equipment for the production of such paper. In addition, such long sheets are inconvenient to use. Packs of sheet towels contain from 100 pieces to 5000 pieces of sheets.
Paper towel manufacturers
Tork paper towels
Company TORK
is a recognized leader among manufacturers of paper towels. One of the popular options is Tork Xpress Universal – M-fold paper napkins with a sheet size of 23.4×21.3 cm. There are 190 sheets in a package.
Paper towels
Veiro
Also a well-known manufacturer of paper towels for the restaurant business.
Paper towels
Zewa
A widely advertised Zewa brand that offers high quality at a decent price. Known for their line of scented paper products. Their audience is housewives and small hotels.
Other lesser-known but equally high-quality tissue companies include Ksitex, Kimberly, Luscan, Familia, Papia and others.
Paper towel holders – what are they?
Paper towel holders are necessary to prevent rolls and sheets from lying around or scattering around the room. Paper towel holders and dispensers help maintain hygiene. Let’s consider their types and types.
Wall Mounted Paper Towel Holder
A metal, plastic or wooden structure can act as a wall-mounted paper towel holder. Typically such devices are vertical pins or axial horizontal hangers. Less often these are shelves and nets of round shape. This all applies to roll towels.
Spring holders are used for sheet towels, but they are not as convenient as dispensers, which we will discuss below.
Tabletop paper towel holder
The tabletop paper towel holder is a vertical post that holds a roll of towel. Such stands take up little space and look attractive. The horizontal holder is a pin on legs that acts as a support for the roll.
Paper towel dispenser
There are a great variety of paper towel dispensers – for rolls, for towels of different fold types, wall-mounted and table-top.
In public restrooms we can often see roll dispensers for sheet towels. Roll dispensers vary in roll width and diameter.
Sheet paper towel dispensers also come in different widths and paper capacity. There are also electronically controlled dispensers – when activated, the roll rotates or the edge of the napkin is pushed out.
Paper towel holder
Many home interior designers understand the need for disposable paper towels in their kitchen decor. So they come up with different artistic designs for paper towel holders.
What can be made from paper towels
We have selected for you several life hacks and useful uses of paper towels in everyday life, in the kitchen and for cosmetic purposes.
Paper towels in the kitchen
It often happens that when pouring any liquid from a bottle, a telltale droplet flows from the neck along the walls of the vessel. In order not to stain your hands and tablecloth with such a bottle, you can wrap it in a paper napkin. This is how samilie is often made in restaurants. For simple culinary use, simply secure the napkin with a thin rubber band. The paper will absorb excess liquid, such as oil, and it will not drip onto the table or tablecloth.
Storing vegetables and herbs in paper towels
To increase the shelf life of foods in the refrigerator – vegetables, fruits, herbs, fish, meat – wrap them in a paper towel. The paper will absorb excess moisture and allow air and carbon dioxide to escape. To keep the greens looking fresh, you can wrap them in a slightly damp paper towel.
Paper towel tea strainer
A paper towel also works well as a filter for tea and coffee. Just need to take an unscented and preferably two or three-layer paper towel so that it does not tear from exposure to water.
Roll of paper towel turns into two rolls of toilet paper
Life hack that probably everyone has thought of – turn one roll of paper towel into two rolls of toilet paper
! Profit! But calculations show that this is far from a profit in terms of cost – such toilet paper is more expensive.
Express cooling of drink bottles with a paper towel
An excellent solution was suggested to us by a lover of cold alcoholic drinks. To quickly cool the bottle, just wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in the refrigerator. After 15-20 minutes, the champagne or wine is chilled and ready to drink. You can speed up this process using the freezer – the main thing is not to overdo it.
Checking the stitching after lubricating the sewing machine
Using a paper towel to repair sewing machines turned out to be unexpectedly useful. After lubricating the machine mechanisms and adjusting the settings, we recommend checking the stitching on several layers of paper towel. All excess oil will be absorbed and the mechanisms will rub under a slight load in the form of paper.
Storing and germinating seeds in paper towels.
Summer residents use paper towels to store and germinate seeds. The paper is convenient because you can glue seeds onto it and label which plant it belongs to. You can sprout at the right time directly in napkins
by pouring water on them. The great thing is that you can also plant sprouted seeds in paper. This reduces the risk of sprout diseases introduced by the summer resident.
In conclusion, we hope that you have no questions about paper towels, their production, purchase, use and application. Ask questions in the comments.