I’ve grown fond of Scott blue shop towels, possibly liking them more than Rags in a box. My daughter spotted a roll in my workshop and asked me why it’s blue. Honestly, I don’t know, but I do know that they’re definitely very different than regular paper towels.
I’ve found Scott blue shop towels to be stronger than regular paper towels, especially when wet. They’re also more absorbent, or at least they pick up and hold oil and grease quite a bit better. I think they’re less linty than paper towels, but haven’t done a lot to really test this. They also don’t tear apart as easily.
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This is one of those shop staples that I remember being hesitant about. What’s so good about Scott shop towels? Is this one of those things that cost more simply because they’re “specialty?” But, I’ve grown to believe they’re worth the extra investment. I started with one roll. Then another. Now, I buy them by the case.
I use these in and out of the workshop, for all kinds of things. While there are cleaning tasks I could use regular paper towels for instead, there are many others where there’s just no substitute. Well, maybe except for rags in a box, which are also made by Scott (and parent company Kimberly Clark).
I don’t recall the brand, but I tried something other than Scott blue shop towels once. It was okay, but I prefer Scott’s relatively flat texture instead. The other brand was too fluffy, and textured too much like household paper towels.
While not as environmentally friendly as reusable shop rags, my usage varies widely and is occasional, rather than daily. For daily use, reusable rags are more economical, but you need a supply and place to wash them for reuse.
I came across an interesting product page mention that interestingly advertises:
Using paper shop towels (as an alternative to reusable, washable towels) better protects you and your employees from lead and heavy metal exposure.
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You can find these shop towels for between $1.50 and $2 for a roll of 55 sheets. I’ve found the best pricing at wholesale clubs. For smaller quantities, online pricing seems to be decent.
Buy Now(3-roll pack via Amazon)
Buy Now(Box of 200 towels via Amazon)
Do you prefer Scott shop towels, or something else?
I might eventually choose between blue paper towels and rags in a box, but I tend to use them for different things. Either way, I prefer these over cloth rags or other disposable cleaning products.
Scott also makes “heavy duty” shop towels, and a special glass-cleaning style. I’ve never felt compelled to try the heavy duty version, but I might have used the glass-cleaning towel before.
fred
I read that Scott Paper was the inventor of rolled toilet paper.
Initially they had a hard time marketing it as most folks could not grasp the idea or thought that the paper ripped from the Sears Catalog was good enough. Then Scott had an inspired plan – by giving volumes of the rolls to nice hotels – guests spread the word and a new product became ubiquitous – first in the US – then spreading elsewhere.
I have 2 paper towel dispensers in my shop. One with the typical Bounty or other brand white towels – and one with the blue. I use both – but notice that my wife will go down to grab a handful of the blue sheets. We also like Scott’s rags (paper) in a box – that also come in Blue
Lyn
I’ve read that as well. Interesting history isn’t it? Boy those Sears catalogs were something else weren’t they?
Sadly Scott paper towels aren’t independently owned anymore and are owned by the Koch Brothers. They own several companies, including several paper products including Georgia Pacific.
Kizzle
Everything is now a conglomerate. Capitalism…
Logir
Dont forget that capitalism is what got this stuff in your hands in the first place, bud! : )
adabhael
FWIW, I believe Scott was acquired by Kimberley-Clark, a publicly traded company, in the mid 1990s. Georgia Pacific LLC was bought by Koch Industries in 2005. GP sells paper towels under the Brawny brand, as well as lots of other construction and paper products.
Jim Felt
Yes. GP is a very different company. Once based in Portland, Oregon for decades. Their than Chairman’s wife missed the social whirl of Atlanta so the entire company’s headquarters staff was offered the “opportunity” to move to Atlanta. All expenses covered.
If my memory serves less than 15% relocated and remained in GA.
And than came the Koch’s.
PS. Their tower remains here and, yes, they were a client of ours for years.
Brian
I really like Wypall (X60 for everyday and X80/x90 for tough jobs). They are ~$60 / roll, but the x60 has 1100 sheets / roll and they are large ( about 11″x12″).
I have a roll of each mounted above my workbench. they seem to last forever.
KMR
100% This.
In our professional shop environment (CNC manufacturing & race engine building), we use the Wypall X80s for general purpose usage and lab-grade Kim-wipes for delicate / final assembly cleaning and wiping tasks.
Blue shop towels you get a retail store are junk.
DRT
Honestly, I do not like the Scott Blue, nor do I like Rags in a Box. In both cases, I couldn’t wait to use them up. I like Bounty Select-a-Size. I usually pull off 1/2 sheet, for small cleanups, or a full sheet for something bigger.
Vic
Agree
kkwright
Me too, I’ve stopped using blue disposables and now use good-quality paper towels (half sheet type) for most tasks. I also use fabric-based reusable shop rags occasionally, also.
TonyT
I’ve always had a soft spot for Kimwipes – they’re definitely tougher than typical paper towels, and the price isn’t bad compared to Scott Blue.
https://www.amazon.com/Kimberly-Clark-Kimtech-Kimwipes-Delicate-Disposable/dp/B00RORBXA8
I’m definitely going to try out the Scott Rags In A Box sometime. And doing a search on Uline for kim wipes came up with some more interesting products, such as wipes for paint prep.
https://www.uline.com/Product/AdvSearchResult?keywords=kim%20wipes
aerodawg
I prefer the boxed ones just because I can easily carry them around and stack them near the work. The rolls wobble and fall over and/or roll away.
