Paper kitchen towels are almost, very nearly, not quite, but just about, sterile. They're made from wood pulp under a process that knocks out any bacteria. The reason they're not totally sterile is that, while they may be hygenically manufactured and packed, it's not done under totally sterile conditions. You could suppose that (hopefully) the better the quality of the product, the more hygenic the production system will be. But there's probably many more bacteria floating around in the air in your kitchen than there is on a fresh paper towel .