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monaw_gw

Calling all flour sack towel lovers!

monaw
12 years ago

It's been a while since a bought a bundle from Costco, and they no longer carry them, at least in Atlanta area. Which is surprising because this is the South.

I have a feeling that flour sack towels might be disappearing because the newer generation does not have any idea how great they are!

Flour sack towels are disappearing from hardware stores, grocery stores, and everywhere they used to be. I don't know about Farm supply stores because I haven't been to one lately. Flour sack towels used to be as common in a store as sugar or flour, but now they becoming a luxury item with a ridiculous price tag,...as well as being presented in fancy packaging to jack up the price.

Just take a look on Amazon. They are now being offered in bold colors with fancy packaging.

They will give us what we demand, and apparently there is no longer a strong demand for flour sack towels other than for FANCY people. Is this going to be the lost generation that gives into commercial brainwash, or are there still some people out there that are aware that the Flour sack towel RULES?.

The big buck stores ...one called "Williams~something" is charging an arm and a leg for what used to be the STANDARD kitchen towel all across rural America.

Ladies over 50 please chime in...what's up with that!?

It doesn't matter what a kitchen towel looks like.

It doesn't need to have "decorations" and fancy colors!

You need to be able to blast it in hot water and possibly a touch of bleach to sanitize.

There is nothing better than a great flour sack towel. Every home needs a few dozen for various tasks, but not at the price of.... "Organic Flour Sack Kitchen Towel, Set of 3, $14.00"

Stand up American women and bring the flour sack towel back!

Save money on paper towels and start using this wonderful tool in your home...not only for kitchen.

I could make a list but I won't.

I will say that old flour sacks are fantastic for cleaning and shining everything in the house, and have a multitude of uses in the kitchen from rising bread dough, drying dishes,...and I won't go on. (great for cleaning stainless appliances)

ok I cheated...

If anyone has an affordable source for good flour sack towels...please post!

Comments (35)

  • plllog
    12 years ago

    Julie gave us a great source for all kinds of kitchen towels, including birdseye and flour sack. It's called American Chair Store but they have a variety of versions of flour sack towels, 10 for $18-$25.

  • willtv
    12 years ago

    I'm not a lady over 50 but, I couldn't agree more.
    The Vermont Country Store also sells them.
    I'm attaching a link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Vermont Country Store

  • westsider40
    12 years ago

    Ikea has look-a-like flour sack towels for $.50, I think? check Ikea.

  • zelmar
    12 years ago

    Target--I can't remember the price, something like $6 for 4. These are probably thinner than most flour sack towels but they are still really absorbent and a pleasure to use.

    I didn't know anything about flour sack towels until another customer suggested them as I was standing in the aisle studying what was available (years ago, now.) I found my favorite coffee the same way (different store). So, flour sack lovers, speak up when you have a chance!

  • zelmar
    12 years ago

    I found a Target receipt from several packs of flour sack towels I bought recently (some for my daughter's first apt and some for my sister since she comments on them when she visits.) Price was $4 for a pack of 4.

  • cjc123
    12 years ago

    LOVE MY FLOURSACKS! Another one under 50 that knows the value of a good thing! Now I'm nervous and think I should stock up! I even keep a few that are in new condition to use when we have company! There are a few that look horrid but still work for every day! ;-) Next to cloth diapers for dusting adn polishing these are a must have!

  • mabeldingeldine_gw
    12 years ago

    I can't speak to the flour sack towels, but one of my favorite gifts from my DH ever was a lot of old linen calendar towels he purchased on eBay. I think it had 15 towels, all of them linen, with calendars from the 60s-early 80s. Many of the prints were songbirds, those are my favorites.

    I've used those towels for years and years and they just get better -- lint free and softer with every use. I might regret sharing this knowledge -- maybe I'd better hit eBay and see if I can score enough towels for the next 20 years!