Altan
We call them blue paper in general here in the UK, they are very cheap and very useful, they come in thicker rolls here, not similar to the photo in this post, in construction recently they started to use a lot but it has been used in restaurants for long long time.
William
Love them, Keep both Regular and Scotts Blue in the Shop, Use theblue to wipe off finish, apply oil, even burnish a finished wood blank on a lathe. Super useful.
Jared
I use paper-towel. It’s a cost decision though, not a quality/utility one. I like using Scotts shop towels and I buy the blue rolls occasionally when lint is a concern. Most of the time I’d rather grab a 1/2 sheet of paper-towel though instead of worrying about cleaning a rag or maximizing the use of a more expensive blue sheet.
Mac
I got banned from washing my shop rags in the washing machine by my wife…so I use Scott’s…Costco has them cheap enough.
Bobby
Scott’s are great, beats regular paper towels any day. Right now I have some Toolbox Shop Towels made by Sellars company that I picked up from Mendard’s. I’m not familiar with the company, but they’re made in U.S.A. and they’re great quality. Here’s their website in case anyone is interested https://www.sellarscompany.com/category/shop-towels .
tim Rowledge
I use them for my nose-blowing needs. Much tougher than anything from a box of tissues, tougher even than kitchen towels.
Wayne R.
If your nose is wrecking kitchen towels, please call a doctor.
DC
I love Scott blue shop towels and buy them by the 18 roll pack at Costco.
skfarmer
i am a farmer as most would guess. every vehicle and tractor i own has a roll of blue towels and a can of sprayway foaming glass cleaner. dirty windshield? covered. oily mess? covered. dirty hands? covered. nature calls 5 miles from home at the far end of the field 5 miles from home. those two items have gotten me out of those situations thousands of times.
are there other options? sure but those two do them better than any other products i have found. sprayway glass cleaner actually does a pretty good job of cleaning hands.
Jason T.
I have used the Harbor Freight blue shop towels and although I haven’t compared them to any other brand, they do seem to work pretty well. They definitely soak up oil and grease. I have used regular white paper towels in the shop for years and for the most part they also get the job done for me even if I have to use more of them.
Bolt
I use paper towels to put ÇA glue finishes on pens and other small turnings so my major décider on paper towels is if they start smoking when you put the glue on
Chad
I tint car windows on the side, and blue shop towels are common with tinters because they have less lint than most paper towels. Their ability to absorb is open for argument though… personally, I like them.
TonyT
What about wipes designed for low linting? For exmample, Kimwipes Kimtech wipes claim they are low lint, but might not be heavy duty enough.
Tim
I work for a jan/san distributor in MN. The KC/ scott/ kleenex brand have a ton of different grades and uses. GP also has options too. I am not a heavy user like a repair shop or anything, but I love having them at home. I keep three different ones in the garage. Kimtech wipe for light duty, Wypall L40 for general stuff, and Wypall X80 for the greazy and heavy duty stuff.
Don
Always in my shop. Lost without them
Emma Peel
I love the Scott box paper towels. One of the only amazon prime day deals I picked up was a case of those.
BobG
I also have 2 dispensers in my shop, one for standard select a size paper towels and one for the blue shop towels. I actually worked for Scott Paper/Kimberly Clark for 28 years. The blue shop towels, Rags in a Box, and Wypall are all made with a technology called Double Recrepe (DRC). During the paper making process each side of the sheet is sprayed with a fine coating of latex and then stuck to a huge heated drum (dryer) where the latex is cured and then the sheet is creped off the surface of the dryer. Very interesting process.
Jim Felt
Thank you! For all of of us shop/paper towel geeks. Nice info.
Joseph
While I use the original Scott blue towels for light duty shop work, anything heavier, and the Scott Heavy Duty come out. World of difference in strength.
Jim Felt
Mostly because of convenience we use white Bounty half size towels and the Blue ones as well. And have for decades. They are very different and both very useful.
The convenience being “Costco” bulletproof plastic packaging for storage.
chad Brink
Tip. Put a closepin or two next to your towel dispensor. This way if you use the towels for water drying , window washing or other non oily uses… hang them up and let them dry. You can reuse them dozens of times. They are heavy enough to hold up.
GEORGE MICHENER
the pink rags in a box are washable found out by accident but now i do it all the time in my shop clothes washer. for best results put them in a mesh bag …the one i use is for delicate clothes i guess. they are actually better the second and third time around. try it you’ll like it.
GEORGE MICHENER
btw -I throw them in with everything else…running a load just for them wouldnt be very cost effective imo…unless u really use a lot of them-lol
Chip
I’ve went to using scrubs in a bucket.
What once took 3 towels to get hydraulic fluid off, is now done with one scrub.
Bonus, they smell so good… I throw them in the passenger floorboard so they send citris smell thru the ac.
Rob
Yes, scott blue towels rule. I buy the box, but the rolls are good too.
Generally, Scott Blue are cheaper than general paper towels. So, Bob’s your uncle.