What's your stance on kitchen towels?

We use bar towels, painter's "rags" (the thin white hemmed 1'x1' towels you get in the painting section of the hardware store), fancy kitchen towels and occasionally bath towels. We use cloth napkins when they are clean.
We also have paper towels because there is no way I'm cleaning up cat vomit without them.
But I do use cloth hankies so I figure it balances out.
I drain bacon on a cookie rack over a cookie sheet, no need for paper at all.

Wow. I now feel responsible for half the paper-towel use on the Eastern Seaboard.

What do you all do for draining bacon?

I have a large supply of bar mops, dish cloths, dish towels and then older, torn/worn versions of all of the foregoing (used as rags) that I run through at a fairly brisk pace. I keep a roll of paper towels which lasts me about a month; it's mostly used by other family members. I use cloth for patting dry any ingredient that needs to be dried off before cooking, and for just about every other purpose for which you'd use a paper towel. Lettuce and washed fresh herbs are gently rolled and stored in smooth bar mops. I thoroughly wash in hot soapy water in my sink all cloths once we're done using them, then lay them out over the edge of my washing machine or over the center post inside of it, to dry, before putting in the to-be-washed basket. (Or, I hang them outside where, on most days, they dry fairly quickly.) All paper towels are composted. We've used cloth napkins exclusively for all meals since my younger son was a toddler; and including sending cloth napkins in their lunch boxes, to school. Napkins are changed for washing when necessary, which means frequently for certain family members and less so for others. ;o)

i love having a big supply of dish towels, and I use them for most household jobs. But I do use paper towels on occasion. I am fortunate enough to have composting by my city, so I put used paper towels in the compost bin.

I use only cloth napkins, and use kitchen towels to dry hands. The towels are out for about a week, as I explain below. I will use paper towels to wipe up the counter after prep + any floor spills. Luckily our city has curbside compost pickup so any paper goods with food on them can go right into the compost bin for collection. So I don't feel terribly guilty about the paper towels even though it's hardly as 'green' as using cloth for everything.

Like others who have commented, I don't have laundry on site -- sorry, but having piles of kitchen towels to do every other week or so is just more schlepping than I want to do. So that's mainly why mine are out for a week or so. The clothing and bedding is quite enough! : )

The only thing I use paper towels for is to completley dry the sink area after washing the dishes. I generally use one towel sheet a day. For everything else, I use cloth. I'm also obsessive compulsive when it comes to the cleanliness of my towels, so I have a HUGE supply of them and a hamper dedicated to them. If I use one once, I throw it in the hamper and wash them seperately (not with clothes). I love being able to grab a clean towel whenever I want, so when I'm cooking, i have a pile of them ready to go on the counter.

One point for cloth that makes a difference to me is the aesthetic opportunity! It's a pleasure to put out napkins that brighten the table, or even to use a dish towel that has color to lift sagging energies while cleaning up from a meal.
I am now using wedding presents from the day of 'matching table cloth and napkins' gifts, and finally finding satisfaction in having such nice things.

I primarily use paper towels, except for dishtowels and hand towels, which I use to dry clean dishes and hands, respectively. I'm not proud of the paper towel use from an environmental perspective, but I'm a bit anal when it comes to cleanliness and germs, and I think paper towels are better at preventing some of the issues towels and sponges pose in that respect.

I keep a roll of paper towels for cleaning up floor spills. For everything else I use cloth: kitchen towels and napkins. I keep a hamper in the kitchen exclusively for kitchen laundry. When it's full, it all gets washed together, so that any food stains aren't transferred to clothes or other linens. Having the hamper in the kitchen makes it easy to rotate everything often. Anything damp gets laid out to dry overnight before it goes in, so it never has a chance to mildew. That said, I live in an extremely dry climate.

