Best Plastic-Free Cleaning Cloths
Last reviewed September 2026
The reusable cleaning cloth is where "eco" quietly means plastic. The default reusable cloth is microfiber - which is polyester or nylon - and it sheds plastic microfibers into the wash every time you launder it. Cotton, linen, and cellulose cloths do the wiping without the shedding.
The short answer
The point of this category is replacing microfiber, which sheds plastic into the drain on every wash. Three Bluebirds' Swedish dishcloth is the classic swap - cellulose and organic cotton, GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified, absorbent enough to displace rolls of paper towels - and Blueland's Cloud Cloth does the same job holding about ten times its weight. Neither scrubs; pair them with a brush for baked-on food. For paper towels specifically, Marley's Monsters flannel sheets snap onto a roll and wash for years. For glass and mirrors, a plain cotton flour-sack towel beats microfiber: lint-free when damp, and it polishes streak-free for a couple of dollars.
Why plastic matters in cleaning cloths
Switching from paper towels to a reusable cloth feels like an obvious green win, and it is - unless the cloth is microfiber. Microfiber is a synthetic textile, spun from polyester and polyamide (nylon), and its cleaning power comes from splitting those plastic filaments into ultra-fine strands. Those same strands break off in the wash: a microfiber cloth is a microplastic shedder, the same problem as synthetic clothing, dressed up as the sustainable choice.
The plastic-free cloths are natural fiber - cotton (knit dishcloths, terry bar mops, flannel "unpaper" towels), linen (a favorite for streak-free glass), and cellulose or cellulose-cotton Swedish cloths. They're washable and reusable for years, then compostable, and they shed plant fiber rather than plastic. One honest caveat below: microfiber genuinely out-cleans them on dust and glass with water alone - but that edge comes at the cost of being plastic.
What to look for in cleaning cloths
- The fiber is everything - look for 100% cotton, linen, or cellulose, and treat "microfiber" as a synonym for plastic
- Check blends - a "cotton" cloth can hide a polyester percentage, and some cloths add a synthetic scrubber strip
- Cotton flannel "unpaper towels" replace paper-towel rolls; linen is best for streak-free glass and surfaces
- Cellulose/cotton Swedish cloths are compostable and very absorbent for general wiping
- All of these are machine-washable and reusable for years - and shed plant fiber, not microplastic, when they do wear
Recommended cleaning cloths
Every product here we'd actually suggest — best-in-class picks first, then the rest by how plastic-free they are.
Cloud Cloth
A cotton-and-cellulose cloth that absorbs about ten times its weight - a plastic-free, compostable answer to both paper towels and microfiber for everyday surface cleaning.
Floursack Towel
A plain 100% cotton flour-sack towel - lint-free when damp, so it polishes glass and mirrors streak-free without a microfiber cloth. Cheap, natural, endlessly washable.
Swedish Dishcloth
The classic cellulose-and-organic-cotton Swedish cloth - GOTS and OEKO-TEX certified, compostable, and absorbent enough to replace rolls of paper towels.
UNpaper Towels
Cotton flannel sheets that snap together on a roll to replace paper towels - 100% cotton, no microfiber, washable for years and compostable at the end.
| Product | Rating | Touches the surface | Price | Made in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Blueland Cloud Cloth Best All-Purpose | Cellulose ·Cotton | $ | — | |
 Now Designs Floursack Towel Best for Glass | Cotton | $ | — | |
 Three Bluebirds Swedish Dishcloth Best Swedish Cloth | Cellulose ·Cotton | $ | — | |
 Marley's Monsters UNpaper Towels Best Paper-Towel Replacement | Cotton | $ | — |
Cleaning cloths to avoid
Popular options that look plastic-free but aren't — and whole categories worth skipping.
E-Cloth General Purpose Cloth
Genuinely effective and reusable - but it's polyester/nylon microfiber, a plastic that sheds microfibers in the wash. For water-only cleaning without the plastic, a cotton or cellulose cloth (or linen for glass) does most of the job.
Geometry Not Paper Towels
The sustainable marketing hides the material - the fabric is recycled polyester (RPET), a plastic microfiber that sheds. For a genuinely plastic-free reusable towel, see the cotton flannel or cellulose cloths above.
Common questions about cleaning cloths
Is there a fully plastic-free option for cleaning cloths?
Yes. Of the 4 cleaning cloths we recommend, 4 rate as fully plastic-free, with no plastic and no silicone anywhere in the product: Blueland Cloud Cloth, Now Designs Floursack Towel, Three Bluebirds Swedish Dishcloth and Marley's Monsters UNpaper Towels.
Which cleaning cloths do you recommend most?
Of the 4 cleaning cloths we recommend, Blueland Cloud Cloth takes Best All-Purpose, Now Designs Floursack Towel takes Best for Glass and Three Bluebirds Swedish Dishcloth takes Best Swedish Cloth.
Which cleaning cloths should you avoid?
Among the cleaning cloths we have reviewed, we do not recommend E-Cloth General Purpose Cloth and Geometry Not Paper Towels.
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