  • function_first
    12 years ago

    I bought a 12 pack from Amazon that turned out to be great - I didn't realize my old flour sack towels were so thin before getting these. I highly recommend these:

    Flour Sack Towels Commercial Grade 12 Pack 28in X 29in
    ASIN: B003BS4856
    Item model number: NL-FST-12

    price is $28.47 (Prime eligible)

    They're just so much heavier than any I've had before (and it's great to have a dozen of them!) -- after getting them and trying them out, I went through and tore up all my old towels for rags because I so much prefer these to any of my other towels (size, heft and absorbency) -- they work for everything.

    Sorry, I know I sound like a shill, I swear I'm not, but they're just a great product and pretty good deal for a dozen.

  • mtnrdredux_gw
    12 years ago

    I got some on etsy

  • trudymom
    12 years ago

    I also buy mine from American Chair Store. I do embroidery on them and use them as gifts. I love the Deluxe ones. Best quality I have seen and really nice people work there.

    Trudy

  • leia_in_lalaland
    12 years ago

    Every time I go to Ikea I buy a handful of their white cotton towels with the red stripe. They're the only ones I use for drying. I use microfiber towels (they used to carry them at Costco) to set the hand washed dishes/items on before drying (I'm not a drying rack person).

  • tea4all
    12 years ago

    Thanks so much for these sources! The ones from my mother (who passed away years ago) are getting quite thin now. The only other place I've been able to find them is at a few estate sales. I refuse to fork over the price at "Williams-something"!

  • emagineer
    12 years ago

    Hadn't thought about four sack towels for years. But I do use towels in the kitchen. Chef towels from Sams. A pack if .50 a piece. They last forever, I use new ones for a while and then when stained they head for cleaning. Never noticed any lint. These too have a red or blue thin stripe, maybe the same as mentioned.

    It is interesting to me how many people in my kitchen seem to be lost without paper towels.

  • monaw
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    whoo hoo!!! Thanks everybody for all the great tips!!!!!
    I wish our Costco still carried them! I also go to the auto section in Costco and buy a big stack of their terry shop clothes every couple of years. These are GREAT for so many things! I use them for cleaning, kitchen, and you name it. I think it's like $17 something for 40 or so. Can't beat them! They don't compare to flour sacks because nothing can, but they really come in handy for lots of things. Love 100% cotton!!

  • natal
    12 years ago

    I grab a pack every time I see them at Ross, TJ Maxx, or Marshall's. No way I'm paying more than a couple bucks each.

  • editionk
    12 years ago

    I'm definitely under 50 and love them too. No one else I know uses them.

    I rec'd a set of 2 patterened red/white ones as a wedding shower gift 12 years ago. I thought they were ugly and they stayed in the cupboard for a few years. I don't remember how I started using them, but now I love them and won't use anything else. Had them on my Christmas list about 2 years ago (and rec'd them too!). Sadly the original red/white ones are no longer - threadbare and full of holes.

    I found a 6 pk at my local Midwest grocery chain, Meijer.

    I like that they are thin enough to fit into the nooks and crannies of plastic food storage container covers to get every last drip out.

    Plain white is my style :)

  • cplover
    12 years ago

    Under 40 here and love my flour sack towels! I still have a few that my grandmother put small stamped designs on. They dry better than anything else! They also fit into a glass! :)

  • threegraces
    12 years ago

    I cannot convince my hubby to use them. He doesn't think they are absorbent enough. Flour sack towels are all I ever knew growing up!

  • Capegirl05
    12 years ago

    I bought some at Bed Bath & Beyond but they weren't the real thing. I agree...there is nothing better than a REAL flour sack towel for drying dishes, etc. I also really like the Williams-Sonoma dish towels (the thicker ones). They are around $20 for 4...I know that is high but they last forever and clean up great! I have had my set of 4 for 5 years and I swear, they look brand new. I will check out amazon for the 12 pack of flour sacks! Great deal!
    capegirl

  • enduring
    11 years ago

    I am reminded of the few dresses that my mother made out of flour sacks for us girls when we were young. "In the old days" the sacks were printed and my grandmother must have made dresses too. My DM got printed sacks from her DM because we were in the city. My DM grew up on the farm.

