Bar Towel vs Tea Towel: Two Towels But For Two Different Things
When looking at a bar towel vs tea towel comparison, its normal for people to only look at absorption. They believe that that is the only thing a towel used in the kitchen is suppose to only do.
But if you've been in the textile world for a while or have been a regular reader of ours, you'd know that towels can be used for so much more.
Absorption is only one factor a kitchen towel should be considered for.
The question isn't what absorbs more, the question is what fits into my life better? Right now, we'll walk you through the difference between a bar towel vs tea towel.
Bar Towel Vs Tea Towel: What Are They?
Bar Towel
These are the towels that are mainly used in businesses like restaurants, and bars.
Let's take quick pause right here.
Immediately when people see that businesses use a certain item (in this case a towel), they jump to the conclusion that that item must be better.
"If a profitable multi-million dollar business uses this, it must mean its high quality!"
Those same people are also forgetting that businesses need efficiency in their business. They only look at whether the towel can actually clean a spill most of the time.
It's normal for a bandwagon effect to occur. It makes sense. A person sees that someone else is doing something, and they think that that must be the right thing to do.
But that takes something important from you. The ability to think about yourself.
People are quick to take the easy route and not define their needs. So its important to think about your needs.
Tea Towel
A Tea towel is a multi-purpose towel. It can clean (with no streaks if its made from linen), be a decoration, or help in the kitchen such as handling hot pots.
These towels can also be made for restaurants but originally were made to use in your home.
Tea towels (the high quality ones) are usually made from linen or cotton. However, the better ones were made from linen.
Tea towels were used originally for tea time (that’s how it got its name). It was exclusive for the wealthy class and was only made from linen.
Cotton tea towels were only introduced when some companies saw they could sell it to the other social classes. However to properly sell it to them, they needed a cheaper source since linen is a high quality material and they couldn't mass produce it. Being a high quality material means its more expensive to create.
This is why cotton tea towels were created. Cotton tea towels didn't perform as well, but it can be sold to everyone much quicker.
Summary
- A Bar Towel is a towel designed to use in restaurants and bars, mainly to clean spills
- A Tea Towel is a towel designed for multiple purposes, such as cleaning spills, warming bread, lining bread basket, being a decorative item and if its made from linen, it gets softer with every wash.
Differences:
There are three main differences to consider when comparing a bar towel vs tea towel
- Size
- Absorbency
- Appearance
Size:
Tea Towel: Can range in size but the good ones are 24x28 inches (58x73cm). On average they’re larger than bar towels
Bar Towel: Smaller than tea towels on average. Ranging around 18x28 inches (40x48cm)
Absorbency:
This is an important one to define because you need to know what you actually want from your towel.
More absorbent ≠ better towel.
With more absorption you sacrifice other factors:
- More likely to be streaks on the towel
- More likely to tear faster
- More likely for pilling which increases and have loose threads. This means it may be likely that loose threads from the towel will be on your plates, glasses, or even on yourself.
- High chances of needing to replace them after a short time.
Bar Towel: Highly absorbent. But these are designed for chaotic environments.
Environments where customers are waiting to be served and so the spill needs to be cleaned quickly. Streaks will be left on the surface, the towels are made with the intent that you’re going to have to clean a spill constantly throughout the night.
These towels when it comes to absorbency are more “absorb now, worry later”
Tea Towels: Highly absorbent. But these are designed for control and precision.
Tea towels are always used for homes where quality is a must. When you clean something with a tea towel you’re cleaning it with the intent that it will look spotless and free streaks or any liquids on it.
These towels are designed for homes or environments that should look beautiful. Spotless.
Appearance:
Tea Towels: Thinner, but larger than bar towels.
More decorative with the intent of drying dishes, handling pots, or just being a fashionable piece in your dining display during meal time
Bar Towel: Thicker, less decorative than tea towels
Bar towels are mainly used for heavy duty spills with the intent of cleaning them. They aren't focused on being decorative or precise in cleaning. This is why its common to find streaks on the glasses or its more likely to have loose threads
Common Uses
I've spoken about some common uses already. But to make sure you know everything, below is a Venn diagram that shows the differences and similarities between a bar towel vs tea towel.
Below you'll find everything that was written in the chart but in writing
Common Uses for a Bar Towel
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Quickly Drying Glasses
Common Uses for a Tea Towel
- Lining Bread Baskets
- Found In Homes
- Polishing And Drying Glasses So There's No Stains
- Gift Wrap
- Keeping Bread Warm
- Absorbing Moisture
Common Uses That Both a Bar Towel and a Tea Towel can do:
- Wiping Spills
- Handling Hot Pots
Maintenance
Knowing how to maintain your towel is going to be based on how you use them.
Bar Towel
Since the main thing is to wipe spills, to maintain it isn't a hassle. This is because you only clean it for sanitation purposes. You're not meant to see it. Bar towels are also not meant to last long. They're usually cheap and you buy it in bulk. You can just throw these into a washer and a dryer
Tea Towel
These are known in the towel world to be specialists. this means you have to take care of them a certain way (it's not a hassle, you just have to know a couple of things). This is because. You don't wash a tea towel purely for sanitation, you wash it because it makes it last longer
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are Bar Towels Made Of?
Since the main priority is to clean the surfaces or glasses at restaurants quickly. These towels are usually thicker, made with terry cloth
What Are Tea Towels Made Of?
High quality tea towels are only made of only two types of materials: linen and cotton.
However as we mentioned before, linen is the gold standard as it absorbs better and lasts longer. its a fabric that only gets softer as you wash it.
Are Bar Towels And Dish Towels The Same?
No.
Bar Towels are used for commercial purposes such as restaurants and bars whereas tea towels can be used for those environments, but are mainly found in homes.
Bar towels are specifically made to wipe spills constantly and to be thrown out shortly afterwards. Tea Towels are made with the intent of lasting years as they get better with each wash.
