The most-touched item in your kitchen is almost certainly a breeding ground for bacteria.

Kitchen cotton terry towels stay damp for hours. Damp fabric is where bacteria thrive. Linen dries in minutes — it's one of the fastest-drying natural fibers, and it's naturally antimicrobial. But the reason I switched wasn't the science. It was the practice. Every time I dry my hands on a well-made linen towel, it's a small reminder that I'm taking care of the space I've been given. Stewardship isn't only grand. It's the material quality of the daily objects you touch a hundred times a day.