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“Minimizing the use of paper towels is one of the things that Martha Stewart takes really seriously,” Tyrell said. Each workspace in the magazine's test kitchen includes cloth dish towels, bar towels (similar to rags), and a select-sized roll of paper towels, she says. The latter is used sparingly.

Dishcloths are perfect for drying hands or dishes, or for folding to use as a warm mitt. Bar towels can be used for most messes. Paper towels are reserved for messes like meat juices or raw eggs.

“It's helpful to have all your napkin options in one place, so I recommend keeping rags or bar towels close to where you store paper napkins,” says Tyrell. If cloth napkins aren't on hand, you probably won't use them, she advises.

And if you can't get rid of paper towels, there are now several types of reusable napkins made from bamboo and other sustainable materials that can be used several times before throwing them away, says Brandi Broxson, senior features editor at Real Simple magazine. Cleaner paper towels can be recycled.