The decision to use cloth rags or paper towels for your painting process is a personal choice and can depend on several factors, including where you paint, how often you paint, budget, time, and environmental impact.
Paper towels are quick and easy to use, however, cloth rags are more absorbent and can be cleaned and used multiple times. With both there are serious safety concerns for spontaneous combustion, be sure you are familiar with proper practices for safe storage of used oil-soaked products.
The type and frequency of your oil painting can help you determine which will work better for you. Let’s have a closer look at each factor so you can be sure you are making the best decision for your situation.
Can Painting Rags or Paper Towels Spontaneously Combust?
Safe disposal of used oil-soaked cloth rags and paper towels is an important piece of your studio procedures. Be sure to learn how to properly care for them.
Leaving used oil-soaked paper towels or cloth rags wadded up or piled in an open bucket can cause them to spontaneously combust! This is due to the heat generated when the moisture in the oil evaporates. It is important to let your rags or paper towels dry before piling, or wadding them into a garbage can.
If you have a sealed container, preferably metal, to put them in this will prevent evaporation which leads to combustion. The safest and easiest method is to lay them flat or hang them to dry. When the rags have enough airflow the heat will not build up enough to ignite.
What Is The Cost Of Paper Towels vs Cloth Rags For Oil Painting?
If you choose to use paper towels, you will need to regularly purchase more to keep them on hand. This will be an ongoing expense to factor into each painting, and the actual cost depends on how many paper towels you go through per painting. If you are a very loose and impasto painter you may end up using lots of paper towels, whereas a more controlled realist painter might need fewer. The cost will also depend on which type or brand of paper towels you use. Larger paintings will also require more paper towels.
On average, a medium-sized oil painting ( 24″ x 36″ ) could require between half to a whole roll of paper towels. If you are using a high-quality, absorbent paper towel, this number might be less. That may not seem like much of an expense, but over years of painting, it will add up. If you are using regular kitchen paper towels expect to use a whole lot more.
Cloth rags are the most cost-effective choice for oil painting. Usually, they are gathered from old clothes and then washed and repeatedly used again.
For cloth rags, the main cost depends on how you acquire your rags. If you are using old clothes from your home the cost is nothing. If you intend to clean your rags you can factor in the cost of soap and water which is pretty low as you can use soap that you already own. Washing and reusing your cloth rags will dramatically reduce the overall cost.
What Is The Environmental Impact Of Using Paper Towels Or Cloth Rags For Oil Painting?
When thinking about the environmental impact, we have to consider the quantity and frequency of use. If, as calculated above, you are using half to a whole roll of paper towels per oil painting that is a LOT of paper towels to throw away, especially if you are painting every day or even every week. It appears like cloth rags are the clear winner here.
Even if you used recycled paper towels the cloth users who wash and reuse are creating much less waste. I would also argue that if using recycled paper towels you are going to need many more of them because they are not as absorbent as the higher grade thicker paper towels that are only made from non-recycled materials.
Cloth rags can be washed and reused so they are less impactful on the environment than using paper towels for your oil paint.
For washing and reusing cloth rags, the only considerations are the water and soap used. If you live in an area like California with frequent water shortages you may also want to consider how much water you are using to wash your cloth rags. Obviously, if someone is throwing away cloth rags regularly that is equally as impactful on the environment as paper towel use.
Quick And Easy Use Of Cloth Rags Or Paper Towels
It is much more common these days to see artists using paper towels for their paintings and this is because they are quick and easy to use.
Paper towels are the quickest and simplest choice for wiping your brush while oil painting.
Paper towels are easy to obtain and you can buy them at any grocery store. Cloth rags are usually made from old clothes, but you can also buy old T-shirts online or at used clothing stores. If you do have to go shopping for your first set of cloth rags they are not as easy to find as paper towels. Cloth rags are going to take a little adjustment to learn to simplify your cleaning practices.
Obviously, it does take more time to clean rags than just throwing away a paper towel. When disposing of cloth or paper rags it is important to remember that BOTH can cause a fire if not discarded properly.
Does Your Location Affect The Choice Of Cloth Rags Or Paper Towels?
If you are a studio painter it might be a bit easier for you to adopt a cloth rag system. A Plein air painter on the other hand might prefer being able to toss his or her towels in the nearest trash can. I wouldn’t let location be a limiting factor, because you can just as easily put your cloth rags in your pack and take them home with the rest of your supplies. Once at home you can treat them as you would with studio use.
Which Should You Use?
Ultimately, the choice is yours to use paper towels or reusable cloth rags. Perhaps you might try both and then decide which will work better for your situation. Maybe you use cloth rags at home and paper towels on the go. It is important to consider your options and weigh the difference so that you can feel good about the choice you make.