Cloths & Tea Towels
Cloths and tea towels are everyday wiping and drying textiles used behind the bar, in the kitchen and front-of-house across pubs, cafés and hotels. The main buying consideration is fabric and colour-coding: 100% cotton tea towels absorb better than polyester-cotton blends, while colour-coded cloths (often matching the same red/blue/yellow/green HACCP system used for chopping boards) help prevent cross-contamination between bar, kitchen and toilet cleaning tasks. Buyers should check GSM (grams per square metre) weight, as heavier cloths withstand more wash cycles before wearing thin.
Key specifications
Cloths and tea towels split by job. Cotton and linen-union tea towels dry glassware and crockery without linting; waffle-weave glass cloths give a smear-free polish front of house; and microfibre and all-purpose cloths handle surface wiping and spills. Colour-coded cloths follow the same HACCP colours as boards to keep bar, kitchen and washroom tasks separate. Disposable antibacterial wipes suit high-risk surfaces where laundering isn’t practical. Check GSM weight for durability through commercial laundering, and buy in packs so worn cloths are replaced rather than pushed past their best. Used across pubs, cafés, hotels, restaurants and care home kitchens.
Cloths & Tea Towels — FAQs
Should cloths be colour-coded like chopping boards?
Yes — many commercial kitchens extend the same HACCP colour-coding to cloths, using dedicated colours for kitchen, bar and washroom areas to reduce cross-contamination risk.
What fabric absorbs best for catering tea towels?
100% cotton, particularly heavier GSM weaves, absorbs more liquid and withstands industrial laundering better than cheaper polyester blends.