I live in a city apartment, use the local laundromat, and have a small child at home. I do not use paper towels, I never have. I do buy lunch bags to drain fried foods, and scrubber-sponges which I use STRICTLY for washing dishes, when they wear out, they are transferred to dirty duties on the floor or in the bathroom. Nothing used for cleaning is ever used in food prep or on dishes/pan/utensil. I think having a strict hierarchy of use, and clear visual distinction are key elements to success and sanitary use.

I have:

-(2) dozen cotton everyday napkins
-(1) dozen linen napkins (for spiffing things up a bit)
-dishcloths for wiping down the counter, stove, table top(s)
-(1)hand-towel (terry or waffle) &
-(2)dishtowels hanging on the oven door. We do not dry hands on towels used for drying dishes/veg!
-Muslin towels - a drawerful - inexpensive (IKEA mostly & worn dishtowels) for laying out veg, etc to dry, and pressing, wrapping, wringing & draining various ingredients & plenty of back-up dishcloths, hand, and dish towels.
-birdseye diapers whole & in squares for cleaning baby hands & faces at/after the table/ice cream/pudding.
-a large bin of varied rags for cleaning & wiping up spills – micro fiber cloths, old bath/face towels (whole & pieces), finished edge flannel rags (as sold at Lowe's, etc), square cuts of worn-out cotton clothing, etc.

All of the above, with the exception of the micro-fiber, are 100% cotton or linen. I keep a rag laundry bin under the sink and a kitchen-linen laundry bag next to the sink. I was the rags with the kitchen and shower floor-mats, and the kitchen linens separately in hot. Rag washing is infrequent (I have many & use few), kitchen linens go to the 'mat with me once a week. I have been looking for our new place for about two years. Washer and dryer required.

My mother is/was the same, and I have never understood paper-towels; fabric is so much more practical/useful! I hope that this run-down is some help in your quest, & you find you way with it. Good luck!

I use one for drying hands and keep old washcloths for wiping down my 2 year old's hands and face after meals. The old style cloth diapers are great for counters or any other wiping. I still buy paper as my husband just can't get a handle on using cloth only. As for me, I rarely use them. They don't take up much room in a hamper or washer, so try getting a couple packs of cheap baby washcloths to start and in the beginning keep them near your paper towels. Each time you reach for paper you'll see them and can think "will cloth do the same job?" Youll get used to it!

I have both in my kitchen but rarely use paper towels. I would guess a roll lasts a month for us? I wash my hands a lot as I cook and I like having a kitchen towel hanging nearby to blot my hands dry. I use a sponge and very hot water for wiping countertops and table. I use a salad spinner for drying washed leafy vegetables and herbs, etc. The towels get thrown in with the regular wash. I like folding them before they go in a drawer but sometimes I am lazy and just stuff them in the drawer to be folded later (or not). IKEA does make good ones.

I haven't used paper towels for years. Start stocking up, maybe a dozen. Ikea has very reasonable all cotton dish towels -- cotton is much more absorbent than synthetics. I've also found good ones at dollar stores. SeaJambon has a wonderful rotation for the towels -- I do let them go longer than that. I think you'll find that if you just throw them into your regular laundry, they're no extra trouble.
Draining fried foods -- you can use paper bags, like my mother did.
Dirty jobs -- as the kitchen towels get ratty, I demote them, and keep them under the kitchen sink.
Some jobs where recipes call for draining on paper towels can be done without: press and drain tofu on a plate or cutting board that is wedged to a low angle at one end; salt veggies like eggplant or cucumber and set them in a sieve over sink, plate or bowl.
As you get used to this, you'll find your own style and your own limitations. For me, I rarely use paper. At the moment, I know there are paper towels here, but I can't remember where...

Not as good as your friend, but I use both and try and use paper towels as little as possible. So, I change (each night) two dishtowels in the kitchen that are used generally to dry hands; use a bar cloth (changed each night) for messy clean-up on counters and such; cloth napkins instead of paper; and an assortment of clean rags nearby for things like cleaning. Despite all that, there are still paper towels in the kitchen, and we go through a big roll every 10 days to two weeks.