What Is a Swedish Dishcloth? The Complete Guide
If you've never used one, a Swedish dishcloth looks like a strange, thin sponge with a fabric-like texture. Once you try one, it's hard to go back to paper towels. Here's what it actually is, what it's made of, and why it's replaced paper towels in millions of kitchens since 1949.
What is a Swedish dishcloth?
A Swedish dishcloth is a reusable, biodegradable cleaning cloth made from a blend of cellulose (wood pulp) and cotton. It absorbs liquid like a sponge, wrings out and dries like a towel, and can be washed and reused for months. The category was invented in Sweden in 1949 by engineer Curt Lindquist, who wanted a cloth that dried as fast as a towel but absorbed like a sponge. His wife, Margareta, coined the name "Wettex" by combining "wet" and "textile." Wettex is still manufactured today in Norrköping, Sweden, and remains the original version of a product now sold under dozens of different brand names.
What is it made of?
Genuine Swedish dishcloths, including Wettex, are made from roughly 70% cellulose and 30% cotton. The cellulose gives the cloth its sponge-like absorbency, while the cotton adds strength and flexibility so it doesn't tear or crumble the way a paper towel does. Because both materials are natural fibers, the finished cloth is 100% biodegradable and compostable at the end of its life.
How well does it actually work?
A Swedish dishcloth absorbs up to 15 times its own weight in liquid — noticeably more than a paper towel or standard kitchen sponge. Unlike a sponge, it dries out fully between uses instead of staying damp, which is what keeps it from developing the sour smell sponges are known for. One cloth, washed regularly, typically replaces somewhere around 15-17 rolls of paper towels before it's worn out.
Swedish dishcloth vs. paper towels vs. sponges
The short version: paper towels are single-use and add up in cost and waste over a year. Kitchen sponges are reusable but hold onto bacteria and odor because they rarely dry out fully. A Swedish dishcloth splits the difference — reusable like a sponge, but thin enough to wring out and hang dry like a towel, which is the actual reason it doesn't develop odor the way a sponge does.
How to wash and care for one
Swedish dishcloths are low-maintenance: wet, wring, use, rinse, wring again, and hang to dry — see our full step-by-step guide to using a Swedish dishcloth for the details that make one last as long as possible. A Pluring push-in hanger makes the drying step easy. Washed regularly, a single cloth typically lasts 6-9 months of daily use.
Wettex, Skoy, and the rest: is there a difference between brands?
Once "Wettex" became a household name in Scandinavia, the format was copied widely, and today it's sold under many different brand names, including Skoy, Full Circle, and a long list of private-label versions. Most use a similar cellulose-cotton blend, so day-to-day performance is broadly comparable across brands. Where they differ is origin, manufacturing standard, and price per cloth — see our honest comparison of Wettex, Skoy, and Full Circle for the specifics, and our page on spotting genuine, made-in-Sweden Wettex if you want to make sure you're getting the original.
Common questions
Is a Swedish dishcloth the same as a Swedish dish towel? No — a dish towel is typically woven cotton or linen used for drying, while a Swedish dishcloth is the cellulose-cotton sponge cloth described above, used for wiping and cleaning.
Can I use it on more than dishes? Yes — it works for countertops, bathroom surfaces, spills, and general household cleaning, not just dishes.
Is it sanitary to reuse? Yes, as long as it's washed regularly (roughly twice a week with typical daily use) and allowed to dry out fully between uses.
Ready to try one? Shop the original Wettex Swedish dishcloth, made in Sweden since 1949.