Recycled surgical towels are awesome

Huck towels are durable low-lint cotton towels canonically used for wiping down surgical instruments after sterilization, but they are useful for many other tasks where a clean strong towel is optimal. They are praised by window-washers, auto detailers, and professional housecleaners, and they are very popular in my household.

I got some from a nurse friend and found them to be much superior to my existing “cleaning rag” options. I have had many lint-based disappointments with traditional “shop towels” and huck towels have displaced them for most uses.

Because they are designed to retain their advantages over a long life of many washings, they are a good value and there is a secondary market of still-functional towels removed from institutional service.

They are available new and “reclaimed” from many outlets. Check with a local janitorial supply merchant, or look online. Of course, there are several vendors on Amazon and Ebay. The big institutional distributors such as Uline and Grainger carry them, too.

Pricing varies quite a bit, but seems to cluster around $0.50 per towel when buying a small case. — Erik Hoover

Surgical Cotton Huck Towels