Paper towels have become commonly used elements today, but their history dates to 1879 when Clarence and Irvin Scott – two brothers from Philadelphia founded their paper company.

When were paper towels first used in homes?

In 1931, Scott saw a use for Sani-Towels in kitchens, and introduced the world's first “paper towels”—a sheet a perforated, soft paper, on a roll in sheets of 13” x 8” (source). To housewives used to washing kitchen rags and other cleaning cloths, it was a non-event.

What did we use before paper towels?

Before paper towels, we the people used cloth towels to both dry our hands and clean up our messes. The idea for the paper towel originally came from brothers z in 1879.