If paper dissolves in water, why doesn't your paper towel?
The answer involves more chemistry than you'd expect. And it raises a question about the product sitting on your kitchen counter right now.
Why wet paper towels are unusual
You have probably never thought about this.
You drop a napkin in a glass of water and it falls apart in seconds. Notebook paper turns to mush. Tissue paper dissolves the moment it gets wet.
But a paper towel? You can soak it, wring it out, scrub a counter with it, and it holds together the entire time.
That is a strange thing for paper to do.
Something is keeping those fibers intact. And the answer turns out to be more interesting, and more complicated, than "it's just thicker paper."
What keeps a paper towel from falling apart
At the microscopic level, a paper towel is a network of cellulose fibers with tiny air spaces between them. The structure is designed to pull water into those spaces while maintaining enough strength to survive wiping.
But cellulose alone has a problem. When wood-pulp fibers get wet, water interferes with the bonds holding them together. That is why regular paper loses its strength when soaked.
Paper towel manufacturers needed to solve that.
One widely used solution is a class of synthetic polymers called wet-strength resins. The most common example is polyamidoamine-epichlorohydrin, or PAE. It is a synthetic resin that forms bonds within the cellulose network, reinforcing the fibers so they hold together even when saturated.
A peer-reviewed study published in 2025 tested paper towel sheets manufactured with and without PAE. The researchers found that adding the resin increased wet-strength measurements by approximately 8 to 14 times, depending on drying conditions. The resin becomes part of the finished fiber network. It does not act like a coating that rinses off.
What researchers found inside finished paper towels
During the synthesis of wet-strength resins like PAE, certain unwanted compounds can form as byproducts. Two of those substances are 3-MCPD and 1,3-DCP, which are chlorinated organic compounds. They are not ingredients manufacturers intend to add to the finished paper. They are residues from the manufacturing process.
Their potential presence in food-contact paper is taken seriously enough that regulators have established recommended limits. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, for example, specifies migration limits for both compounds in food-contact paper testing.
But the interesting part is what happens when researchers actually test the paper towels sitting on store shelves.
A 2016 study published in Food Additives & Contaminants investigated chloropropanols in paper products purchased from the Canadian and German markets. 3-MCPD was detected in every paper towel sample investigated. Concentrations ranged from 42 to 2,466 nanograms per gram of paper.
A separate 2022 study examined 126 food-contact paper products sold in China and found chloropropanols in 65.1% of tested samples. The highest detection rates and concentrations occurred in the kitchen-paper category.
There is another finding worth knowing about. Recycling paper can carry substances from its previous life into the next product: printed material, adhesives, coatings, and other chemically treated paper. Recycling removes a great deal of that, but not necessarily every trace.
In 2000, researchers examined 20 brands of kitchen rolls, including recycled-paper and virgin-paper products. Seven of nine recycled-paper products showed marked estrogenic activity in a laboratory assay. BPA was detected in the recycled products at 0.6 to 24 mg/kg. Virgin-paper products showed absent or negligible levels.
Now, a few things worth saying plainly. These are findings from specific studies, not a comprehensive survey of every paper towel currently on the market. The presence of a chemical in a product does not automatically mean that product is dangerous. Concentrations, exposure levels, and actual health risks all matter.
What the research does establish is that paper towels can contain more than wood pulp and water. And that is worth knowing, if only because most people have never considered it.
The bigger question
Step back from the chemistry for a moment.
Look at what the paper towel industry actually did. They started with wood pulp. They processed it into a fiber network. They engineered the structure to absorb water. They reinforced it with synthetic resins so it would hold together when wet. They packaged it, shipped it to your grocery store, and sold it to you.
And after you wiped up a spilled glass of water, you threw the sheet away.
That is the product. A piece of paper, engineered at the molecular level to behave more like fabric, designed to be used once and discarded.
Meanwhile, washable textiles have existed for centuries.
The question is not whether paper towels contain unexpected chemistry. That is interesting, but it is not the point.
The point is simpler: why are most Americans using paper engineered to act like fabric instead of using fabric?
What the alternatives got wrong
If you have ever tried to replace paper towels, you already know what happened next.
Reusable paper towels
Promised a familiar format without the waste, but wore out quickly and performed worse than the originals.
Swedish-style dishcloths
Had a compelling environmental story, but often felt stiff, stain-prone, and closer to a sponge than a polishing cloth.
Regular cotton towels
Comfortable and familiar, but slow to dry and quick to smell.
Cheap microfiber packs
Less disposable than paper, but still built around replacing rather than keeping, and usually made from petroleum-based synthetics.
Every one of these solved the disposability problem. None of them solved the performance problem. None of them were designed from the ground up for absorbency, quick drying, and years of daily use.