    I remember one cute little dress when I was under 5, that had a white background and dark blueberry colored berries all over it with some green leafs? Or maybe every thing was the same color, a deep blueberry color. It had a gathered skirt and a peter pan collar, & slightly puffy capped sleeves. Of course it had a sash to tie into a bow in the back.

    I now live on my DH's family farm. We have a shed that has all sorts of things in it. Here is a picture I took several years ago.

    Can you tell what it is? Its a BIG bundle of flour and feed sacks. They are old.

    Oh BTW, I use terry towels. I don't like how wet flour sack towels get. I don't worry about lint:)

    This post was edited by enduring on Mon, Mar 11, 13 at 11:27

  • deedles
    11 years ago

    I've bought the towels from Amazon that someone suggested above. They're great. Everyone should give all the young people in their life a pack of flour sack towels for a Christmas (or Birthday or whatever) gift this year, so they know what they're missing!

  • Nancy in Mich
    11 years ago

    In the past I have bought the ones from Vermont Country Store, and I liked them best for being well-woven and truely square. But I won't pay their price and I get funny bias-skewed ones cheap somewhere, instead.

    Notice that the ones in the Vermont Country Store link above are, "currently not available.?!!!" "

  • drybean
    11 years ago

    I was just looking for some last week. I struck out at Target and TJ Maxx. I love Williams Sonoma dish towels, but I won't pay that much for the flour sack ones.

    I bought the $0.75 one at Ikea, which is okay but it's really thin. I'll try the ones from amazon or chair store.

  • 1917bungalow
    10 years ago

    I am finding this thread after picking up my first pack of flour sack towels tonight. I originally bought them to cut up for a craft project but y'all have convinced me not to! lol

    I don't know if they're great quality or not, but I got them at Walmart. 5/$5 Even if they're not the best quality out there, it's sure cheaper than paper towels!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Walmart Flour Sack Towels

  • PRO
    modern life interiors
    10 years ago

    bump

  • ILoveRed
    10 years ago

    Count me in as a flour sack towel lover. These are the latest that I have purchased and definitely the nicest. Thick and wash well.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Flour sack towel

  • DiggingInTheDirt
    10 years ago

    This is an interesting thread. Having never heard of a flour sack towel, I thought this would be my panacea kitchen towel. They no longer make kitchen towels from good quality cotton.

    But if I understand what flour sack towels are, I've used them, and hate them. Everyone mentions that they are absorbent, which I guess they are, but after drying one or two items, they are too wet to continue using. I would go through three or four towels to dry a few dishes if I used them.

    So what am I missing? Are you using them for something other than drying dishes? Oh, and I'm from the over 50 crowd.

  • sparkier73
    10 years ago

    Walmart has them.

  • escubed
    10 years ago

    Maybe I'm being picky but I want towels made in the USA. Nothing against China, India, and every other country exporting towels to us but can anyone direct me to American made kitchen towels, flour sack or not? My search on the web has been frustrating.

  • shelayne
    10 years ago

    I have bought my flour sack towels from American Chair Store, but the last bunch I bought was different. It was the same item I had ordered before-- the Deluxe-- but the feel of the flour sack was really different. I was disappointed. :(

    I may have to check out what Amazon offers. Thanks for all the tips on where to find more.

  • jayneurban
    8 years ago

    Sam's Club... really good ones in 24 pack.


  • 12crumbles
    8 years ago

    I'm not sure if I know what they are. They may be what my mother used years ago. They sound great. I will have to go looking. This may be one of the few revived threads that I've found useful!

  • Debbie Shope
    6 years ago

    Yesterday while decluttering I came across 16 flour sacks that have been waiting to become floursack towels for 43 years

    and today they are in the washer after I pulled the thread that made them into a sack and then sewed up the ends. Yay

  • tracie_erin
    6 years ago

    So, I use flour sack towels for a different purpose - cloth diapers! They work great instead of buying cloth-diaper-specific flats at a higher price. I might look into another brand soon though - my white Target ones are starting to get too rough for baby's skin after many washes. The printed/colored ones are still going strong, though.

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