Swedish Dishcloth // The Baja Collection

If paper towels and plastic sponges had a baby, this would be it. Made from 70% cellulose and 30% cotton, Swedish dishcloths are machine washable and will last for years but are fully backyard-compostable at the end of their life. They're highly absorbent — they can hold 20 times their weight in liquid - and dry super fast so bacteria doesn't grow like it can on traditional plastic sponges.

Our full line of Swedish dishcloths are designed and printed in Seattle using water-based inks. Each collection is available as a set or as individual cloths.

💡 Learn more about Swedish dishcloths and why we absolutely ~adore~ them over on the blog!

5% of each Baja Swedish Dishcloth will be donated to our ocean conservation partner, Vermilion Sea Institute.

What's the story with the designs?

These Swedish dishcloths were inspired by our ocean conservation partner, Vermilion Sea Institute. Each group that visits the VSI field station leaves a mural on the wall to commemorate their time at the station.

The quotes on these dishcloths are quotes left by students, scientists, and visitors to the field station, selected by our founder, Krystina, to be included in these designs - including one from her first visit to the station.

One of the most prominent pieces of research done through VSI is whale shark monitoring, so of course we had to include a whale shark in one design. The bench scene is the view from the cobblestone patio at the field station, and the mermaid was inspired by Krystina's first visit to VSI, and its executive director, Meghann.

Each print was designed in Portland, Oregon by Otter and Ink Designs, who receives a commission for each cloth sold.

Dimensions

6.75" x 7.5"

Material

70% cellulose, 30% cotton, water-based ink

To Use

Just like a sponge, wet your Swedish dishcloth, wring out excess water, and get down to cleaning.

Care

Wash your Swedish dishcloths with the rest of your laundry and hang dry. We prefer to lay them flat to dry or hang with clothespins so they dry flat. Or, pop your dishcloths in the dishwasher on the top rack for a quick wash and sanitize.

Packaging + End of Life

These Swedish dishcloths will either be completely unpackaged or wrapped in reused kraft paper. The kraft paper can be reused or curbside recycled. At the end of their life, cut up your Swedish dishcloths and toss in your backyard compost.

Origin

Printed locally in Seattle, Washington. 

Ethical Guarantees

Made in USA
Vegan
Washington-Local

🌎 You care about the planet. So do we.

Look. I get it. It’s HARD to be an EcoWarrior. Someone who cares about the planet and wants the most sustainable products available - from the ingredients to the packaging to the way that product gets to your hands.

It seems like everywhere we turn, someone, somewhere, is greenwashing us.

But our superpower at A Drop in the Ocean is sorting through the BS, calling it out, and making sure our products are the absolute most sustainable and truly zero waste products we can find.

So on top of all the things we mentioned above about what makes our reusable Swedish dishcloths so sustainable, here’s a few other things you should know:

• We’re actually practicing what we preach behind the scenes. Each year, we track and record all of our trash, and even wrote a whole blog post on it. The tl;dr version is this: on average, we produce less than 0.5 pounds of trash each month. Everything from the packaging our products come in down to the Sharpie we use to write “Fragile” on your box is zero waste to its core.

• We’re an online-only zero waste store - which is highly intentional. It may seem counter-intuitive, but online shopping is actually more sustainable than in-person. I’m a data nerd at heart and I love diving into the research, and there are countless studies that have shown that online shopping is the most sustainable way to get your everyday essentials. Don’t believe me? Check out our whole blog post on the sustainability of online shopping.

• We ship ugly boxes. Your order from A Drop in the Ocean is not going to arrive in a pretty, branded box. It’s gonna show up in a reused tea box, or a donated Amazon box, or maybe even an inside-out Girl Scout Cookies box. All of our shipping materials are always 100% plastic-free and reused as much as possible, with curbside-recyclable paper tape and a post-consumer recycled paper shipping label. It won’t be pretty, but it will be zero waste.

Got more questions about our zero waste products or our practices behind the scenes? Just send us an email! I’m always happy to chat all things eco.