The paper towel stayed on the counter because nothing earned the right to replace it.
A different approach from Nara, Japan
Instead of engineering paper to behave like fabric, Shirayuki starts with fabric.
Long before kaya was used in kitchens, it was woven in Nara for mosquito netting. The fabric had to be open and breathable enough for air to move through it freely. That open structure turned out to be extraordinarily useful for something else entirely.
Shirayuki adapts that traditional weave into an eight-layer kitchen cloth. In a simple water demonstration, the cloth absorbs close to 10 times its own dry weight. The open kaya weave also helps it release moisture quickly after being rinsed and wrung out.
There are no chemical coatings responsible for the performance. No synthetic resins reinforcing the fibers. The absorbency and strength come from the construction of the fabric itself.
A new Shirayuki cloth arrives firm. That feel comes from a light finish of Kagoshima potato starch, applied to preserve the cloth's shape during shipping. Wash it before the first use and the starch begins to release. The layers relax. The cloth becomes softer and more absorbent with every wash.
Each cloth is finished with Kyo-Yuzen dyeing, a Kyoto textile tradition known for richly detailed patterns. Made in small batches in Nara, Japan.
Why it earns the spot on the counter
- Close to 10x its dry weight in absorbency, without the bulk of terry cloth.
- Starts firm, then softens as the Kagoshima potato starch finish washes out.
- One cloth, many uses for counters, dishes, hands, spills, glassware, and stainless steel.
- Fresh between uses because it rinses easily and air dries quickly after being wrung out.
What customers notice after the switch
"Have the Swedish kitchen cloths. Disappointed. These are fantastic, I am purchasing more. Exactly as described!!"
"Because I no longer need to keep replacing cheap cloths or paper towels, the planet is as happy as my wallet... They air dry quickly, don't retain unpleasant odours and just seem to get softer with each use."
"I have a set for each room and use them for dishes, windows, floors, dusting, maintaining fine wood furniture, delicate glassware, mirrors and fixtures... I think this is my 5th order!"
The better replacement is the one you actually prefer using
For most everyday jobs, Shirayuki gives you a reason to reach past the paper towel roll. Not because you should. Because you would rather use the cloth.
If you are new to Shirayuki, the simplest way to start is to browse patterns and pick a few. Many customers begin with 8 to 10 kitchen cloths so they always have a clean one within reach while others are in the wash.
Free worldwide shipping on orders $85+ USD. Orders of $100+ USD receive a free gift.
Made in Nara, Japan. Wash before first use.
A few things to know before your first use
Why does the cloth feel stiff when it arrives?
Each cloth has a light finish of Kagoshima potato starch to help preserve its shape during shipping. Wash it before using it for the first time. The starch will release and the fabric will begin to soften.
Will it become more absorbent?
Yes. The kaya layers relax with washing, making the cloth softer and more absorbent over time.
How should I care for it?
Machine wash in a small laundry bag to prevent snagging. Hang or air dry after washing. Do not tumble dry or machine dry. The natural fibres can shrink when exposed to dryer heat.
What can I use it for?
Counters, dishes, hands, spills, glassware, stainless steel, and general kitchen cleanup. Many households use different patterns to distinguish each job.
Does it replace paper towels completely?
For everyday spills, counter wiping, dishes, and drying hands, it can replace most paper towel use. For jobs involving raw meat or heavy contamination, disposable paper towels remain a sensible option. Most customers find they dramatically reduce paper towel use rather than eliminating it entirely.
Sources and claim notes
PAE wet-strength resin
Reczulski et al., BioResources, 2025. Reported wet tensile index increases of approximately 8 to 14 times for towel paper with PAE under tested drying conditions.
3-MCPD in paper towels
Becalski et al., Food Additives & Contaminants, 2016. Detected 3-MCPD in all paper towel samples in that study, at 42 to 2,466 ng/g.
Chloropropanols in food-contact paper
2022 food-contact paper study in China. Reported chloropropanols in 65.1% of tested samples, with kitchen paper among the highest categories.
Recycled kitchen roll contaminants
Vinggaard et al., Chemical Research in Toxicology, 2000. Found BPA in recycled kitchen rolls at 0.6 to 24 mg/kg and marked estrogenic activity in seven of nine recycled-paper kitchen rolls tested.
Accuracy note: these studies do not prove that every current paper towel brand contains the same residues or poses a health risk. The page uses them to support a narrower point: paper towels can involve wet-strength chemistry and can contain manufacturing or recycling-related residues. Product-specific Shirayuki claims such as "close to 10x its dry weight" should be treated as brand demonstration claims unless independently lab-verified for the exact SKU being advertised.